1. Orissa completes hearing of Malda iron ore mines
2. Jindal Steel & Power: Power boost
3. 1.64 lakh potential jobs lost due to project delays: Assocham
4. Orissa Sponge takeover battle intensifies
5. Push for fast green clearance to mines
6. Haryana for mine auction, but its plea admits pitfalls
7. Mine waste trips up Alaska gold rush
8. Recession reports - Survey shows gloomy outlook for mining industry
9. Coal mining firm disputes pollution claims
10. More rain halts Rio mining
11. Environmentalist spots possible coal ash violations
12. Water fears surround mining plan
13. Mineral rights showdown at Badlands ranch
14. Miners hail policy changes
15. Polavaram project to be ready in three years
16. Centre asks States to implement Women’s Empowerment schemes effectively
17. ‘Action plan on climate change lacks transparency’
18. State tops in tiger conservation: World Bank
19. Rights-Based Approach For Indigenous Land
Mining – India
Orissa completes hearing of Malda iron ore mines |
| |
| Bishnu Dash / Kolkata/ |
| |
The Orissa government has completed the process of hearing for the Malda iron ore mines, available for issue of prospecting license over an area of about 350 hectares, in Sundergarh district. The hearing for this block of iron ore started in October 2008.
The state steel and mines department is processing the applications to determine the most eligible applicant before seeking the approval of the government to make the recommendations to the Union mines ministry.
There were about 57 applicants for prospecting licence (PL) or mining lease (ML) for this block which is a part of Malda manganese mines under the Koida mining circle.
A number of steel companies, which have signed MoU with the state government to set up projects in the state, such as Visa Steel, Dinabandhu Steel and Power, Sree Balajee Industries, Maheswari Ispat, MSP Sponge Iron Private Ltd, Jindal Stainless, Chandan Minerals, BRG Iron and Steel Steels, Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL), Maithan Ispat, Arati Steel and Action Ispat and Power are in race for the prospecting license (PL) of this iron ore block.
“We are processing the applications after completion of the hearing process for Malda iron ore reserves and the most eligible claimant will be decided in next couple of days”, Ashok Dalwai, secretary, steel and mines department, Orissa government told Business Standard.
Sources said, the state government has decided to give PL for prospecting of about 700 hectares of iron bearing area at Malda in Sundergarh district. Earlier, this block was a part of Malda manganese mines and held by the Tata Iron and Steel Company (Tisco).
While a part of this manganese mines is held by the company, another portion was relinquished by it. Though the area held by Tata Steel has been partly prospected, the adjacent area has not been prospected yet. The state government feels that there are some reserves of iron ore in this area. So it has decided to give it for prospecting.
The state government intends to provide raw material linkage to the industries fulfilling the conditions stipulated in the MoU like attaining the financial closure. So the process to decide the most meritorious claimant to this iron ore block is about to be completed, sources added.
http://business-standard.com/india/news/orissa-completes-hearingmalda-iron-ore-mines/10/30/350540/
Jindal Steel & Power: Power boost |
| |
| Jitendra Kumar Gupta / Mumbai |
| |
Despite a subdued steel outlook, Jindal Steel & Power should do well on rising profits in power business and its presence in long products.
In the last one month, even as the BSE Metal and Sensex were up between 1-2 per cent, the share price of Jindal Steel & Power (JSPL) has risen by almost 30 per cent. This comes as a surprise given that during the quarter ended December 2009, almost every steel company has reported a drop in revenue and profits, which could be attributed to the fall in international and domestic steel prices and a simultaneous reduction in volumes due to demand slowdown. However, thanks to the growing contribution of power business, JSPL has reported better numbers on a consolidated basis. And, it looks apparent that even as the steel outlook remains relatively subdued, JSPL should do better on the back of higher contribution from its power business.
Among the large steel companies, JSPL is relatively better placed as it mainly produces long products (used in construction) which account for about 70 per cent of its total revenue from the steel business. The demand for the long steel products is relatively better and is expected to rise due to the increased expenditure on infrastructure projects.
JSPL manufactures sponge iron, steel, pig iron, and ferro-chrome products. With the steel manufacturing capacity of 2.9 million tonne and 1.4 million tonne of sponge iron, JSPL is the largest, and amongst the lowest cost, coal-based producer of sponge iron in
Soft prices
International steel prices have fallen by about 50 per cent from their highs to about $580 per tonne currently. This also resulted in steel companies reporting lower realisation along with falling volumes. JSPL’s numbers too reflect this. For Q3 FY09, the company reported a decline of 19.6 per cent in sales (quarter-on-quarter; q-o-q) and a 29 per cent fall in net profit on standalone basis (steel business). This was due to a 11 per cent fall in volumes and lower realisations on q-o-q basis. However, the company posted a higher consolidated net profit of Rs 900 crore in Q3 FY09 as against Rs 780 crore in Q2 FY09, primarily on account of Rs 575 crore net profits earned by the power business.
Meanwhile, for the rest of the year, given the downturn in the steel cycle, the company’s steel volumes could be lower at 1.5 million tonne as compared to earlier estimates of about 1.7 million tonne, but still higher than 1.3 million tonne in FY08.
Higher output
For FY10, the company’s production volumes are expected to increase to 1.7-1.8 million tonne on account of the increasing plant utilisation and higher capacity. A year later (by December 2010), the company is expected to commission the first phase (two million tonne) of the six million tonne per annum
http://business-standard.com/india/news/jindal-steelpower-power-boost/10/30/350471/
1.64 lakh potential jobs lost due to project delays: Assocham
in land acquisition and environmental clearance, industry body Assocham said on Sunday.
"Smooth implementation of the projects could have created job opportunities for at least 1.64 lakh people directly and 2.7 lakh people indirectly," Assocham President Sajjan Jindal said.
Jindal's remarks come in the face of reports of large- scale job losses in the manufacturing sector which has shrunk by 0.2 per cent in the third quarter this fiscal under the impact of global financial crisis.
The projects, which are stuck in the procedural hassles for the last four years include POSCO and M&Ms joint venture in Chennai with Renault and Nissan, the chamber said.
The planned investment in all these projects was Rs 2.44 lakh crore, it said.
The POSCO project alone could have generated employment for 35,730 people, the chamber said. Other steel projects facing delays are those of Tata Steel in Jharkhand and Arcelor - Mittal in Orissa and Jharkhand.
Timely implementation of the the M&M joint venture with Renault and Nissan could have created jobs for at least 5,000 people.
Project delays prevent over 160,000 job creations
New Delhi, March 1 (IANS) India has lost the opportunity of employing more than 160,000 people with 18 major steel, power and auto projects getting delayed over land acquisition and forest and environment clearance issues, says a study by a business chamber.
According to the study by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham), “the 18 strangled projects of India Inc to the tune of Rs.244,815.5 crore (Rs.2.45 trillion) remained on papers, in the form of memorandum of understanding (MoU) and agreements over the past three-four years”.
However, a smooth implementation could have created job opportunities for at least 164,000 people directly and 270,000 people indirectly, it added.
“Assocham Research Bureau has identified 18 major projects announced by India Inc in sectors such as power, steel, automotive, IT, real estate and metals and mining that are just on papers and struggling for government clearances since 2003-04 till 2008,” Assocham president Sajjan Jindal said.
The delayed projects include Posco India’s proposed 12 million-tonne capacity steel plant in Orissa; it has already obtained in-principle for the special economic zone status needed for getting land in August 2005, and has pumped in some Rs.1.75 billion.
But delay in land acquisition has been a major stumbling block, Assocham said, adding that a green signal could have generated employment for 35,730 people.
Tata Steel’s three
Similarly, Arcelor-Mittal’s steel projects in Orissa and Jharkhand are facing peculiar situation for the past three years.
In Jharkhand, the company has got iron ore mines, but not the land, whereas in Orissa, it has land, but are yet to get mines. The planned investment in both the states are a little over Rs.43,050 crore, and is estimated to have generated direct employment for over 5,000 people and indirect employment for about 20,000.
Some mega greenfield projects in Jharkhand, if implemented, would have created nearly 9,000 jobs, Assocham said, basing its estimates on proposed investments of about Rs.40,900 crore by Essar Steel, Jindal Steel and Power and Jindal South-West.
Likewise, in the automotive sector, M&M’s joint venture in Chennai with Renault and Nissan has been deferred following a delay in land acquisition; this would have created work for at least 5,000 people directly, Assocham said.
http://www.sindhtoday.net/south-asia/69494.htm
Orissa Sponge takeover battle intensifies
MUMBAI/BHUBANESHWAR: The three-way takeover battle for control of Orissa Sponge Iron has taken an interesting turn with the various parties
involved in the corporate battle trading charges of violation of takeover norms on each other and on the promoters of Orissa Sponge as well.
The Bhubaneshwar-based Orissa Sponge has seen open offers made by — Bhushan Power, Monnet Ispat and Bhushan Steel — in their effort to increase shareholding in the company, which has captive iron ore and coal mines. The two raw materials are vital in steelmaking process, and captive ownership can reduce operational costs by more than 60%.
Shareholders have raised charges of violation of takeover norms by Orissa Sponge promoters — PK Mohanty and family — saying that the promoters didn’t make an open offer while increasing their holding from 53% to 57% in 2005, and again from 66% to 69% in 2006. The increase in shareholding was through convertible warrants.
In 2005, about 11,88,916 warrants were issued to promoters at Rs 68 and in 2006, about 14,10,000 warrants were issued at Rs 41.
Orissa Sponge promoters didn’t formally respond, but persons close to the promoter group said that the allotments didn’t violate norms, as under BSE guidelines, if the promoter shareholding reaches 5% in one year, the exchange needs to be informed. There is no mandatory open offer here, the person said. “However, Sebi’s takeover code would be triggered if shareholding touches 15%,” he added.
Bhushan Power first made an open offer to acquire at least 26% in Orissa Sponge. On February 9, Bhushan Power said it offered to buy at Rs 300 per share. To counter, Monnet Ispat made an offer at Rs 310 per share, which was subsequently followed by Bhushan Steel at Rs 330 per share.
On Saturday, the board of Orissa Sponge decided to co-opt Monnet Ispat as a strategic partner. “We were looking for a strategic partner for quite some time to fund the expansion of our plant... we have taken Monnet Ispat as our strategic partner,” Orissa Sponge managing director PK Mohanty told ET.
When contacted, Monnet Ispat managing director Sandeep Jajodia said that his company had signed a share purchase agreement with the promoters of Orissa Sponge. The company agreed to convert 40 lakh warrants issued to TRFI Investment into equity, which was bought by Monnet for Rs 90 crore.
Orissa Sponge now has 240 lakh issued shares of which TRFI holds 89 lakh shares, associates about 9 lakh shares, co-promoter Ipicol 14.55 lakh shares and Monnet group 29.9 lakh shares.
By June, the remaining 30 lakh warrants held by TRFI will be converted into equity. TRFI is selling 65 lakh total shares to Monnet group. The balance 35 lakh warrants are held by Neeraj Singhal of Bhushan Steel.
After the conversion of warrants, Monnet group will have a stake of 28%, while existing promoters will have about 22% and Ipicol about 5%. This would take the total promoter holding to about 55%.
However, the induction of Monnet Ispat also has to be approved by Ipicol, the co-promoter. “Ipicol has not given any written permission to the restructuring in the Orissa Sponge management. We will review the whole thing on March 9 when our board meets and whatever is best is for the company will be taken up,” Ipicol chairman AKK Meena told ET.
Orissa Sponge was incorporated nearly 30 years ago in April 1979, as one of the first joint sector enterprise between Ipicol and Torsteel Research Foundation in
The company has iron ore mines in Keonjhar and coal mines in Talcher, both in Orissa. Although the company made a loss of Rs 40 crore in the last fiscal year, the captive mines and growing opportunities in steel has attracted many companies.
Push for fast green clearance to mines
SUMAN K. SHRIVASTAVA
|
|
| Clearing hurdles |
The 15-member committee, which attended an interactive session with the chiefs of coal companies from across the country at IICM here, asked the ministry of coal to approach the ministry of environment and forests to move the proposal for bringing in statutory changes.
Central Mine Planning & Design Institute Ltd (CMPDIL) director (technical) A.K. Debnath said that there was a consensus on removing the statutory hurdles for giving fast environmental clearance to the expansion plans of some 100 existing coal mines across the country, most of which are in Jharkhand.
Under the set guidelines, fresh environmental clearance has to be taken of existing mines if the coal companies want to expand them. “We want cluster concept. There should be one clearance for various mines projects operating in a particular area,” said a senior coal company official.
At the meet’s inaugural address, A. Balraj, the committee chairman, said the important role being played by coal in energy security of the country and stressed on the need for mitigating environmental damage because of coal mining.
He added that public sector units, whose operations are not solely guided by profit making, have to play important role in promoting environmentally benign mine design and operations.
CMPDI chairman and managing director A.K. Singh presented the work carried out by CIL and CMPDI in the field of environment and social uplift of community in the coalfields.
The meet is being attended by more than 15 members of the committee, chiefs of CMPDI and CCL and directors of CIL subsidiaries, including MCL, ECL and BCCL.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090302/jsp/frontpage/story_10611044.jsp
Haryana for mine auction, but its plea admits pitfalls
has submitted to the
The petition, filed in response to the lease extension plea of erstwhile lease holder Som Sethi, does not mince words while talking about how Sethi made "windfall gains'' because of the monopoly he enjoyed because these were the only mines that were allowed near Delhi and he excavated stones furiously.
The petition adds that it was not Sethi's business to suggest a change in government rules to extend his lease and further his own interests. It says with a SC case already pending, it "is not proper'' on Sethi's part to have sought a remedy from the high court. Finally, it rejects his appeal for granting of a lease for mining of major minerals citing a SC order that bans it completely in the area.
Citing the Supreme Court orders of
Elsewhere the government petition says: "...the details submitted by the petitioners clearly indicates that they were extracting the minor mineral much more than the annual dead rent...'' All of these bear out the contention made by numerous committees that there has been massive over-exploitation of the Sirohi and Khori Jamalpur mines.
On February 10, Sethi himself had told this newspaper that on the last day of mining on February 4 the production from the mines was 1.35 lakh tonnes as against a daily average of 70,000-80,000 tonnes.
The government petition has also mentioned the CEC report submitted to the apex court on February 15 where there is a proposal arrived at after consultations with the state government to revoke all existing mining leases.
In reply to Sethi's demand for a compensation for those parts of his leased land which could not be mined because they were deemed as designated forest areas, the state government has cited the lease deed to say that the lease-holder could have done so if he had sought and obtained permission from the chief conservator of forests, Haryana.
Since they did not do so, there was no question of compensation. In any case, his windfall profits made the case for compensation unsustainable.
Sethi, in his plea had asked for a change in the state government's rules for granting of mining lease. This the government has described in its reply as "highly undesirable and inappropriate, rather preposterous'', given that he expected government rules to change so as to suit his own interests, and that for seven years since the awarding of the lease, he had no problems with these rules.
Stopping short of dismissing Sethi's claims of discovering a major mineral in Sirohi and Khori Jamalpur quarries as a falsehood, the state government says: "The petitioners never informed about discovery of any major mineral during the entire lease period as per terms and conditions of the lease deed and have also not stacked the mineral so extracted.'' The petition concedes that Sethi had applied for and was given a prospecting licence for a three-year period from August 9, 2004, after which he had also applied for "granting mining lease for major mineral...on the plea that they could discover major minerals namely quartzite, silica sand and China clay'' on February 2, 2006.
"In spite of the fact that the prospecting was carried out only in part area, they applied for grant of mining lease for major mineral for whole of the area,'' the petition points out. The application is pending as the concerned case is still being heard by the Supreme Court.
Mining – International
Mine waste trips up Alaska
Associated Press
Environmental groups fear the permit for the Kensington mine, about 45 miles from
A plan to dump mine tailings into a lake, taking advantage of a Bush administration regulatory change, is before the Supreme Court. Environmentalists say it could gut the Clean Water Act.
By Kim Murphy
Reporting from
In the spring, swarms of tiny eulachon rush in to spawn, and the bay floods with hundreds of killer whales, humpback whales and sea lions in hot pursuit, along with eagles and seabirds by the thousands. Fishermen flock to its herring, salmon and Dungeness crab. Its chilly, tranquil waters are a favorite destination for kayakers.
An Idaho-based mining company has pledged to rescue southeast
The company had planned to pile its leftover debris on a wetlands on the other side of the mountain from
Conservationists say the plan is unprecedented in 30 years of mining under the federal Clean Water Act.
The waste would be prevented from seeping down the adjacent creek into
The mine tailings on the lake bottom eventually would be sealed and fish would be restocked, the Environmental Protection Agency says. That, state and federal officials say, means the lake would become a prime recreational resource for fishermen and boaters.
The nearby city of
But a coalition of environmental groups fears the permit for the Kensington mine, as the project is known, could gut the Clean Water Act and turn lakes and streams across the country into dump sites for polluted mine waste. They have made that argument before the U.S. Supreme Court, which is expected to rule this spring.
"The agencies' decision to allow the disposal of millions of tons of chemically processed mine waste into a pristine alpine lake sets a horrible precedent," the Sierra Club, which joined the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council in fighting the permit, said in a statement. "If
More important, they say, the plan to dump mine tailings into the remote, 23-acre
At issue before the high court is whether the mine tailings should be regulated by the EPA as pollutant discharges -- meaning they would have to be fully treated before being released into lakes and streams -- or by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as "fill," which would allow untreated pollutants to be discharged into the lake as long as any water that flows out of the lake and down toward Berners Bay is clean.
Environmental groups argue that by ceding most of its jurisdiction over mining waste to the Army Corps, the EPA is shirking its responsibilities under the 1972 Clean Water Act and its own regulations -- which since 1982 have said that new gold mines of Kensington's type must have "no discharge of process wastewater to navigable waters."
"There has not been a single permit like this ever issued before," said Tom Waldo, who argued the case before the Supreme Court for the environmental law organization Earthjustice.
But Steve Borell, executive director of the Alaska Miners Assn., said mines across the state -- which is dotted with wetlands -- couldn't operate if they couldn't impound tailings in waterways. "The issue isn't
International Tower Hills Mines Ltd. announced last month that it had discovered 6.8 million ounces of gold, one of the world's biggest deposits, north of
The proposed Pebble Mine at the headwaters of Bristol Bay, one of the West's great salmon fisheries, is the site of another newly discovered deposit of at least $80 billion in gold -- and, even more important, copper.
"As a matter of fact, it is a new gold rush," said Rich Hughes of
Mineral production was worth $4 billion to the
Conservation groups fear that a Supreme Court decision restoring the Kensington mine permit -- which the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals revoked last year -- would set a precedent that could allow the Pebble Mine, for example, to deposit massive waste into a nearby lake as well.
On a recent overflight,
"What they concluded was it's cheaper to dump your waste into a lake than do it the way it's been done for the last 30 years, since the Clean Water Act," said Rod Cadmus, an activist with the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council who helped negotiate the abandoned compromise for depositing the mine tailings on land. "And if they do it here, they'll do it at other mines."
But spokesman Tony Ebersole of
"There were 50-some permits issued for this mine. The environmental studies alone cost $20 million, and this was permitted according to the way the process is supposed to work," Ebersole said.
Many residents of Juneau, about 45 miles south of the proposed mine, see the legal fight as a needless delay of a project that could mean the difference between over 200 long-range, well-paying jobs and having to rely on trickle-down revenues from the cruise industry.
Randy Wanamaker, a member of the
"We are a tribe of 27,000 people, and we have 82% unemployment among our adults. It's that bad. In the capital city of the state, we have within the urban population something like 27% of our people who are unemployed -- that's why the Kensington project is so important to us," Wanamaker said.
He said city and tribal officials are confident that Lower Slate Lake will be restored and will provide better habitat for fish once the mine's operations are complete.
"We are not trading environment for jobs," Wanamaker said. "These are my ancestral homelands. These fishing waters that are around it are important to us. We as a tribal group studied this, we worked with Coeur d'Alene Mines to put into it our concerns about our subsistence lifestyle, and they worked with us."
Recession reports - Survey shows gloomy outlook for mining industry
Monday, Mar 02, 2009
Platts reported that the Fraser Institute's 2008-2009 annual mining survey shows a gloomy outlook for global mining industry, with at least 30% of exploration companies expected to shut down.
Mr Fred McMahon, coordinator of the survey and the Institute's director of trade & globalization studies, said that survey responses indicate this year that the mining sector expects dramatically decreased investment plans along with a large number of companies either reducing activity or going out of business all together.
The survey found that more than 4 out of 5 mining executives believe that at least 30% of exploration companies will be forced out of business in the current economic downturn. Of that total, 2 out of 5 respondents believe 30% of the world's exploration companies will be forced out of business, with another 2 out of 5 stating that 50% or more of exploration companies will be forced out of business.
More than 90% of respondents believe the exploration and development activities of exploration companies will be curtailed, with 57% saying the activity will decline a great deal, the institute said. Nearly 85% of respondents say that the activities of production companies will be curtailed, though only 31% believe that the activity of production companies will decline a great deal.
Mr McMahon said that "With large numbers of exploration companies expected to go out of business and a vast majority of companies planning to curtail exploration and development investment in 2009, the world may face a shortage of raw materials and skyrocketing commodity prices as the world economy moves past the recession and into renewed growth.
Recession reports - Survey shows gloomy outlook for mining industry
Coal mining firm disputes pollution claims
SEMIRARA ISLAND, Antique – The Semirara Mining Co. has denied allegations of residents that wastes from its mining operations here have caused siltation that contaminated and damaged mangrove trees and other coastal resources.
The company instead blamed typhoon “Frank” last year and previous storms for the siltation and the death of mangroves along the Suja Creek in Barangay Semirara, one of the three villages of the island.
“It was the storm that damaged the mangroves and they have already been replanted,” SMC administrative manager Juniper Barroquillo said.
Barroquillo also denied the allegations of Barangay Alegria residents about the pollution of coastal resources, including mangroves and seaweeds.
He said heavy rains brought by the typhoon triggered a run-off from the 10-meter old coal stockpile near the creek.
The stockpile was left by the then government-operated Semirara Coal Corp. The DMCI-owned SMC took over the mining operations on the 5,500-hectare island in 1999.
Barroquillo also denied the allegation of residents contained in a petition that the company's siltation pond has been non-functional for nearly a year. He said the company conducts monthly water sampling on its seven-stage siltation pond which serves as the outflow from the coal washing plant. He also said that the water is already clean by the time it reaches the Suja Creek.
He also said they have decided to transfer the coal washing plant near the Panian coal mine within the year to be more efficient and economical.
Caluya Mayor Reynante Lim also disputed the claims of Alegria residents that their livelihood has been affected. He showed newly harvested seaweeds in Sitio Bigo.
“These are fabricated allegations,” Lim said.
Barroquillo accused the residents led by Alegria village chief Roland Lavega of maligning the company to pressure it into handing out livelihood assistance amounting to around P120,000 per family.
But Lavega said San Pedro is “twisting the issue.” He said the residents never asked for money, and have never been against the mining operations of the company. “We only want our environment and livelihood protected,” he said in a telephone interview Friday.
Lavega maintained that the cause of siltation and the death of mangroves was the coal washing plant. But he said the area where the dead mangroves were located have been bulldozed, planted with coconut trees and fenced by the company.
Freddie Magtoto, Community Environmental and Resource Officer in Semirara also denied that the siltation and death of mangroves were caused by the wastes from the mining company.
He said the SMC has also conducted mangrove reforestation covering 184.3 hectares as of December 2007.
The barangay council of Semirara has passed a resolution refuting the allegations of the residents of Alegria. While it acknowledged that nearly three hectares of mangroves were damaged, it said the siltation was caused by previous typhoons including “Caloy” and “Frank.”
Bienvenido Lipayon, regional director of the Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, said his office has directed the Multi-Partite Monitoring team to validate the allegations on March 16-18.
The company has also been directed to submit its detailed plans for the transfer of its coal washing plant.
The transfer of the washing plant is among the demands of the petitioners. They also asked for the implementation of a rehabilitation program for the affected areas and provide alternative livelihood for the residents.
Their petition was endorsed on
The endorsement was dismissed by Antique Gov. Salvacion Zaldivar-Perez as a handiwork of her political opponents.*NPB
http://www.visayandailystar.com/2009/March/02/businessnews3.htm
More rain halts Rio mining
Matt Chambers |
RIO Tinto has halted mining at three
The mining giant yesterday said it had partially resumed rail operations on its main line after two weeks of suspended operations because of flooding.
But more rain meant it had temporarily stopped mining at its West Angelas, Yandicoogina and Hope Downs mines, which were previously unaffected by rain.
Operations were not expected to be halted long, a spokesman said. Stockpiles built up in the past two weeks when the rail line was down meant there would be no issue with production.
BHP yesterday said its rail line was operating again after being closed last week because of a worker's death. Its mines were still working, a spokeswoman said yesterday.
of lost shipments could cost about $US800 million ($1.25 billion) at iron ore contract prices of $US100 a tonne.
The potential production losses at
Spot prices last week had their biggest weekly fall since October amid reports that iron ore stockpiles at Chinese ports were rebuilding.
Prices fell from $US82 a tonne to $US75 a tonne, writes Metal Bulletin, in the biggest drop since October.
Macquarie analyst Jim Lennon said there were indications port stocks in
"This strong increase in ships waiting to unload cargo is clearly a negative sign for the Chinese iron ore market," Mr Lennon said.
30 per cent decline in prices.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,25123415-5005200,00.html
Environmentalist spots possible coal ash violations
Alabama Power denies wrongdoing; Alabama Port
James M. Barry Electric Generating Plant This photo taken by environmentalist John L. Wathen shows the ash pond of the James M. Barry Electric Generating Plant in the upper left, and a finger of black water snaking into the
By Jason Morton Staff Writer
Published:
Last Modified:
Dumping violations
To report a dumping violation: Call the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency at 800-424-8802 or the Alabama Department of
Environmental Management at
800-533-ADEM (2336)
On the Web
Coal advocates
National Mining Association, www.nma.org
American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, www.cleancoalusa.org
Coal opponents
www.thedirtylie.com
www.thisisreality.org
Environmental agencies
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, www.epa.gov
Alabama Department of
Environmental Management,
www.adem.alabama.gov
In the past fiscal year, 18.5 million tons of coal passed through the Alabama Port Authority’s
When tons of coal ash — the toxic by-product that comes with burning coal for energy — washed across acres of rural Tennessee in December, Tuscaloosa environmental advocate John L. Wathen went to see the devastation first-hand.
Appalled at what he found, Wathen last month began looking for danger signs at coal-fired power plants in
But it wasn’t just the operations of a private corporation that he found upsetting.
Wathen suspects that the state of
“There is no such thing as clean coal,” Wathen said. “There can never be anything called clean coal as long as these processes exist.”
The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity estimates that more than 55 percent of electricity in
The coalition behind the data is a consortium of the energy, transportation and farming industries, among others, that formed in April 2008 to promote the importance of coal.
“We recognize that coal,
In
Of these toxins, 7.3 million pounds came from the Greene County Electric Generating Plant in Forkland and the James M. Barry Electric Generating Plant in the town of
At both of these plants owned by Alabama Power Co. — a de facto member of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity through its parent corporation, Southern Co. — Wathen found what he believes may be potential violations and hazards emanating from the plants’ ash ponds.
Coal ash is the residue left over from burning coal. Coal plants scrub the ash off the inside of smokestacks, then deposit it into ponds of water, on the theory that the ash and its toxins — mercury, arsenic, selenium, among others — will settle to the bottom of the pond and thus cease to be an environmental hazard.
“Mercury is one of the more serious toxins that affects humans and it’s found in all coal at some levels,” Wathen said. “It’s going to be long-term. This ash situation is just now coming to light.”
According to the EPA, both the
The Alabama Department of Environmental Management does not have a long list of rules pertaining to coal ash at the nine facilities in the state that produce it.
Essentially, all the agency says is that none of the coal ash is allowed to flow freely out of the pond.
“We closely monitor the volume of material [in] the ponds,” said ADEM spokesman Jerome Hand.
Coal ash concerns
At the
“There’s not a lot of difference, from the look of it, from that material in that ash pit and the material in that wetland,” Wathen said. “That is not a healthy wetland. This stuff is perking through that dam.”
While no scientific studies have yet been conducted on Wathen’s findings, he filed a formal complaint with ADEM based on what he saw in
In that county, a large, dark finger of material curled into the
“As you can see from that black water coming in from some of my photos, they’re already discharging [into the river],” Wathen said. “Any failure of the ash pond dam is going to directly impact the
Alabama Power spokesman Pat Wylie said it was unclear what Wathen captured in his photos. Wylie said he doubted there was any danger because the company had performed reviews of all its coal ash pits following the
Wylie said the dark spots on Wathen’s images could be anything, including areas of deeper water that, when viewed from the air, appear dark.
Still, an Alabama Power Co. investigator is looking into the dark trails curling into the
Wylie said incidents like the coal ash pond break in
“And there’s almost a daily look from the people who work on the site,” Wylie said.
“Whenever something like that happens, a prudent business is going to look at their operations ...,” Wylie said. “There are regulations that we have to adhere to in order to make sure we’re not just wantonly harming the environment.
“It’d be hard to believe something negative is seeping into the water.”
Gulf work
In the last fiscal year, 18.5 million tons of coal passed through the Alabama Port Authority’s
The 556-acre island has been the entry and exit point for coal in
But exactly how long coal dust and bits of the carbon rock have been accumulating on the ocean floor is unknown.
While Wathen’s aerial tour of
“They have some of the filthiest stuff in the world dumped inside this bay,” Wathen said.
Davina Marraccini, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said no reports of illegal dumping had been filed for that part of the ocean.
She also said no one had permission to be dumping coal on the ocean floor either.
“Anything discharged into ocean waters requires a permit ...” Marraccini said. “Someone really ought to file a report.”
Two sides, one rock
Advocates of coal point to its benefits, including affordability, widespread use and developing technology that they say makes it cleaner and safer to burn.
According to the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations, coal mining also employed more than 1,300 people in
The largest coal-based employer in the county is Jim Walter Resources, which operates underground mines in Brookwood and others across the state.
Dennis Hall, spokesman for the company, estimated that almost 1,900 people work for Jim Walter Resources.
“Our coal is primarily used in the steel-making process,” Hall said. “So anything made from steel owes its life to coal. Also, over half of all electricity in the
products of coal.”
The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity emphasizes that technological advances have been made to reduce the amount of toxins the coal-burning process leaves in the atmosphere.
“The use of coal for electricity generation has more than tripled since 1970, while criteria emissions controlled under the federal Clean Air Act have been reduced by nearly 50 percent,” the coalition’s Web site said. “The industry is committed to reducing emissions even further — including the eventual widespread capture and storage of man-made greenhouse gas emissions.”
Critics of coal, however, highlight the liabilities, including the challenge of keeping toxins out of the air, ground and water of communities.
That threat became a reality on Dec. 22, when 5.4 million cubic yards of toxic coal ash, enough ash to cover 3,000 acres a foot deep, spilled from a retention pond at the Kingston Fossil Plant near
The devastation flowed at least 25 miles downstream, and arsenic levels in nearby waters spiked to more than 100 times the federally regulated amount.
Critics are becoming ever more vocal.
On the Web site of the Reality campaign, which released a new anti-coal commercial directed by directors Joel and Ethan Coen, viewers are hit with short, quick quotes — many from the EPA — pointing out coal’s harm on the country and world.
The Waterkeeper Organization, an environmental advocacy group, launched TheDirtyLie.com, a Web site designed to expose what organizers call “the dirty lie” that is “clean coal.”
“The coal industry and their lobbyists want you to believe coal is clean,” is the first sentence on the Web site. “The truth is that coal pollutes our water, devastates our communities, forests and mountains, kills wildlife and contributes to climate change.”
Wathen was in
He said he knows it will be impossible to completely cease using coal, but he said the country must be responsible about it.
“We have to have coal until we can convert to other energy sources,” Wathen said. “So while we’re waiting ... we need to find cleaner and better ways of taking care of the waste, getting it out of the ground and transporting it.”
(pictured above)
In the past fiscal year, 18.5 million tons of coal passed through the Alabama Port Authority’s
Water fears surround mining plan
Updated
By Patty Yauger
Herald-Standard
SALTLICK TWP. - A proposed underground coal-mining operation is drawing criticism from local environmental organizations and the public because of the anticipated damage to the water system in the area.
However, the company planning to undertake the project said it will take every precaution necessary to prevent pollutants from entering into the local streams and tributaries.
"Water quality in Indian Creek has been seriously degraded due to mine drainage from the 130-plus discharges located in the watershed," said Beverly Braverman, executive director of the Mountain Water Association. "If past damage is indeed to serve as an indication of future pollution, the (state Department of Environmental Resources) DEP should not permit additional underground mining in this watershed."
The association is objecting to the DEP issuance of a mining permit to Amerikohl Mining Inc. to extract coal from an underground mine located in the township.
A public conference was held recently to allow the public to discuss the operation with the mining firm representatives, DEP officials and MWA members and offer testimony to the DEP as it continues to review the permit application submitted by Amerikohl.
The company proposes to mine approximately 700 acres of underground coal with an additional 425 acres designated for subsidence control and nearly 60 acres for the above ground operation.
While there are several active underground mining operations in Washington and Greene counties and a few in
This is not the first time a company has proposed to mine coal from the area, according to Braverman.
In 1994, a
The Amerikohl project overlaps the former project area.
"There was a time when Indian Creek was so polluted it could hardly sustain life," said Krissy Kasserman, Youghiogheny Riverkeeper with MWA. "As a major tributary of the
Since forming in 1998, MWA has raised more than $5 million in state, federal and private funding to undertake a 12-year program to restore the Indian Creek Watershed.
To date, four mine drainage treatment projects are completed and three others are in the planning stages.
"MWA's efforts to remediate the 11 discharge areas in the watershed basin will ultimately result in restoration of the watershed by about 95-percent, restoring more than 17 miles of stream," said Braverman. "We have reached an interim restoration goal of 60-percent by virtue of the four projects now on the ground."
Connellsville City Mayor Judy Reed said that to allow additional mine drainage into the tributaries of the
"There has been a lot of work to promote the recreation opportunities of the
Recent congressional action to reduce water allocation from the Youghiogheny/Confluence Dam and permit a water authority to withdraw additional water from the river, said Reed, will reduce the amount of flow now needed to disperse current mine drainage.
"This reduction in the amount of water used to mitigate mine drainage will pose serious threats to the local waterways when there already exists over 125 mine discharges in the Indian Creek watershed," Reed said.
If the application is approved and a permit issued, Amerikohl will extract approximately one million tons of the Melcroft or Miller B coal seam over the six-year life of the mining operation, said company vice-president David Maxwell.
The firm, he said, has conducted numerous tests to determine the quality of the coal, strength of the underground rock and presence of water.
"We believe it is a really good application," he said.
Like other Amerikohl operations, the coal will be used to supply various utility companies.
"We supply coal to numerous utilities with our largest customer being Allegheny Energy Supply," said Maxwell.
Other customers include the Albright Power Station in Kingwood,
The site was designed so that above ground operation would not extensively interfere with the rural surroundings.
"It will be seen by very few people," said Maxwell.
The nearest home lies approximately 1,000 feet from the operation and belongs to the property owner. A sportsmen's club is nearby, but Maxwell said the owners are supporters of the operation.
Work will be done in two shifts, beginning at
Maxwell said he applauds the efforts of the MWA.
"The undertaking by the MWA to reinvigorate and re-establish the quality of the Indian Creek Watershed is to be commended," he said. "We agree with the things that they have done.
"What is key to remember is that these are old, old underground mine working discharges. I think the laws and regulations have changed a lot since the mining of the 1950s."
To negate the possibility of mine drainage, Maxwell said the White Mine application area was scaled back nearly 40-percent so that the operation would not interfere with the work done by the MWA.
"The data that we have acquired, indicates that this mine is going to produce very little water," he said. "And, we've put in some significant buffers, that if the permit is issued, the public should feel very safe and confident. This current regulatory authority that we have will enforce the regulations and provide the public with the safeguards that were not there when this area was mined in the past."
Part of the review process, said John Kernic, DEP geologist, is to scrutinize the in-place measures proposed by Amerikohl to prevent present or future damage to the nearby waterways, water supplies, the surface area, any nearby homes or structures or the roads used to transport the extracted coal.
"There are at least three different permit reviewers, looking at different aspects of the application," said Kernic. "I look at the water; we have a mining engineer that looks at the (mine) subsidence aspects of the underground mine and we have a surface mining engineer that makes sure that the development of the surface facility is correct."
The process, said Kernic requires frequent communication with the firm to establish an exact plan for the mining operation.
All DEP rules and regulations must be met and agreed to before the applicant is granted a permit.
The Amerikohl application is currently undergoing a technical review. This is the second phase of the lengthy permitting process. Prior to the technical review, the application is reviewed for content to assure all relevant material is contained within the document.
Connellsville resident and member of the Yough River Trail Jim McIntire said that he was not pleased as to the format for the meeting and doubts his attendance or input will matter.
The DEP attendees included those reviewing the application along with the documentation submitted by Amerikohl.
Along with Maxwell, representatives from the engineering firm that compiled the application were also in attendance.
According to the DEP, the public meeting is an "open house format" with no group discussion.
The DEP provides handouts that explain the permit process and department staff are available to answer questions or discuss regulatory requirements.
The agency said it would prepare a document that explains how the public input was addressed and distribute it to those that attended the meeting.
"One could assume from the format, that the DEP and Amerikohl are working their processes and honing their game plans," said McIntire. "Their numbers are huge; corporately, politically and monetarily. This, versus the citizens who are without economic clout face an uphill battle.
"The DEP is taking one-on-one testimony. Is there a higher force to review and consider the testimony or is this it? If the latter, Amerikohl adjusts their business plan, DEP updates their records and the permit is issued.
"Mother Nature is destroyed and the citizens' quality of life damaged beyond repair."
Kernic, meanwhile, said that the application continues to be reviewed and that questions or concerns raised in the testimony about the mining operation would be considered by the DEP.
http://www.heraldstandard.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20271778&BRD=2280&PAG=461&dept_id=480247&rfi=6
Mineral rights showdown at Badlands ranch
By JAMES MacPHERSON Associated Press Writer , The Associated Press - BISMARCK, N.D
A
"If they want me out of the picture, pay me $2.5 million and I'll go back to
Lothspeich, 50, of Miles City, Mont., claims he owns half the mineral and gravel rights beneath the 5,200-acre ranch in western
"I'm not blinking," he said. "I'm going to get my gravel, or write me a check and I'll go away."
The Forest Service purchased the ranch, next to Theodore Roosevelt's Elkhorn Ranch site, from brothers Kenneth, Allan and Dennis Eberts and their families in 2007. It cost $5.3 million, with $4.8 million coming from the federal government and $500,000 from conservation groups. The purchase did not include mineral rights.
The Ebertses had bought the ranch and half the mineral rights from the Connell family in 1993 for $800,000. Lothspeich, who grew up near the ranch before moving to
Byron Connell, of
"They had a middle man call me and he offered some ridiculous price," Connell said. "After that, I never heard from them again."
Connell calls it a joke and says it's typical of government.
"Nobody did their homework on this," Connell said. "Now, everybody is ducking and diving at the Forest Service and trying to save face."
Forest Service district supervisor Ron Jablonski said the agency never made a formal offer for the mineral rights to the Ebertses or the Connells.
"We thought at the time that the land was a good purchase for taxpayers," Jablonski said. "We had no idea that something like this would come up. We knew the potential was there, but we were willing to take the risk."
The Ebertses have not expressed interest in exploiting their mineral rights, he said.
The Forest Service has not acted on Lothspeich's application to mine gravel at the ranch because his application is not complete and lacks proper documentation, Jablonski said.
"He has not provided to us what we need," Jablonski said. "The reality is, we're still trying to figure out who actually owns it (mineral rights)."
The Forest Service is attempting to work with Lothspeich, "but we are not interested in buying Mr. Lothspeich out," Jablonski said.
Lothspeich says the government has been stalling for nearly a year and is fighting his plan with red tape. He wants to begin mining gravel this summer.
"They're jacking me around and backpedaling because they know I got them over a barrel," said Lothspeich, who owns a motorcycle, snowmobile and ATV dealership in
Wayde Schafer, a North Dakota spokesman for the Sierra Club, said Lothspeich approached his group about buying the subsurface rights to the ranch.
"He basically said he'd dig it up unless we gave him money," Schafer said. "He thought for sure we'd just jump at the chance to pay him $2.5 million, but I told him, 'that's not what we do and good luck.'"
Lothspeich said he is open to selling the subsurface rights, which include "coal, scoria, uranium, sand, gravel, the whole works," to anyone who gives him $2.5 million.
"If those tree-huggers want to write me a check, that's OK, too," he said.
"This guy is taking advantage of this because it is a special place," Schafer said. "If he came with a reasonable offer, maybe something could be worked out."
Connell, whose family owned the ranch for nearly 50 years before selling it in the early 1990s, said gravel had been mined at the ranch from about 1917 through the 1980s. He said many of the roads in
Roosevelt, who was president from 1901 to 1909, set aside millions of acres for national forests and wildlife refuges during his administration. The newly acquired ranch is part of an area now hailed as "the cradle of conservation" by the Forest Service, Park Service and conservation groups.
The Forest Service's acquisition of the historic ranch has been fraught with problems since the deal was inked. Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., accused the agency of skirting the law when it announced plans last year to manage the ranch as a forage reserve without traditional grazing.
The Forest Service has not yet completed the sale of an equal number of acres in
Lothspeich's battle with the agency doesn't surprise Dorgan.
"If he has a legitimate claim, it would be an unbelievable and pretty spectacular failure on behalf of the Forest Service not to have addressed that issue," Dorgan said. "They're going to have a lot of egg on their face, if they didn't deal with the mineral rights."
Lothspeich said tourists coming to the area will be disappointed if he doesn't get his asking price.
"These people who think they'll come out there and see the so-called 'cradle of conservation' won't see anything except a bunch of gravel pits," Lothspeich said. "It won't bother me one bit to have big open pit mines at that place."
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/apArticle/id/D96L29F00/
Miners hail policy changes
Miningweekly.
STAKEHOLDERS in the gold mining industry have warmed to the recent bullion marketing policy changes announced by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, with United Kingdom-based Mwana Africa and Canada-based New Dawn Mining indicating that they may revive their operations in the country within months.
TSX-listed New Dawn Mining says the freeing-up of gold trading is encouraging that it has seen its management meeting to consider the resumption of its
"In general, the proposed changes detailed in the new monetary policy statement are far-reaching and are expected to have a significant and positive impact on New Dawn’s ability to potentially resume its Zimbabwe gold mining operations in the near term," the company said.
Late last year, New Dawn, which owns Turk and Angelus mines, was among the many foreign-owned mining companies which ceased operations when they ran out of cash to meet operational costs, against the backdrop of central bank’s failure to pay for gold deliveries.
The company said of the new policy changes: "Among other changes, the new monetary policy contemplates specific improvements for gold producers that are designed to counter the factors that contributed to the
"These factors also forced the company to suspend gold production at its Turk Mine and place it on temporary care and maintenance effective
"The company also notes that by allowing producers to control the sale of their own gold and permitting companies to retain 92,5 percent of their export earnings, the RBZ has given a measure of assurance that they will be paid promptly for any gold that goes into the market."
These funds may be held indefinitely, as opposed to the previous requirement to convert any remaining foreign exchange into local currency within 30 days of receipt.
New Dawn also notes that the ability to freely market gold will give producers access to certain financial instruments, such as gold loans, that would then be collaterised by their own physical gold inventory, making it easier to obtain operating capital and project finance.
"As a result, management has commenced a review of the proposals contained in the new monetary policy in order to assess the likely impact on the operating environment in
Meanwhile, Mwana Africa, which has gold and nickel mining concerns in
CEO Kaala Mpinga says the company has an initial target of 40 000 ounces per year but hopes to increase this to 80 000 oz/year within four months of restarting operations.
"I see that we are going to be allowed to export our gold directly, which means the gold industry, which was basically killed because of the previous foreign exchange policy, can now restart. The gold picture in
"If we can export our gold, if we have control of the revenue that is being generated from our gold, it will take us about four months to start mining. If we can get our gold mine going, the company will be back in a cash-positive situation."
The new gold marketing regime ends the gold buying monopoly enjoyed by Fidelity Printers & Refiners, the gold-dealing subsidiary of the RBZ.
Producers will be able to sell their bullion "wherever they wish" and keep 92,5 percent of their foreign currency earnings. — Miningweekly.
http://www.herald.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=1142&cat=8
Other News – India
Polavaram project to be ready in three years |
| |
| BS Reporter / Chennai/ |
| |
The multi-purpose Polavaram project, being taken up with a cost of Rs 10,151.04 crore including land compensation and resettlement and rehabilitation package in
Reddy said the project, which has received all clearances, would irrigate a total ayacut of 720,000 acres utilising 273 TMC (thousand million cubic metre) of water.
“The project will ensure drinking water to 540 villages benefiting 2.85 million people besides providing 23.5 TMC of water for the industry. It also provides diversion of 80 TMC to
Reddy said Rs 1,000 crore was provided in the Budget for 2008-09. The cumulative expenditure so far is Rs 2,239 crore while the agreement value of works is Rs 5,383.55 crore.
This is claimed to be the only project, which can help backward areas of all the three regions in the state — Andhra, Telangana and Rayalaseema.
“The Centre has come forward to compliment the state government’s hardwork by assuring to provide over Rs 200 crore, of which immediate releases to the tune of Rs 170 crore is expected any time. While the rehabilitation to 277 villages covers 177,000 people, submersion of forest land is 3,731 hectare and wild life sanctuary is 187.29 hectare,” he said.
http://business-standard.com/india/news/polavaram-project-to-be-ready-in-three-years/10/30/350480/
Centre asks States to implement Women’s Empowerment schemes effectively
EVERY BLOCK OF THE COUTNRY TO HAVE ANGANWADI FOR CHILDREN
STATE MINISTERS REVIEWS WOMEN AND CHILD RELATED ISSUES
The Center has asked the State Governments to implement Women’s Empowerment Policy effectively to ensure gender equality, enhance participation, protection from domestic violence and their economic and social empowerment. Addressing the meeting of State Ministers in charge of women and Child Development here today, Smt. Renuka Chowdhury, Union Minister of Women and Child Development said that the Government has recently introduced amendment in various legislations for the empowerment of women including Child Marriage Act and Protection from Domestic Violence besides launching of schemes like gender budgeting, micro financing and Swadhar Homes for Women in distress. She asked the States to take the advantage of the schemes to promote welfare and protection of women in the society.
Urging the States to take a expansion of Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) in a mission mode , the Minister said that the Centre has decided to universalize the scheme to cover each and every block of the country with an enhanced budget, increase honoraria for Anganwadi Workers and improve norms . She also asked the States to forward new proposals for setting up of hostels for working women, Swadhar Homes for women in stress and crèches.
Emphasizing on strict monitoring to check the incidence of female foeticide, child marriage and trafficking of women, the Minister said the Centre has recently announced two important schemes Dhanlaxmi and Priyadarshani,. Both the schemes will help in the economic empowerment of girl child. Ujjawala, a scheme has been launched to rehabilitate traffic victims. But the success of the schemes will depend on the efforts of being made by the State Government towards the implementation of the schemes. States were asked to appoint protection Officers without delay for the effective implementation of Protection from Domestic Violence Act and child marriage act and to take up construction of pucca building for Anganwadi
The Conference organized by the Ministry of Women and Child Development was attended by the Ministers from the States in charge of the Women and Child Affairs, The representatives of the National Commission for Women, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, National Institute for Public Cooperation and Child Development, Central Social Welfare Board and Central Adoption Resource Agency and Rashtriya Mahila Kosh also attended theconference. The Conference reviewed the existing schemes and policies for women and children including strengthening of measures to protect children and women and other related issues including nutrition; trafficking, gender budgeting and women welfare, followed by child welfare.
On the occasion National Awards were presented to 74 Anganwadi workers for their exemplary contribution under Integrated Child Development Services. Each was given Rs.15,000 and a citation. In addition to these National Awards, The Stree Shakti Puraskars were also presented to 5 selected individuals who have contributed for the cause of development, welfare and empowerment of women. Each was given Rs. 3 lakh and a citation.
VJ:NCJ:PM
http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=48171
‘Action plan on climate change lacks transparency’
Gargi Parsai
Alleging that the action plan was formulated in the “most non-transparent process,” the critique says it will help neither the poor nor the climate. It lacked urgency, democracy and equity perspective. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh released the action plan last June.
The critique notes that India is more vulnerable to the climate change impact than the United States, Europe or even China, while the poor in India — whose contribution to the climate change is the least — were the most vulnerable, considering their dependence on natural resources. It includes recommendations of several civil society consultations.
“Climate change provides a unique opportunity to make
According to the critique, the action plan is likely to work only to the advantage of the “already privileged,” with all the adverse impact going to the share of the already disadvantaged.
“This is particularly evident from the way the so-called Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects have progressed so far here. The Central and State governments have not bothered to ascertain if these projects are indeed helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions, are sustainable, do not have significant social and environmental footprints or the local communities are benefiting from the credits or even participant in the project planning and decision making.”
In the water sector, the plan attempts to push for more big dams, irrigation projects, hydropower projects, interlinking of rivers and such other long-distance water transfer projects.
“This was despite the increasing evidence of non-performance of such projects. On the other hand, there are many examples where the community-driven processes have shown that through local water systems, it is possible to achieve equitable, sustainable and pro-poor development, but such systems have no worthwhile place in the plan. This is particularly true for the agriculture sector, where
http://www.hindu.com/2009/03/02/stories/2009030259260700.htm
State tops in tiger conservation: World Bank
First Published :
Last Updated :
World Bank says that though the tiger population in the world has come down to around 4000,
Last week, officials and scientists from the two institutions were in city to meet government and forest officials, to know the conservation methods followed by the state for the steady growth in the tiger numbers. Speaking to Express, principal secretary, forest and ecology, Meera Saksena said, “World Bank officials have shown interest in funding a project. However, nothing has been finalised,” she said.
Giving details of the meeting, secretary, forest and ecology, Swaminathan said, “Yes, they came to learn from us the conservation method employed by us.” The team wanted Karnataka to play a lead role in this regard, Swaminathan informed.
He further said, “A fortnight ago, officials from the 13th Finance Commission were also here. They were also very impressed with the way tigers are protected here,” he said. On a note of caution, he said, “But that doesn’t mean that we don’t have any problems. There are many. But inspite of them the tigers are doing well,” he said.
Swaminathan highlighted the fact that a committee chaired by the prime minister periodically monitors tiger conservation measures in the country.
The committee so far has allocated Rs 600 crore for tiger conservation over a five-year period, with Rs 50 crore committed for the financial year 2008-09 to set up the Tiger Protection Force.
For these reasons, the World Bank and the Smithsonian Institute think that
Tiger count
Tigers are found in around 17 countries in the world now. From 1,00,000 a century ago, the number has dwindled to only 4000 now.
Rights-Based Approach For Indigenous Land
Land is important to indigenous people as it forms a part of their culture, tradition and religion, and land ownership has passed down through generations based on native customary practices.
This leads to the indigenous people striving to protect their ancestral land, which is vital for their livelihood and life in dignity.
Prof Bas De Gaay Fortman, the Coordinator of the UNESCO Chair in Education for Peace, Human Rights and Democracy, highlighted these points in his presentation entitled "Land and Indigenous Peoples: Pursuing a Rights-Based Strategy" on the second day of the ISB Borneo Global Issues Conference VII held at the International Convention Centre.
Prof Fortman said the meaning of rights is a provision of protection for the rights-holders in respect of their claims and hence, rights can be
seen as protection of interests by law. Hence, he said human rights manifest legal protection of interest and is meant to protect fundamental human interests based on human dignity.
Prof Fortman, who is also a Dutch politician and scholar, said human rights are often violated especially the rights of the poor, including indigenous people.
This has led to the affirmation of a declaration on indigenous people's rights by the United Nations (UN), the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, he said.
However, not all countries which voted in favour of this declaration are committed to implementing the declaration in practice, he said.
Prof Fortman, who is currently the only chair in Political Economy of Human Rights at the
He noted the threat to indigenous land ownership in pursuit of "development", where in a few cases the indigenous people are forcibly removed from their land by the state and companies.
He also said the biggest threat to the indigenous people" is the state even though this is explicitly recognised in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. " (In the) Article 26: Indigenous Peoples have rights to their lands and States must recognise and protect their lands (And) Article 32: The State must consult indigenous peoples regarding any project affecting their lands," Prof Fortman said.
Prof Fortman said that rights-based strategies are important to be asserted for land rights.
This, he explained, could be implemented through the empowerment of the indigenous people by raising their awareness of their land rights.
He said the capacity building of the indigenous people needs to be improved in upgrading the community organisation, the building of consensus at community level and clear articulation demands.
Other guest speakers during the second day of the conference were Cynthia Ong, the Executive President of Land Empowerment, Animals and People, and Nathan Racing Horse, Lakota Medicine, Adrian Lasimbang, the President of JOAS.
Allen Lai, the Chief Executive Officer of Asia Inc Forum moderated yesterday's conference.
The conference was attended yesterday by delegates and ISB students, which included YAM Pengiran Anak `Aliiyah Amalul Bulqiah. -- Courtesy of
http://www.brudirect.com/DailyInfo/News/Archive/Mar09/2/nite04.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment