Republic of Mining

Bolivia scraps joint lithium project with German company (Deutsche Welle – November 4, 2019)

November 4, 2019

https://www.dw.com/en/

The Bolivian government has cancelled a joint partnership with Germany’s privately owned ACI Systems Alemania (ACISA) to develop a massive lithium project.

Residents in the city of Potosi, where the joint venture had planned to build a factory for electric vehicle batteries and a lithium hydroxide plant, have been protesting since early October against the project. Organized by the Potosi Civic Committee, protesters say the project would not benefit local communities.

Potosi Department Governor Carlos Cejas said Sunday he had received a decree from the government of President Evo Morales to overturn a previous decree permitting the project, Bolivian state news agency ABI reported.

Miner miracle: Scots jeweller joins global fight to end unethical trade in gems from Africa – by Megan McEachern (The Sunday Post – November 4, 2019)

November 4, 2019

Home

Deep in Tanzania’s Umba Valley, Raheli digs into rocky soil.

It is back-breaking work and the sweat rolls down her face as she pulls out a small, glittering stone. Raheli, one of Tanzania’s female gem miners, is paid a little money for her labours.

Meanwhile, the gem may travel hundreds of miles to end up on a foreign jewellery counter, to be sold perhaps for thousands of pounds, euros, or dollars. In just the past two decades, seven African countries have endured brutal civil conflicts fuelled by precious stones, predominantly diamonds. These include Sierra Leone, Liberia, Angola, the Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Films like Blood Diamond, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, have helped bring to light the intensification of civil wars fuelled by diamonds financing militaries and rebel militias. But the human rights abuses, horrific violence and child labour continues.

Nunavut board rejects Oceans North motion to suspend iron mine assessment – by Emma Tranter (Nunatsiaq News – November 3, 2019)

November 4, 2019

https://nunatsiaq.com/

The Nunavut Impact Review Board has dismissed a motion from Oceans North to suspend the review board’s assessment of Baffinland Iron Mines Corp.’s railway-based phase two expansion plan for the Mary River iron mine.

In front of a packed audience in Iqaluit’s Cadet Hall, the board presented its ruling on the motion from Oceans North, and two other motions, during the late afternoon of Sunday, Nov. 3. A public hearing on the phase two expansion is currently being held in Iqaluit from Nov. 2 to 6.

The notice of motion filed by Oceans North on Oct. 29 asked the board to suspend its proceedings until the NIRB had the chance to review a document called a preliminary offering circular.

Sudbury junior miner permitted to drill on contentious ground – by Colleen Romaniuk (Northern Ontario Business – October 31, 2019)

November 4, 2019

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Flag Resources obtains provincial permit to resume exploration at Wolf Lake, despite opposition

An environmentally contentious mineral exploration program in the Sudbury area will be allowed to proceed.

Junior miner Flag Resources (1985) Limited, a holder of mining leases in the Wolf Lake area, has been issued a mineral exploration permit by the Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines, with no conditions attached.

The decision was announced on Oct. 31. Flag Resources applied for the permit earlier this fall. The permit will allow Flag to perform exploration drilling to assess mineral resource potential in the Township of Mackelcan in the Wolf Lake region, 47 kilometres northeast of Sudbury.

‘It’s time to get back that hungry, competitive spirit’: Nutrien CEO pushes Ottawa to get serious about revving up economy – by Barrie McKenna (Globe and Mail – November 4, 2019)

November 4, 2019

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Chuck Magro’s parents came to Canada from Malta in 1965 seeking a better life. “It’s the classic immigrant story,” says Mr. Magro, president and chief executive of Canadian fertilizer giant Nutrien Ltd.

They could have gone to Australia. They chose Canada. But Mr. Magro worries that Canada in 2019 is not the same dynamic country his parents found in the 1960s. It has become too complacent, ceding ground in global trade to more aggressive and determined adversaries, he says.

“When my mom and dad decided to come to Canada … they saw this country that was young and vibrant and building things,” he explains in an interview. “It’s time to get back that hungry, competitive spirit.”

With Trudeau re-elected, there are long years ahead – by Conrad Black (National Post – November 2, 2019)

November 4, 2019

https://nationalpost.com/

The complacent tenor of the government’s successful re-election campaign was based on Canada’s superior quality of life, the skill of its people, and the stability of its institutions. That is certainly the moderate left’s view and the governing Liberals carried this message and it was, in electoral terms, ratified.

The somewhat-less-enthused Conservatives led in the popular vote, but the non-regional parties of the left, Liberals, New Democrats and Greens, while having lots of suggestions of how to be more “progressive” and go farther left, were unanimous in their view that more redistributive activity by the government — taking money from people who had earned it and redeploying it to the benefit (and electoral gratitude) of those who hadn’t — would make Canada even more paradisiacal than it already is.

Even the capable head of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, an innovative think-tank and centre of debate, Brian Lee Crowley, writing in this newspaper on Tuesday, declared that the core of conservatism was gratitude for Canada’s comfort, civility and attainments, although he rightly decried the failure to make more progress with natives’ issues, and the sluggishness about delivering oil and gas to export points and to satisfy domestic demand.

COLUMNS: An Economist’s Column: Mining or the environment is a false choice; we can have both – by John Phelan (Duluth News Tribune – November 1, 2019)

November 4, 2019

https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/

In a column on Twin Metals’ planned sulfide ore copper mine (Local View: “Arrowhead better served without mineral leases,” Oct. 20), local economist Kris Hallberg wrote, “On the surface, the controversy appears to be a fight between two competing priorities: jobs versus environmental protection. But a closer look at the current economy of the region and the changing nature of rural economic development tells a different story.”

Hallberg was right that the debate is usually presented as this choice. However, as we at the Center of the American Experiment showed in our 2018 report, “Unearthing Prosperity: How Environmentally Responsible Mining Will Boost Minnesota’s Economy,” it is a false choice.

Sulfide ore copper mining can be done in an environmentally sustainable way. Sadly, despite her awareness of this trap, Hallberg fell into it herself.

Ontario renewed funding push for Ring of Fire roads as viability of venture questioned – by Niall McGee and Jeff Gray (Globe and Mail – November 4, 2019)

November 4, 2019

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

The Ontario government appealed to Ottawa this summer to split a $1.6-billion construction bill for roads into the Ring of Fire region, despite mounting evidence the minerals project in the province’s North isn’t economically viable.

Documents reviewed by The Globe and Mail show that Greg Rickford, Ontario’s Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines, sent an e-mail in July to a number of federal ministers asking for Ottawa to kick in as much as $779-million to roughly match Ontario’s contribution.

As part of his business case for investing in the Ring of Fire, Mr. Rickford referenced a number of often-cited huge financial projections about the project that have no supporting evidence.

Not The Best Deal: Albemarle Pays $1.3 Billion For A Lithium Asset— And Closes It – by Tim Treadgold (Forbes Magazine – November 1, 2019)

November 1, 2019

https://www.forbes.com/

Too much lithium and not enough demand for the battery-making material have hit the Australian expansion plans of U.S.-based specialty chemical maker Albemarle Corporation which effectively acquired, and closed, a new mine on the same day.

The deal to buy a stake in the Wodgina lithium mine in Western Australia was first negotiated 12 months ago, a time when lithium prices were higher and demand for the electric vehicles which use it in their batteries was forecast to be stronger than it is.

Celebrations Turn Sour

Rather than celebrating the deal today turned into commiserations with the workforce sent home and the almost new mine put in mothballs.

Robotics stepping up safety in underground mine inspections – by Lindsay Kelly (Northern Ontario Business – November 1, 2019)

November 1, 2019

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Combining old technology with modern robotics has resulted in a new safety innovation for underground mines that’s expected to reduce risk and improve efficiency.

The MRC Rail Runner, developed by SafeSight Exploration Inc. of North Bay, is a utility robot clamped onto a mechanized rail climber (MRC), which is sent up into a raise to do an inspection.

The robot is designed to replace humans who are required to visually inspect the raise for look for risks like potentially loose rock. In underground mining, a raise is a vertical underground excavation, running between various levels, that’s used for ventilation to the surface or for transporting ore and waste rock.

The Copper Market Is So Bleak Miners Are Turning to the Gospel – by Mark Burton (Bloomberg News – October 31, 2019)

November 1, 2019

https://www.bloomberg.com/

The mood in base-metals markets has turned so miserable that copper-mining giant Freeport-McMoRan Inc. turned to a local gospel choir to add some cheer as the industry gathers in London.

Freeport put in a last-minute call for the group to help Chief Executive Officer Richard Adkerson wind down the week on a high note. Together, they entertained attendees at a dinner hosted by the company Wednesday with uplifting renditions of classics including “O-o-h Child” and “Oh Happy Day.”

For traders, miners and investors attending LME Week this year, there hasn’t been much else to celebrate, at least in the short term. The mood is a reversal from a year ago, as demand for most metals suffers due to the U.S.-China trade war.

Indigenous Canadians want natural resources development — why aren’t we being heard? – by Dale Swampy (Financial Post – November 1, 2019)

November 1, 2019

https://business.financialpost.com/

Opinion: Do not deny us our opportunity for well-being and prosperity simply to serve your stereotypes of what Indigenous peoples should be for and against

Many Canadians have a one-dimensional understanding of Indigenous cultural, political and economic realities, based on the stories they see and hear in the mainstream media and the messages they get from politicians.

We are often portrayed as a homogenous group with common interests, opinions and needs. One story that always gets attention is of Indigenous Canadians as victims of industry, protesting pipelines and other resource developments as they cross our territories.

The truth is, the vast majority of Indigenous communities in Canada are engaged in natural resource development, and on terms that we agree to. Indigenous communities have entered into over 450 agreements with mining companies since 2000, and 58 per cent have a contract or agreement with a forestry company.

Coal Jobs Are About to Take Another Hit – by Justin Fox (Bloomberg News – October 31, 2019)

November 1, 2019

https://www.bloomberg.com/

In 1923 there were 862,536 coal miners in the U.S., about 2% of the country’s total workforce. These days, their ranks are much thinner. As the Washington Post uncharitably pointed out in 2017, more people now work at Arby’s than in the U.S. coal mining industry.

This did not stop Donald Trump from making the revival of coal mining a major plank of his presidential campaign, and a focus of his efforts after he took office. And sure enough, the number of coal mining jobs did stop falling in 2017.

There are indications, though, that the decline is about to resume. Before the 2000s, job losses in coal mining were mainly about better mining equipment and the rise of less-labor-intensive above-ground mining operations.

Investors fear looming safety risks of mining waste dams – by Barbara Lewis (Reuters U.S. – October 31, 2019)

November 1, 2019

https://www.reuters.com/

LONDON (Reuters) – A global inquiry into how mining companies store billions of tonnes of waste in huge dams, launched after a collapse in Brazil killed hundreds, shows about a tenth of the structures have had stability issues, investors said on Thursday.

The research was led by the Church of England (CoE) and fund managers after the collapse of a Vale (VALE3.SA) dam in January unleashed an avalanche of mining waste on the Brazilian town of Brumadinho, killing an estimated 300 people.

A waste, or tailings dam, is the most common waste disposal method for mining companies, whether they’re extracting iron ore, gold or copper. They are among the largest man-made structures on earth, with some towering dozens of meters high and stretching for several kilometers.

Encana leaves for U.S., changes name as industry veterans lament ‘heart-wrenching’ decision – by Emma Graney and Jeffrey Jones (Globe and Mail – November 1, 2019)

November 1, 2019

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

A major Alberta oil and gas company whose roots date nearly back to the establishment of Canada as a country is moving its head office to the United States and changing its name as the province’s energy sector struggles to retain investment.

The relocation means Encana Corp. will now be based south of the border. It comes after the departure of foreign oil and gas companies from Canada, with Royal Dutch Shell, ConocoPhillips and Devon Energy Corp. selling their Canadian assets or scaling back investments as a crunch in pipeline space crimps prices.

Encana’s move on Thursday compounded an already bitter political debate between Alberta and Ottawa. The Liberal Party was returned to government last week with a minority after an election in which anger over environmental policies, including a carbon tax, and pipeline delays left the Liberals with no seats in Alberta.