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Pollution From Florida Mining a Concern With Hurricane Ian – by Curt Anderson (Associated Press – September 28, 2022)

https://www.usnews.com/

Environmental groups say the polluted leftovers of Florida’s phosphate fertilizer mining industry are at risk for leaks or other contamination triggered by Hurricane Ian.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The polluted leftovers of Florida’s phosphate fertilizer mining industry, more than 1 billion tons in “stacks” that resemble enormous ponds, are at risk for leaks or other contamination when Hurricane Ian comes ashore in the state, environmental groups say.

Florida has 24 such phosphogypsum stacks, most of them concentrated in mining areas in the central part of the state. About 30 million tons of this slightly radioactive waste is generated every year, according to the Florida Industrial and Phosphate Research Institute.

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Opinion: Unleash the Montney: Canada’s world-class gas field is waiting to be tapped – by Heather Exner-Pirot (Financial Post -September 29, 2022)

https://financialpost.com/

The Montney Formation is a gift from the gods. But in Canada, it may well remain a geological marvel instead of an economic one

Straddling the B.C.-Alberta border lies the most valuable Canadian resource you’ve never heard of: the trillion-dollar Montney Formation, a giant gas field the size of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia combined. Its potential is huge but its future is uncertain. With the federal government’s proposed emissions cap, it may remain a sleeping giant.

The Montney Formation is a colossus, bigger even than the U.S.A.’s renowned Marcellus field, which helped set off the shale revolution. Largely overlooked before the innovation of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling made it economically viable to exploit, it is now tapped to supply the nascent west coast LNG industry.

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A promising future in la belle province – by Dinah Zeldin (CIM Magazine – September 26, 2022)

https://magazine.cim.org/en/

While gold continues to shine, explorers are drawn to new frontiers and the potential for battery metals

Quebec has a rich history of gold mining: the first gold nuggets were discovered in the Beauce region in 1835. Since 1901 explorers have flocked to the Abitibi region in search of the precious metal.

Today the gold camps in the Abitibi remain the main hub of exploration activity, but some explorers are venturing farther afield into northern Quebec. Simultaneously, changing market demands and strong government support have increased interest in looking for other commodities.

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Gold is in bear territory, but prices to rally back to $1,900 next year: ING – by Anna Golubova (Kitco News – September 27, 2022)

https://www.kitco.com/

(Kitco News) The gold market faces more losses as the Federal Reserve is still in the midst of its historic rate hikes. But once signs of a potential Fed easing emerge, the gold price will return to its rally mode. And that is expected as soon as next year, according to ING’s latest outlook.

Gold is now down more than 10% year-to-date — a disappointing return for those using gold as an inflation hedge. December Comex gold futures were last at $1,637.40 an ounce, up 0.24% on the day.

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The scramble for rare earths carries big geopolitical risks – by Misha Glenny (Financial Times – September 26, 2022)

https://www.ft.com/

But without these metals there are limited solutions to our planetary problems

The war in Ukraine has demonstrated just how inadvisable over-dependence on a single supplier can be. Russia’s dominance in the European gas market turned into a geopolitical nightmare in the space of a few weeks.

Just imagine if a single country provided you with 90 per cent of your needs for essential commodities. Now imagine how you’d feel if that country was China. Actually, we don’t need to use our imagination because that is exactly the reality for Europe’s galloping consumption of rare earth metals.

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Manitoba juniors look to capitalize on lithium fever – by James Snell (Northern Miner – September 27, 2022)

https://www.northernminer.com/

With lithium prices at a record high – around US$71,000 a tonne for lithium carbonate – and demand for green technology surging, a cadre of exploration and development companies is looking to Manitoba as a source for the essential battery metal – and governments are signalling their approval.

Snow Lake Lithium (NASDAQ: LITM), which is drilling and expanding historical spodumene pegmatite deposits on its 223.8-sq.-km Thompson Brothers project in northwest Manitoba, is leading the charge. It plans to enter production by 2026 using the province’s 99% renewable hydroelectric power grid.

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Six of the Latest Trends in Bridal Jewelry – by Francesca Fearon (Diamonds.net – September 2022)

https://www.diamonds.net/

1. Vintage cut revival

Some may herald emerald-cut diamonds as this year’s most popular style for engagement rings, outranking other favorites like cushions and rounds, but it is interesting to see just how much designers are experimenting with older cuts. They are reviving vintage shapes like the marquise — a cut that dates back to the 18th century and is a favorite of Chicago jeweler Catherine Sarr at Almasika, who takes inspiration from its elliptical silhouette.

“It is a beautiful shape that I can follow naturally to create new settings, such as the east-west design I’m currently experimenting with,” she says.

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We’ll ‘set the bar high’ on Ring of Fire environment assessment, First Nation chief says – by Naimul Karim (Financial Post – September 27, 2022)

https://financialpost.com/

Ontario government has described the Ring of Fire as one of the ‘most promising’ regions for developing critical minerals

Indigenous groups who support building an all-season pathway into Ontario’s mineral-rich Ring of Fire region say they hope to allay concerns of neighbouring First Nations by conducting strong environmental assessments (EA).

The First Nations of Marten Falls and Webequie are currently conducting EAs for three proposed roads that would provide access to the region situated in northern Ontario’s James Bay Lowlands, about 500 kilometres from Thunder Bay.

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How the U.S. fell behind in lithium, the ‘white gold’ of electric vehicles – by Jeniece Pettitt (CNBC.com – January 15, 2022)

https://www.cnbc.com/

The United States has a lithium supply problem. Nearly every major automaker has announced a transition to electric vehicles, Tesla delivered almost one million cars in 2021, and a handful of new electric vehicle companies like Rivian and Lucid are rolling new models off the line.

In order to power all of these EVs, we will need batteries — lots of them. Electric vehicle growth will be responsible for more than 90% of demand for lithium by 2030, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. But lithium is also in our phones, computers, ceramics, lubricants, pharmaceuticals, and is essential for solar and wind energy storage.

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Pirie wants to see Ontario return as the world’s No. 1 mining jurisdiction – by Andrew Autio (Timmins Daily Press – September 26, 2022)

https://www.timminspress.com/

Exploration expected to shape Northern economy in coming years

Timmins MPP and Ontario’s Minister of Mines George Pirie told a crowd that the province’s economy will be largely shaped in the coming years by mineral exploration in the North, and that it will be the key to transforming into a greener future.

On Friday at the Ramada Inn, the former mayor and veteran mining executive was the keynote speaker at the latest instalment of the State Of Mining series hosted by the Timmins Chamber. “As we transform from a fossil fuel-based industry to one that is based on batteries, you’re not going to be able to turn the key off in one day,” he said.

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Southern cattail highly effective for rehabilitation of areas affected by iron mine tailings – by Staff (Mining.com – September 26, 2022)

https://www.mining.com/

A recent study conducted by Brazilian researchers and reported on by the São Paulo Research Foundation demonstrated the potential of Southern cattail for use in the sustainable rehabilitation of areas affected by iron ore mine tailings.

In a paper published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, the researchers explain that their experiments showed that the plant can scavenge up to 34 times more manganese from contaminated soil than other plants found in similar environments.

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Sulfuric acid: the next resource crisis that could stifle green tech and threaten food security – by Mark Maslin and Simon Day (The Conservation – August 23, 2022)

https://theconversation.com/

Without sulfur in the form of sulfuric acid, industries would struggle to produce the phosphorus fertilisers that raise farm yields or extract the essential metals used in everything from solar panels to electric car batteries.

Yet a problem looms, which has gone largely unnoticed. More than 80% of the global sulfur supply is a waste product, extracted from fossil fuels like oil and natural gas (which typically contain between 1% and 3% sulfur by weight) to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, the gas that causes acid rain.

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Generation Greta is growing up — and they’re angry – by Marco Chown Oved (Toronto Star – September 24, 2022)

https://www.thestar.com/

They gathered at Queen’s Park, and in more than 600 locations worldwide Friday — a little older, a little wiser and a little angrier.

It’s hard to believe it was only four years ago when a Swedish teenager skipped school for the environment and inspired millions around the world to do the same. But for many of the kids who followed in Greta Thunberg’s footsteps, the past four years have not flown by.

Instead, they’ve been punctuated by disappointment and failure. As the Fridays for Future movement grew bigger and more ambitious — drawing more than six million people into the streets worldwide at its peak in 2019 — the same cannot be said for the actions of world leaders on the climate file.

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‘This is a very, very big deal for Manitoba’ – by Martin Cash (Winnipeg Free Press – September 24, 2022)

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/

Snow Lake Resources working with LG Energy Solution to establish lithium supply chain in province

An important first step was taken on Thursday for Manitoba to aggressively insert itself into the global supply chain for lithium ion batteries, a product that is in red hot demand from vehicle manufacturers around the world.

LG Energy Solution, the second largest battery maker in the world, signed a memorandum of understanding with Snow Lake Resources to work together to potentially build Canada’s first lithium hydroxide processing plant in Winnipeg.

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China growth to fall behind rest of Asia for first time since 1990 – by Edward White and Mercedes Ruehl (Financial Times – September 26, 2022)

https://www.ft.com/

China’s economic output will lag behind the rest of Asia for the first time since 1990, according to new World Bank forecasts that highlight the damage wrought by President Xi Jinping’s zero-Covid policies and the meltdown of the world’s biggest property market.

The World Bank has revised down its forecast for gross domestic product growth in the world’s second-largest economy to 2.8 per cent, compared with 8.1 per cent last year, and from its prediction in April of between 4 and 5 per cent for this year.

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