Mining – India 1
1. OMC-Vedanta JV company to be incorporated soon 1
2. Sriramulu eyes minerals in Raichur 2
3. Bhushan Steel seeks 1000 acre more in Bengal 3
4. Botswana’s diamond mines resumes operation 4
5. Small Steel Firms Face Closure 5
Mining – International 7
6. Coal Mining Australia and Climate Change Review 8
7. Vietnam's China mining plans spark rare criticism 18
8. China's Shanxi Province to close 1,600 coal mines in 3 years 20
9. Uranium Resources loses critical court decision re: Churchrock NM uranium project 21
10. Duncan rallies with mining critics 22
11. Apollo Mineral targets 800 million tonnes at Mount Oscar Iron Ore Project 23
12. Orion Minerals raises $US12.5 million 23
13. Congo to decide on mining contracts soon 24
14. Defenders of the Black Hills to appeal uranium mine site 25
Other News – India 26
15. Cong hopes to ride on success of NREGA, forest land right 26
16. Wildlife census shows increase in Hangul population 27
17. ADB boost to highway plan 28
18. Indigenous peoples at world summit to share climate change observations, coping techniques 29
19. 'Poverty can't be removed by NREGA' 34
Mining – India
OMC-Vedanta JV company to be incorporated soon
Bishnu Dash / Kolkata/ Bhubaneswar April 20, 2009, 0:16 IST
The joint venture (JV) Company formed between the state owned Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC) and Sterlite Industries India Ltd (SIIL) for mining of bauxite in the Niyamagiri hills in Kalahandi district will be incorporated as a Private Limited Company soon.
The JV name has been finalised and the company is in the process of getting incorporated with the Registrar of Companies (RoC), Orissa.
“The draft memorandum of association (MoA) and Articles of Association (AoA) of the new company has been submitted to OMC for approval. The incorporation of the JV company will be completed shortly after the approval”, P K Panda, vice-president (mines), Vedanta Aluminium Ltd.(VAL) told Business Standard.
The process of incorporation of the Joint Venture company named as “South-West Orissa Bauxite Mining Private Ltd.” has been set in motion after the signing of the modified JV agreement between SIIL and OMC in February this year, paving the way for start of bauxite mining in Niyamgiri hills near Lanjigarh.
Meanwhile, the special purpose vehicle (SPV) namely ‘Lanjigarh Scheduled Area Foundation’ has already been formed and SIIL has deposited Rs 20 crore up to 2008-09 with the SPV for overseeing the all-round development in the Lanjigarh area.
Supreme Court in its judgement on 8 August 2008 cleared mining of bauxite in the Niyamgiri hills located in the Kalahandi district by SIIL following affidavits filed by SIIL, OMC and Orissa government accepting the rehabilitation package suggested by it on 23 November 2007.
While the company has deposited Rs 12 crore for tribal development, another Rs 10 crore is proposed to be deposited with the SPV during 2009-10. As part of its plan for the overall development of the area, the company also intends to provide connectivity to all the villages of Dongria Kandh, which are remotely located.
This is in line with the 5-year development plan drawn up for these villages by the Dongria Kandh Development Authority (DKDA).
Regarding the JV agreement of Vedanta Aluminium Limited (VAL) with OMC for getting the raw material linkage, the apex court had stated that since Vedanta Resources Plc is not an indian company, it will not have any objection if the its indian subsidiary (SIIL) is made the JV partner of OMC.All provisions of the supreme court judgement were incorporated in the modified JV agreement signed by OMC and SIIL
It may be noted, VAL, a Sterlite group company, signed the JV agreement with the OMC on 5 October 2004, for developing bauxite mines at the Niyamgiri hill near Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district and the Khambasi hill in the adjoining Rayagada district. The bauxite was to be used for use in its one million tonne alumina refinery at Lanjigarh.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/omc-vedanta-jv-company-to-be-incorporated-soon/355575/
Sriramulu eyes minerals in Raichur
18 Apr 2009, 2308 hrs IST, TNN
RAICHUR: Why did minister and mining czar B Sriramulu nominate his relative to fight polls in Raichur? That is, because rich deposits of uranium
and gold have been detected there.
This was detected by BJP leader Raja Amareshwar Nayak, who had filed nominations as a BJP candidate, but had to withdraw his papers over a `controversy' regarding his caste certificate.
He told reporters in Manvi on Thursday that Sriramulu and the Reddy brothers had developed an interest in Raichur as it was endowed with minerals like gold and uranium. It is true that the reconnaissance by the Union government has detected uranium traces in villages near Shahapur in Raichur.
When contacted, he clarified that what he had meant was that the Reddy brothers were interested in developing the district using its minerals and other resources.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Hubli/Sriramulu-eyes-minerals-in-Raichur/articleshow/4418762.cms
Bhushan Steel seeks 1000 acre more in Bengal
Ishita Ayan Dutt / New Delhi/ Kolkata April 20, 2009, 0:01 IST
Bhushan Steel has informally approached the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) for an additional 1,000 acres in West Bengal, in the wake of negotiations with Sumitomo Metal Industries (SMI) for participation in its steel project.
Sources close to the development said, “We had sought 2,500 acres for our project initially. That was for two million tonnes. To take it to six million tonnes, we will need another 1,000 acres. We have informally told WBIDC about it, they said it will not be a problem.”
Bhushan Steel signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the West Bengal government in May 2007 for a two million tonne steel plant with a captive power plant of 1,000MW and a 0.5 million tonne cold rolled and galvanising plant for automobile grade steel.
The steel plant with power project would come up in Bardhaman district and cold rolling and galvanising plant would be set up in the North 24 Parganas.
State government sources indicated that if the project was altered then Bhushan would have to sign a fresh MoU.
Bhushan was in discussions with SMI for participation in the Bengal project. If talks with SMI fructified then the project would be scaled up to six million tonnes and the investment was likely to be in the region of Rs 15,000 crore, significantly higher than the earlier investment plan of Rs 8,000 crore.
For Bengal, it would be the second largest project after JSW Steel’s 10 million tonne plant at Salboni in West Medinipur, which has projected a total investment of Rs 35,000 crore.
Sources said meetings with SMI on the project were scheduled for the end of the month. However, Sumitomo has said in a statement released recently that it had been considering various business opportunities in India and other countries, but had not entered into specific negotiation or reached any decision. Sumitomo is a technical partner in Bhushan Steel’s Orissa project.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/bhushan-steel-seeks-1000-acre-more-in-bengal/355572/
Botswana’s diamond mines resumes operation
Staff, Apr 20 2009
Diamond mining has resumed at the world’s richest diamond mines Debswana (a joint venture between the Government of the Republic of Botswana and De Beers), after a 50 day halt in production.
According to a news release from De Beers Jwaneng, Orapa and Letlhakane Mines restarted operations with some 5,800 people returning to work. Production had been suspended at the mines as a result of reduced demand for rough diamonds from the DTC Sightholders, brought about by the global economic crisis.
However, production at the fourth and smallest mine, Damtshaa, and at Orapa No.2 Plant, will remain suspended until the end of 2009.
Speaking about the downturn, Stephen Lussier, Chairman of De Beers Botswana said,
“The first quarter of 2009 was a challenging time. The men and women that work for Debswana responded swiftly to the global downturn, enabling the company to withstand the economic crisis. This accomplishment is all the more meaningful when considering the fact that, in the long term, with future growth in emerging markets, demand is likely to significantly outpace what is forecast to be lower levels of diamond supply for many years to come.”
“The economic downturn has impacted all stages of the diamond pipeline, and as retailers have lowered their level of purchasing it has taken time for inventory to work through the pipeline leading to a disproportionately negative knock-on affect on production. We have begun to see signs of improvement in the market and expect this to continue as the year unfolds,” he added.
During the pause in production, Debswana employees remained on full pay, and the company carried out maintenance work on its major assets to ensure the mines run at an optimal level as demand begins to recover.
http://www.jckindia.com/Diamond/News/Botswanas_diamond_mines_resumes_operation_/2/2/1/3229.aspx
Small Steel Firms Face Closure
By ARPAN MUKHERJEE and SWANSY AFONSO
NEW DELHI -- India's many small steel mills face closures, that may reduce the country's total output below last financial year's level, as companies cope with the economic downturn which is forcing ArcelorMittal and other top global producers to slow expansion.
Reuters
A labourer works inside a steel factory on the outskirts of Agartala, capital of India's northeastern state of Tripura, April 9, 2009. (REUTERS/Jayanta Dey)
As much as 6 million metric tons of capacity may be shaved off in the year beginning April 1, bringing down the total output from such mills to 14 million-16 million tons, industry officials and analysts said.
"About 30% of the small steel makers will close," said A.S. Firoz, an industry consultant specializing in steel and natural resources. Small plants, classified as ones with less 100,000 tons capacity, make up about 40% of the Asian nation's total output.
The closures in the world's fifth-largest producer of the metal comes at a time when steel companies from Australia to the U.S. are battered as sales of cars, appliances and homes plunge, and may delay India's plans to become second-biggest. It may also force Indian iron ore producers to boost exports, increasing supplies when the top producers are selling the raw material to China at prices as low as 30% below last year's contract prices.
Brokerages expect steel production in 2009 to decline between 2.9% to 7.4% to the World Steel Associations' 2008 global steel output of 1.33 billion tons.
India exports about 100 million tons of iron ore annually. In the April-February period, shipments rose by 1.3% to 91.65 million tons compared with 90.48 million tons a year earlier.
The global steel sector's plight is evident from Australian labor union's call Friday to the government to save the industry, dubbed as "facing its greatest crisis ever," threatening the long-term viability and hundreds of thousands of jobs, according to Australian Workers' Union National Secretary Paul Howes.
In China, one of the world's top producers of steel, mills have slowed down capacity utilization after operating at above 90% from December through February. Shougang Corp. last month said most Chinese steel mills expect to cut this year's production by about 20%. This is already forcing Comphania Vale do Rio Doce (RIO), the world's biggest iron ore producer, and its rivals to sell to the country at reduced rates.
"Chinese players are not importing (iron ore) more now as they already have stocks," Rahul Baldota, president of the Federation of India Mineral Industries had told Dow Jones Newswires earlier.
Data Friday from China showed a 12% on-month increase in steel output in March, possibly indicating that the country's stimulus spending is helping the economy, while analysts warned that it is too soon to call it a full-fledged recovery, and the ramp up may lead to burgeoning inventories.
In India, most companies and independent bodies have lowered their consumption forecasts for the current financial year essentially on two counts, with the primary one being a decline in the construction of houses, malls and offices as bank funding dries up. The Asia's third-largest economy may expand 7.1% in the year to March 2009, making small steel companies with a limited ability to mobilize resources most vulnerable.
"A lot of small steel makers are closing down," M.V.S. Seshagiri Rao, director finance at JSW Steel Ltd., told Dow Jones Newswires.
The steel sector demand growth had contracted in the third-quarter ending December 2008 after three years of average growth of 15% to 20%.
Though there was positive growth in steel sales in the last three months, the pace is not sustainable, S.K. Roongta, chairman of state-run Steel Authority of India, the country's biggest steel producer, said.
"We cannot expect this kind of quarter on a sustainable basis at least in the near term...It (double-digit growth) will be quite an overestimation, or wishful thinking," Mr. Roongta said last week.
Steel Authority of India has reduced its production target to 12 million tons for the current year from its target of 13 million tons a year ago. Its output in the last financial year fell below its target to 12.5 million tons.
The other factor that may lower demand could be a delay in the formation of a new government if the ongoing federal polls throw up a very fragmented mandate. Both factors together could result in the country's consumption falling as much as 4 million tons in the current financial year, Mr. Firoz said.
"Many of the government projects will be delayed and some of them may be reviewed if political uncertainty continues after the elections," he said.
India produced 56.4 million metric tons of steel in the year to March 2009 compared with the revised production of 56.1 million tons in 2007-08, according to latest numbers provided by the Joint Plant Committee, a data dissemination body under the federal steel ministry.
"Overall, production will not go up in the financial year 2010," JSW's Seshagiri said.
The downturn may derail India's ambition of increasing its total steel production capacity to 124 million tons by 2012, industry and government officials said, as both large and small companies delay their expansion plans.
"There is no way we can achieve it. At best, we can go up to 75 million-80 million tons," said the government official. He said all greenfield expansions have stopped, and only brownfield expansions are going on.
South Korea's Posco, which plans to set up one of India's biggest steel plants, with an annual capacity of 12 million tons, is yet to get a mining license, critical for setting up the mill.
ArcelorMittal has pushed back its plans for building two plants, also each with a capacity of 12 million ton per annum, by at least two years to 2014. The company has secured one mining license and is awaiting another one.
Still, a silver lining is that the small mills, which mostly produce long products used in the construction of houses and bridges, have low fixed costs and can restart easily when the market conditions improve, industry officials said.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124020899088534309.html
Mining – International
Coal Mining Australia and Climate Change Review
Saleque Sufi
Sunday, 04.19.2009, 03:49pm (GMT)
Australia is one of the leading countries of the world where coal is the dominant fuel for energy generation despite of having several other options. Australia has reasonably large reserve of natural gas, some reserve of oil, huge uranium reserve to go for nuclear power, some medium to large hydro plant, huge potential of solar and wind power, great potential of geo thermal, plenty of scope for bio fuel production. In the wake of bitter debate about coal mining methods in Bangladesh we feel it useful to have a good insight into Australian coal industry to search and learn lessons.
Australia is huge continent, a large island girth by the seas. Huge mountain ranges, deserts, forest cover major part of its landmass. . Coral reefs, beautiful mountains, alluring sea beaches, kangaroo, koala beer, hundreds of beautiful birds and wonderful friendly peace loving multinational -multilingual community make a Australia a heavenly place for immigrants from all over the world. It is really interesting to discuss about coal, the major source of energy which is also considered as major pollutant of Australia. There is tremendous opposition from strong environmental group .Yet Australia marches on with its coal mining and Coal based power generation.
Emission is a problem here. Over the last decade the climate has changed so much that draught, flooding, severe heat, bushfires have become frequent visitors. Melbourne bushfire carnage that devastated this year is the worst in living memory. Environment was on top of the agenda last year prior to and immediately after Federal election. Environmental issues were one of the top agenda of Kevin Rudd 2007.But it has now subsided to some extent due mini tornado created my global economic melt down.
Professor Ross Garnaut is a respected environment scientist in Australia who has done extensive research works of emissions. A discussion of works may be pertinent here.
Garnaut Climate Change Review
The Garnaut Climate Change Review was a study by Professor Ross Garnaut, commissioned by then Opposition Leader, Kevin Rudd ( now Prime Minister of Australian Federal Government ) and by the Australian State and Territory Governments on 30 April 2007. After his election on 24 November 2007 Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd has confirmed the participation of the Commonwealth Government in the Review.
The Review examined the impacts of climate change on the Australian economy, and recommended medium to long-term policies and policy frameworks to improve the prospects for sustainable prosperity. Some observers have remarked that the Garnaut Review would be Australia's version of the Stern Review. A number of forums were held around Australia to engage the public on various issues relating to the Review. The Secretariat to support the Review was based in the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet. The final report of the Garnaut Review was delivered on 30 September 2008.
Interim report 21 February 2008
The interim report of the Garnaut Review was released on 21 February 2008. The executive summary states
"Adaptation to climate change, energy efficiency and the distribution of the costs of climate change across households and regions are not considered in any detail in the report, but will be addressed in the final report."
"Australia’s interest lies in the world adopting a strong and effective position on climate change mitigation. This interest is driven by two realities of Australia’s position relative to other developed countries: our exceptional sensitivity to climate change: and our exceptional opportunity to do well in a world of effective global mitigation. Australia playing its full part in international efforts on climate change can have a positive effect on global outcomes. The direct effects of Australia’s emissions reduction efforts are of secondary importance."
Interim Greenhouse Gas emissions reduction targets for 2020 to be set in 2008 are supported in addition to targets for 2050. An Emissions Trading Scheme is also supported, but there is little discussion as to why it is preferred over a carbon tax. There seems to be support for the continued public funding of research into Carbon Capture and Storage in spite of the failure of the FutureGen project in the US to maintain public funding.
Forestry and deforestation
The impact of deforestation is only considered for other countries, especially Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. The report does not consider forestry or deforestation in Australia. This contrasts the McKinsey Report on Greenhouse Gas Reduction which places forestry as the sector with the most significant greenhouse gas abatement potential in Australia for reductions by 2020.
Draft Report 04 July 2008
The draft report of the Garnaut Review was released on 04 July 2008. The main conclusions of the report are An Emissions trading scheme, ETS, is preferred to a tax or hybrid scheme.
1. The ETS could have a transitional phase from 2010-2012
2. Permits could be sold at a "low, fixed" price during the transitional phase.
3. Spreading the costs across the economy will be achieved by including as may sectors as possible
4. Transport should be included in the emissions trading scheme ("ETS").
5. Emissions permits should be sold competitively, not given away to polluters.
6. Low income households will need compensation.
7. Half of the funds collected from the sale of permits can provide compensation for low income families.
8. Areas that rely on coal-based power stations will need specific support.
9. Australia should lead the way in making carbon capture storage commercially viable
10. A new research council should be set up.
11. $3 billion per year or 20% of the revenue raised from auctioning permits (whichever is greatest) should be allocated to low-emissions technology R&D
12. The Building Australia Fund should also be used for energy infrastructure.
13. Australia should help Asian countries reduce their levels of emissions.
14. Energy prices will rise under the scheme and will hit low income households hardest
Projected impacts of climate change
The Report indicated that in the absence of a global effort to reduce CO2 emissions, climate change would have severe adverse effects on Australian agriculture and on the natural environment. Irrigation in the Murray-Darling Basin would be severely affected, and in the most adverse scenarios, would cease altogether. Severe damage, and even destruction of the Great Barrier Reef is also a likely impact of rapid climate change.
Final Report and reaction
The Garnaut report was released on September 30, 2008. The report recommended that Australia push internationally for carbon dioxide equivalent concentrations of 450 ppm, which would commit Australia to reductions of 25% on 2000 levels by 2020, and 90% by 2050. He also recommended that Australia have a fall-back position of 550 CO2 -e concentration, which would entail a 10% reduction in emissions by 2020, and an 80% reduction by 2050. He further recommended that, should all negotiations collapse at the Copenhagen summit, Australia should still reduce its emissions by 5% by 2020 on 2000 levels.
The report's key recommendation was to implement an emissions trading scheme. However, the report did not recommend free permits be granted to major polluters, or that transport sector be protected by special fossil fuel subsidies or tax excise cuts.
The report also recommended that up to $1 billion should be made available for matched funding for investment in reducing emissions in coal power generation, as a form of preemptive structural adjustment assistance.
Emission reductions from the agriculture and forestry sectors were excluded from the final report.
Professor Garnaut said that the overall cost to the Australian economy of tackling climate change under both the 450ppm and 550ppm scenarios was manageable and in the order of 0.1-0.2 per cent of annual economic growth to 2020.
The report estimated mitigation costs for 450ppm at almost a percentage point more than 550pmm mitigation of the present value of GNP through the 21st century. The report stated that stronger mitigation is justified by insurance value and non-market value benefits in the 21st century and much larger benefits beyond, and that the costs of action are less than the costs of inaction.
The report was criticized by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the economic impact that reducing greenhouse gas emissions would have It was also heavily criticized by environmental organizations, including Friends of the Earth and Rising Tide. The Australian Conservation Foundation praised the report for advocating a 450 ppm target, but was critical of Professor Garnaut’s 550ppm second best option of 550ppm and described the 2020 target of 10 per cent as weak. Dr Clive Hamilton was heavily critical of the report, arguing that it reduced global expectations of what should be aimed for, naively exposed Australia's negotiating tactics to the international diplomatic sphere, alienates both the Australian public and the international community, misjudges the time frames necessary to avoid dangerous climate change, gives Australia numerous special deals, and would be rejected by the international community].
Responses from political parties were mixed. Australian Greens leader Bob Brown showed that the report demonstrated that reducing greenhouse gas emissions would not come at the expense of Australia's economic growth Climate Change Minister Penny Wong did not comment directly on the report but said that economic responsibility needed to be considered in responding to the report, and that the Government would wait for Treasury modeling on climate change mitigation before responding.
Reactions of Climate change mitigation agenda of Kevin Rudd government that was earlier thought would be based on Garnaut commission report due to mixed public reaction is going slow now. At least it did not have much impact on Australian coal mining yet.
Let us now try to have an insight into Australian coal mining industry.
Australia is federation of six states (New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, Southern Australia, Tasmania and two territories (Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory. .Coal is mined in every state and territory of Australia. It is used to generate electricity and is exported. 75% of the coal mined in Australia is exported, mostly to eastern Asia. Coal provides about 85% of Australia's electricity production.
Coal mining in Australia is considered as controversial because the burning of exported and imported coal, is considered by environmentalists as one of the causes for climate change, global warming, sea level rise and the effects of global warming on Australia. The burning of coal produces 42.1% of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions, not counting export coal, based on 2004 GHG inventory
The proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme which followed the draft report of the Garnaut Climate Change Review is set to put a price on carbon through a reducing cap and trade emissions trading scheme and this is likely to impact most heavily on brown coal usage within Australia (particularly in the Latrobe Valley in Victoria) for power generation.
Forms of coal
Two forms of coal are mined in Australia, depending on the region: high quality black coal and lower quality brown coal.
Black coal is found in Queensland and New South Wales, and is used for both domestic power generation and for export overseas. It is generally mined underground before being transported by rail to power stations, or export shipping terminals. Black coal was also once exported to other Australian states for power generation and industrial boilers. Black coal has twice the greenhouse gas emissions as natural gas.
Brown coal is found in Victoria and South Australia, and is of lower quality due a higher ash and water content. As a result Victoria adopted German power station and briquette technology in the 1920s to utilize the brown coal reserves of the Latrobe Valley. Today there are three open cut brown coal mines in Victoria used for base load power generation. Burning brown coal has 3 times the greenhouse gas emissions as natural gas.
Coal at a Glance
1. Australia is the world's largest exporter of black coal, a position it has held since 1984
2. Australia has more than 42 billion tonnes of economically recoverable reserves of black coal throughout Australia. The production for export markets is currently based on deposits in Queensland and New South Wales
3. Australia is the fourth largest coal producer in the world
4. Australia produced 258.5 million tonnes of coal in 2000/01, of which nearly 230 million tonnes was saleable coal
5. Coal is Australia's largest export commodity
6. Australia exports 75% of its coal production, making the country the largest coal exporter in the world - a position Australia has held since 1986
7. Exports of 193.6 million tonnes in 2000/01 were worth $10.8 billion or 10% of Australia's merchandise trade
8. Coal provides about 85% of Australia's electricity generation requirements
9. The coal industry employs 18,840 workers directly and many more indirectly
10. Productivity has increased by 15% annually since 1996/97
11. Australia has about 77 billion tonnes of coal resources
12. The Asian market accounts for 80% of Australian coal exports with the top three markets being Japan (47%), Korea (12%) and Taiwan (9%)
13. In the metallurgical coal market, Australia is competitive in exporting coal to the Asian region and Europe.
14. In the thermal coal market, Australia is competitive in exporting coal to the Asian region, with its main competitors being China and Indonesia. Australia is less competitive in exporting coal to the European market due to shipping distances, and as such the main competition is from South Africa, Colombia, USA, and the Russian Federation.
Australia has enough coal to last 650 years.
Major Mining Companies.
Company
AMCI Holdings Australia Pty Ltd
Anglo Coal Australia Ltd
Bloomfield Collieries Pty Ltd
BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) Coal Operations Pty Ltd
Centennial Coal Company Ltd
Coalpac Pty Ltd
Cornwall Coal Company
Donaldson Coal Pty Ltd
Enhance Place Pty Ltd
Ensham Resources Pty Ltd
Felix Resources Limited
Foxleigh Joint Venture
Gloucester Coal Ltd
Hunter Valley Energy Coal
Idemitsu Australia Resources Pty Ltd
Illawarra Coal Holdings Pty Ltd
Jellinbah Resources Pty Ltd
Lithgow Coal Company Pty Ltd
Macarthur Coal Limited
Muswellbrook Coal Company Ltd
New Hope Corporation Ltd
Peabody Pacific Pty Ltd
Rio Tinto Coal Australia Pty Ltd
Wesfarmers Coal Ltd
Whitehaven Coal Mining Pty Ltd
Xstrata Coal Pty Ltd
Coal Mining For Beginners Lesson:
Coal mining is a new technology a new technique in Bangladesh. Common people o not know much about it. No academic institution in Bangladesh has opportunity to learn about mining. Some mining engineers who studied in Lahore before independence have all retired from active service. Some university teachers mostly geologists and economists, environmentalists getting sponsorship of some NGO s have carried out massive mis propaganda against mining. Weak and corrupt beauracrat dominated political leadership got confused. Consequently Bangladesh despite of having significant coal reserve could not start required mining. It is felt that for general readers some basic fundamentals of mining lesson can be useful.
Coal mining is the extraction or removal of coal from the earth by mining. When coal is used for fuel in power generation it is referred to as steaming or thermal coal. Coal that is used to create coke for steel manufacturing is referred to as coking or metallurgical coal. In the United States, United Kingdom, and South Africa, a coal mine and its accompanying structures are collectively known as a colliery. In Australia, 'colliery' usually only refers to an underground coal mine.
Methods of extraction
The most economical method of coal extraction from coal seams depends on the depth and quality of the seams, and also the geology and environmental factors of the area being mined. Coal mining processes are generally differentiated by whether they operate on the surface or underground. Many coals extracted from both surface and underground mines require washing in a coal preparation plant.
Coal is mined only where mining is technically feasible and economically justifiable. Technical and economic feasibility are evaluated on several factors: regional geologic conditions; overburden characteristics; coal seam continuity, thickness, structure, quality, and depth; strength of materials above and below the seam for roof and floor conditions; topography (especially altitude and slope); climate; land ownership as it affects the availability of land for mining and access; surface drainage patterns; ground water conditions; availability of labor and materials; coal purchaser requirements in terms of tonnage, quality, and destination; and capital investment requirements.
Surface mining and deep underground mining are the two basic methods of mining. The choice of mining method depends primarily on depth of burial and thickness of the coal seam. Seams relatively close to the surface, are usually surface mined. Coals that occur at greater depths are usually deep mined but, in some cases, surface mining techniques can be used. For example, some western U.S. coals that occur at depths in excess of 200 feet (61 m) are mined by open pit methods, due to thickness of the seam (60-90 feet). Coals occurring below 300 feet (91 m) are usually deep mined.
Modern surface mining
When coal seams are near the surface, it may be economical to extract the coal using open cut (also referred to as open cast, open pit, or strip) mining methods. Open cast coal mining recovers a greater proportion of the coal deposit than underground methods, as more of the coal seams in the strata may be exploited. Opencast coal mines can cover many square kilometers.
Most open cast mines in the United States extract bituminous coal. In Australia and South Africa open cast mining is used for both thermal and metallurgical coals. In South Wales open casting for steam coal and anthracite is practiced. Surface mining accounts for around 80% of production in Australia, while in the USA it is used for about 67% of production. Globally, about 40% of coal production involves surface mining.
Area mining
Strip mining exposes the coal by removing the overburden (the earth above the coal seam(s)) in long cuts or strips. The spoil from the first strip is deposited in an area outside the planned mining area. Spoil from subsequent cuts is deposited as fill in the previous cut after coal has been removed. Usually, the process is to drill the strip of overburden next to the previously mined strip. The drill holes are filled with explosives and blasted. The overburden is then removed using large earthmoving equipment such as draglines, shovel and trucks, excavator and trucks, or bucket-wheels and conveyors. This overburden is put into the previously mined (and now empty) strip. When all the overburden is removed, the underlying coal seam will be exposed (a 'block' of coal). This block of coal may be drilled and blasted (if hard) or otherwise loaded onto trucks or conveyors for transport to the coal preparation (or wash) plant. Once this strip is empty of coal, the process is repeated with a new strip being created next to it. This method is most suitable for areas with flat terrain.
Equipment to be used depends on geologic conditions. For example, to remove overburden that is loose or unconsolidated, a bucket wheel excavator might be the most productive. The life of some area mines may be more than 50 years
Contour mining
The contour mining method consists of removing overburden from the seam in a pattern following the contours along a ridge or around a hillside. This method is most commonly used in areas with rolling to steep terrain. It was once common to deposit the spoil on the down slope side of the bench thus created, but this method of spoil disposal consumed much additional land and created severe landslide and erosion problems. To alleviate these problems, a variety of methods were devised to use freshly cut overburden to refill mined-out areas. These haul-back or lateral movement methods generally consist of an initial cut with the spoil deposited down slope or at some other site and spoil from the second cut refilling the first. A ridge of undisturbed natural material 15 to 20 feet (6.1 m) wide is often intentionally left at the outer edge of the mined area. This barrier adds stability to the reclaimed slope by preventing spoil from slumping or sliding downhill. The limitations on contour strip mining are both economic and technical. When the operation reaches a predetermined stripping ratio (tons of overburden/tons of coal), it is not profitable to continue. Depending on the equipment available, it may not be technically feasible to exceed a certain height of highwall. At this point, it is possible to produce more coal with the augering method in which spiral drills bore tunnels into a highwall laterally from the bench to extract coal without removing the overburden
Mountaintop removal mining
Mountaintop coal mining is a surface mining practice involving removal of mountaintops to expose coal seams, and disposing of associated mining overburden in adjacent "valley fills." Valley fills occur in steep terrain where there are limited disposal alternatives. Mountaintop removal combines area and contour strip mining methods. In areas with rolling or steep terrain with a coal seam occurring near the top of a ridge or hill, the entire top is removed in a series of parallel cuts. Overburden is deposited in nearby valleys and hollows. This method usually leaves ridge and hill tops as flattened plateaus The process is highly controversial for the drastic changes in topography, the practice of creating head-of-hollow-fills, or filling in valleys with mining debris, and for covering streams and disrupting ecosystems.
Spoil is placed at the head of a narrow, steep-sided valley or hollow. In preparation for filling this area, vegetation and soil are removed and a rock drain constructed down the middle of the area to be filled, where a natural drainage course previously existed. When the fill is completed, this under drain will form a continuous water runoff system from the upper end of the valley to the lower end of the fill. Typical head-of-hollow fills are graded and terraced to create permanently stable slopes.
Underground mining
Most coal seams are too deep underground for opencast mining and require underground mining, which method currently accounts for about 60% of world coal production. In deep mining, the room and pillar or bord and pillar method progresses along the seam, while pillars and timber are left standing to support the mine roof. Once room and pillar mines have been developed to a stopping point (limited by geology, ventilation, or economics), a supplementary version of room and pillar mining, termed second mining or retreat mining, is commonly started. This is when miners remove the coal in the pillars, thereby recovering as much coal from the coal seam as possible. A work area that is involved in pillar extraction is called a pillar section. Modern pillar sections use remote-controlled equipment, including large hydraulic mobile roof-supports, which can prevent cave-ins until the miners and their equipment have left a work area. The mobile roof supports are similar to a large dining-room table, but with hydraulic jacks for legs. After the large pillars of coal have been mined away, the mobile roof support's legs shorten and it is withdrawn to a safe area. The mine roof typically collapses once the mobile roof supports leave an area.
There are five principal underground mining methods:
• Longwall mining accounts for about 50% of underground production. The longwall shearer has a face of 1,000 feet (300 m) or more. It is a sophisticated machine with a rotating drum that moves mechanically back and forth across a wide coal seam. The loosened coal falls on to a pan line that takes the coal to the conveyor belt for removal from the work area. Longwall systems have their own hydraulic roof supports which advance with the machine as mining progresses. As the longwall mining equipment moves forward, overlying rock that is no longer supported by coal is allowed to fall behind the operation in a controlled manner. The supports make possible high levels of production and safety. Sensors detect how much coal remains in the seam while robotic controls enhance efficiency. Longwall systems allow a 60-to-100% coal recovery rate when surrounding geology allows their use.
• Continuous mining utilizes a machine with a large rotating steel drum equipped with tungsten carbide teeth that scrape coal from the seam. Operating in a “room and pillar” (also known as “bord and pillar”) system—where the mine is divided into a series of 20-to-30 foot “rooms” or work areas cut into the coalbed—it can mine as much as five tons of coal a minute, more than a non-mechanised miner of the 1920s would produce in an entire day. Continuous miners account for about 45% of underground coal production. Conveyors transport the removed coal from the seam. Remote-controlled continuous miners are used to work in a variety of difficult seams and conditions, and robotic versions controlled by computers are becoming increasingly common.
• Blast mining is an older practice that uses explosives such as dynamite to break up the coal seam, after which the coal is gathered and loaded on to shuttle cars or conveyors for removal to a central loading area. This process consists of a series of operations that begins with “cutting” the coalbed so it will break easily when blasted with explosives. This type of mining accounts for less than 5% of total underground production in the U.S. today.
• Shortwall mining, a method currently accounting for less than 1% of deep coal production, involves the use of a continuous mining machine with moveable roof supports, similar to longwall. The continuous miner shears coal panels 150-200 feet wide and more than a half-mile long, having regard to factors such as geological strata.
• Retreat mining is a method in which the pillars or coal ribs used to hold up the mine roof are extracted; allowing the mine roof to collapse as you retreat. This is one of the most dangerous forms of mining owing to imperfect predictability of when the ceiling will collapse and possibly crush or trap workers in the mine.
Production
Coal is mined commercially in over 50 countries. Over 7,036 Mt/yr of hard coal is currently produced, a substantial increase over the past 25 years.] In 2006, the world production of brown coal and lignite was slightly over 1,000 Mt, with Germany the world’s largest brown coal producer at 194.4 Mt, and China second at 100.6 Mt. Coal production has grown fastest in Asia, while Europe has declined. The top coal mining nations (figures in brackets are 2007 estimate of total coal production in millions of short tons) are:
• China (2,804 Mt)
• USA (1,146 Mt)
• India (529 Mt)
• Australia (428 Mt)
• South Africa (283 Mt)
• Russia (347 Mt)
• Indonesia (180 Mt)
• Poland (162 Mt)
• Kazakhstan (103 Mt)
• Colombia (75 Mt)
Most coal production is used in the country of origin, with around 16% of hard coal production being exported.
Global coal production is expected to reach 7,000 Mt/yr in 2030, with China accounting for most of this increase. Steam coal production is projected to reach around 5,200 Mt/yr; coking coal 620 Mt/yr; and brown coal 1,200 Mt/yr.
Coal reserves are available in almost every country worldwide, with recoverable reserves in around 70 countries. At current production levels, proven coal reserves are estimated to last 147 years.
Dangers to miners
Historically, coal mining has been a very dangerous activity and the list of historical coal mining disasters is a long one. Open cut hazards are principally mine wall failures and vehicle collisions; underground mining hazards include suffocation, gas poisoning, roof collapse and gas explosions. Most of these risks can be greatly reduced in modern mines, and multiple fatality incidents are now rare in some parts of the developed world. However, in lesser developed countries and some developed countries, many miners continue to die annually, either through direct accidents in coal mines or through adverse health consequences from working under poor conditions. China, in particular, has the highest number of coal mining related deaths in the world, with official statistic 6,027 deaths in 2004 To compare, the USA reported 28 deaths in the same year. Coal production in China is twice that of the United States, while the number of coal miners is around 50 times that of the USA, making deaths in coal mines in China 4 times as common per worker (108 times as common per unit output) as in the USA.
When compared to industrial countries such as China, the U.S. fatality rate is low. However in 2006 fatal work injuries among U.S. miners doubled from the previous year, totaling 47.These figures can in part be attributed to the Sago Mine disaster. The recent mine accident in Utah's Crandall Canyon Mine, where nine miners were killed and six entombed, speaks to the increase in occupational risks faced by U.S. miners.]
Chronic lung diseases, such as pneumoconiosis (black lung) were once common in miners, leading to reduced life expectancy. In some mining countries black lung is still common, with 4000 new cases of black lung every year in the USA (4% of workers annually) and 10 000 new cases every year in China (0.2% of workers). Rates may be higher than reported in some regions.
Build-ups of a hazardous gas are known as damps, possibly from the German word "Dampf" which means steam or vapor:
• Black damp: a mixture of carbon dioxide and nitrogen in a mine can cause suffocation.
• After damp: similar to black damp, an after damp consists of carbon dioxide and nitrogen and forms after a mine explosion.
• Fire damp: consists of mostly methane, a flammable gas.
• Stink damp: so named for the rotten egg smell of the sulfur, a stink damp can explode.
• White damp: air containing carbon monoxide which is toxic, even at low concentrations
Bangladesh Perspective:
Bangladesh is in a dilemma to adopt an appropriate coal mining strategy. Some non miner community is strongly agitating against open pit mining. People who do not have any experience of mining at all and have very shallow ideas about modern mining techniques and methods are arranging seminars, talk shows, writing columns to confuse policy makers about coal mining. They are telling that mining will turn the mine areas into deserts due to pumping out of sub surface water. Bangladesh geology is not appropriate to undertake underground mining in case of shallow seam coal mines. Barapukuria is a living example. It is not economic, it is not economically viable. The project has already become a pain in the neck for Bangladesh. In the wake of serious energy crisis and uncertain situation of natural gas exploration and development there is no way but to give green signal for coal mining to proceed in technically feasible and economically viable technique.Offcourse the associated social and environmental impacts are to be managed in the most professional way. Time has come for democratically elected government to ignore the chanting and chirpings of anti development group. Government can take opinion of right professionals and engage proper mining companies in transparent manners to explore and exploit our coal resources ensuring safeguard of national interest. Bangladesh has to adopt modern techniques in coal utilization ensuring that it does not cause major GHG emissions triggering major climatic change. Clean coal research experience of Australia may be useful lesson for Bangladesh; Moreover Australia can be proper destination for Bangladeshi coal professionals to gather hands on experience and training.
http://www.energybangla.com/index.php?mod=article&cat=SomethingtoSay&article=1762
Vietnam's China mining plans spark rare criticism
Mon, Apr 20, 2009
AFP
HANOI, April 19, 2009 (AFP) - A plan to let a Chinese company build a bauxite mine in Vietnam has triggered rare public outcry from critics who say the environmental and social damage will far outweigh any economic benefit.
Some even fear the plan, agreed to by leaders of the two communist countries without broader dialogue, could ultimately mean the de facto seizure by Beijing of a strategic region of Vietnam.
Vietnam's government estimates the country's bauxite reserves at 5.5 billion tonnes - a major draw for the world's mining giants.
In 2007 it approved a plan for two major mining operations to be run by state-owned Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin) in the Central Highlands.
A subsidiary of Chinese aluminium firm Chinalco has been granted a contract to build one mine, while the US aluminium company Alcoa has partnered with Vinacomin to explore the feasibility of a second.
But in a country that bitterly recalls 1,000 years of Chinese occupation - and more recently a brief 1979 border war - any presence of Vietnam's big neighbour on its territory is perceived as a menace.
Writer Nguyen Ngoc, whose work focuses on the Central Highlands and its people, said there was a longer-term risk of seeing the region "Sinocised."
"The Central Highlands constitute a strategic position for all of the south of Indochina," said Ngoc, who alleges Chinese companies are already exploiting bauxite over the border in Laos.
"They say that who is master of the Central Highlands is master of southern Indochina."
While the bauxite project presents "financial, ecological and social problems," he said the most important question was that of security and independence.
In a one-party state where public protest is rare, scientists, intellectuals and former soldiers have combined with fierce critics of the regime to denounce the government's plans.
"China has been notorious in the modern world as a country causing the biggest pollution as well as other problems," 135 Vietnamese intellectuals said in a petition criticising the mining plan and delivered Friday to the National Assembly, or parliament.
Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has said the bauxite mining industry would help spur socio-economic development in the Central Highlands, the state Vietnam News Agency reported.
The government estimates the projects will require total investment of more than 10 billion dollars and will, by 2025, annually produce between 13 and 18 million tonnes of alumina, a partially-processed product of bauxite.
But critics say the mines would bring only limited financial benefit to Vietnam, which plans to export most of the alumina.
The scheme's most prominent opponent is General Vo Nguyen Giap, 97, who led Vietnam's defeat of French colonial forces.
In open letters to the government, he warned of the danger to the environment, to the lives of ethnic minorities, and to Vietnam's "security and defence."
The Ho Chi Minh City War Veterans' Association has expressed similar views, and economics professor Nguyen Quang Thai said in a recent report to the government that Giap's warning should be respected.
"We SHOULD NOT allow foreign labourers into the area," Thai wrote, without naming China.
Exploitation of natural resources - notably for coffee production - has already provoked violent clashes in the Central Highlands, home to the ethnic minority Christian Montagnards who have battled land confiscation and religious persecution.
Dissident monk Thich Quang Do, head of the banned Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, has called on people to denounce the "destructive effects" of the planned mine on indigenous people.
A permanent Chinese presence in the Central Highlands would pose "an alarming threat" to national security, he said.
If the bauxite projects are carried out, scientists fear massive destruction of the fertile soil where forests, coffee and tea grow.
They also worry about water pollution and say the local population, some of whom received or will receive compensation, risk loss of land and are not qualified to work in the factories.
Writer Ngoc said there could be "new revolts" by the region's ethnic minorities.
Experts estimate thousands of Chinese will arrive for the bauxite projects and say several hundred are already in Lam Dong province, where the ground is being cleared.
"For countries like Vietnam... exploiting natural resources for development is necessary," said geologist Dang Trung Thuan. "Exploitation is obvious, but to what extent ?"
http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20090420-136270.html
China's Shanxi Province to close 1,600 coal mines in 3 years
Updated: 19 Apr 2009 20:47:46 PST
Apr. 20, 2009 (China Knowledge) - China's Shanxi Province will launch an unprecedented reform for the coal industry for the next three years, with the number of its coal mines cut to 1,000 from the current 2,600, according to a decision announced by the local provincial government on Wednesday.
By 2011, Shanxi, whose coal output accounts for one third of the country's total, will restrict its annual coal output to 850 million tons.
The local government also aims to develop three large coal enterprises each with an annual capacity of 100 million tons and another four large coal companies each with an annual capacity of 50 million tons, with their total output accounting for 75% of the province's total.
Some industry insiders have said that the consolidation will significantly reduce the accident rate in coal mines since the government has vowed to close over 60% of the mines in the province, and that the reform will be environmentally beneficial.
http://news.alibaba.com/article/detail/business-in-china/100087611-1-china%2527s-shanxi-province-close-1%252C600.html
Uranium Resources loses critical court decision re: Churchrock NM uranium project
A federal court of appeals decision finding some checkerboard uranium land in New Mexico can be considered Indian Country--falling under federal jurisdiction--could have ramifications in other western uranium states.
Author: Dorothy Kosich
Posted: Monday , 20 Apr 2009
RENO, NV -
Texas-based Hydro Resources Inc (HRI), a subsidiary of Uranium Resources Inc., sustained a major blow to its effort to operate an underground injection uranium mine near Church Rock, New Mexico as a U.S. appeals court upheld a 2007 decision by the U.S. EPA that the land is Navajo Nation land.
The decision means that HRI will have to obtain its underground injection control permit from EPA rather the New Mexico Department of the Environment before it can move forward with its plans for in-situ leach mining.
The Navajo Nation has made it clear for several years that it is opposed to companies that continue to seek to mine uranium on Navajo Nation lands, enacting a ban on uranium mining and milling in April 2005.
Meanwhile, HRI had obtained a Nuclear Regulatory Commission license to mine uranium at the Churchrock project and had applied for a permit from the State of New Mexico. The project is located in the checkerboard area of northwestern New Mexico, called Section 8 land, and is defined by the federal Safe Drinking Water Act as "Indian Country."
The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver upheld the EPA and the U.S. Department of the Interior decision that the Churchrock Section 8 uranium project is located in Indian Country within a dependent India n community. The 10th Circuit decisions also may apply to other uranium mining states, including Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming.
Chris Shuey of Southwest Research Information Center told the Gallup Independent, "This is a huge victory, and if upheld on further appeal will set precedent for regulating non-Indian activities on non-Indian lands inside dependent Indian communities."
Rick Van Horn, Uranium Resources Inc COO, said the company has not had time to review the decision. "I think the one thing we need to re-emphasize is regardless of the ruling, we are committed to going forward with mining and doing business in New Mexico."
Van Horn estimated that 70 million pounds of uranium reserves are known to exist on the Navajo Reservation. HRI required its Churchrock land from the United Nuclear Corporation, also purchasing UNC's patents for uranium-mining claims on the Section 8 land.
The city of Gallup is located 11 miles southwest of the Section 8 land, while the Navajo town of Church Rock is six miles south of the land. The Section 8 land is not located within the Navajo reservation, but is within the jurisdiction of the Eastern Navajo Agency.
The appeals court denied HRI's petition for review, but granted the National Mining Association's motion to file a friend of the court brief on the matter, as well as the State of New Mexico's motion to file a reply brief to the decision.
In a dissenting opinion, however, Justice D.J. Frizzell said he believes the appeals court has no standing to overrule the Nuclear Regulatory Commission decision. Frizzell said the land "is not owned by the Navajo Nation. It is not set aside for Indian use. It is not federally superintended."
http://www.mineweb.co.za/mineweb/view/mineweb/en/page72103?oid=82052&sn=Detail
Duncan rallies with mining critics
The Edmonton JournalApril 19, 2009
New Democrat Linda Duncan joined more than 70 people in Gazebo Park Saturday to promote a new Liberal bill that holds Canadian mining, oil and gas companies accountable at home for human rights and environmental abuses they commit in developing countries.
The Edmonton-Strathcona MP said similar bills have been introduced twice before by the NDP, but were shot down by the other parties. This time, Liberal John McKay, with the support of the NDP, is pushing to pass the Corporate Accountability of Mining, Oil and Gas Corporations in Developing Countries Act.
Duncan said workers fighting for rights are being killed daily in countries like Colombia.
She stressed that it is Canada's responsibility to make sure companies are held accountable for their treatment of workers and land in developing countries where governments can not or will not enforce an acceptable standard of human rights.
"This is a great first step," Duncan said. "It's particularly vital right now because the Harper government is pursuing free trade agreements with some of the most reprehensible governments like Colombia."
The rally was organized by the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace, which has been lobbying for corporate accountability abroad since 2006. It has collected 250,000 signatures.
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/fp/Duncan+rallies+with+mining+critics/1512165/story.html
Apollo Mineral targets 800 million tonnes at Mount Oscar Iron Ore Project, WA
Apollo Minerals (ASX:AON) has estimated an initial estimated 800 million tonne exploration target at Mount Oscar Iron Ore Project in the Pilbara in Western Australia as a result of independent magetic modelling. Using an assumed density of 3.5t/m3 a total tonnage for the Global Mt Oscar Project Area down to the first 250 metres of vertical depth from surface is estimated at 800 million tonnes.
Several areas have potential to be hosting non-magnetic haematitic/goethitic caps overlaying the BIF sequence & 2 to a depth of 250m for Global Mt Oscar Project Area (comprising all Mt Oscar tenements held by Apollo and Fox Resources Limited).
Apollo will implement a drilling programme to test the accuracy of the most prospective model within its tenement. The programme will comprise 4 drill holes for 680 metres on model A6. This model transect, is considered the most prospective for drill testing for thick magnetite units.
The discovery of commercial quantities of Direct Shipping Ore (haematite) would significantly increase the value and economics of the project.
http://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/companies/news/1264/apollo-mineral-targets-800-million-tonnes-at-mount-oscar-iron-ore-project-wa-1264.html
Orion Minerals raises $US12.5 million
Published: 9:59AM Monday April 20, 2009
Source: NZPA
Orion Minerals Group, a Chilean iron ore business bought in a reverse takeover by New Zealand company RLV No3, says it has completed a $US12.5 million ($NZ22.4 million) equity raising.
Orion reported on Monday it had received $US8 million from Chinese steel processing, manufacturing, and distributing organisation Fengli Group. The payment represented the balance of the $US12.5 million purchase price of a tranche of 100 million shares at 12.5 US cents each.
At the same time, Orion said it would not start exports in the third quarter of the 2009 calendar year, as previously expected.
The "unprecedented and unexpected" reductions in the level and pricing of the global iron ore trade since the start of the year had caused the company to review its business plan and timing.
It was doing pre-operating mine development for its concession in Chile and finalising arrangements for the shipment of ore through ports in Chile, Orion said.
Further announcements would be made about the timing of the start of mining and shipping of iron ore.
The successful completion today of the capital raising programme enabled Orion to finalise its operational plans and start operations with Fengli as a key cornerstone shareholder and business partner, Orion said.
Orion changed its name from RLV No3 late last year. Its shares last traded at 24 cents in mid-March.
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/536641/2656372
Congo to decide on mining contracts soon
Monday, Apr 20, 2009
Democratic Republic of Congo will soon decide the fate of its contracts with six of the biggest mining firms there, putting an end to a much delayed review process, a deputy prime minister said on Friday.
Questions concerning six of Congo's most lucrative mining partnership deals remained unresolved after talks between government negotiators and company representatives broke down late last year.
"The cabinet will decide as quickly as possible, because these are important economic questions for our country," said Emile Bongeli, a deputy prime minister who also headed an interministerial panel that reviewed the mining deals.
The contract review was launched in early 2007 in an effort to boost the government's stake in 61 agreements, most of which were signed during the chaos of a 1998-2003 war and a corruption-plagued post-war transitional government.
They include deals with AngloGold Ashanti, Banro, First Quantum, Gold Fields, Freeport-MacMoRan and Mwana Africa.
On Thursday, Deputy Mines Minister Victor Kasongo said the contract revisions put forward by the mining firms had been rejected, adding that the companies would now have six months to improve their proposals or risk cancellation of their contracts.
However, in an apparent effort to calm investors rattled by Kasongo's statement, Bongeli said Congo's cabinet of ministers could meet as early as the first week in May to make a final decision on the six deals.
"Even if some little problems still exist, these are contracts that are made to last... We think that there have been positive advances," said Bongeli, Congo's deputy prime minister for reconstruction.
"This reflects a longstanding but perhaps growing rift within the administration between those who just want to complete the review ... such as Bongeli, and those who still want to hold out for more," said Philippe de Pontet, analyst at Eurasia Group.
Congo's mining-driven economy has crumbled this year as demand for copper, cobalt and other minerals, its primary foreign currency earner, has dried up as a consequence of the global economic crisis.
http://www.yourminingnews.com/news_item.php?newsID=29944
Defenders of the Black Hills to appeal uranium mine site
"Special, unique:" Group says area is historic burial grounds
By Journal staff | Sunday, April 19, 2009
A group formed to protect places in and around the Black Hills will on Monday ask a state mining board to reconsider its approval of the site for a proposed uranium mine near Edgemont.
Charmaine White Face of Rapid City, coordinator for Defenders of the Black Hills, in a news release said the group's archaeological and Lakota cultural experts verified findings by Augustana College researchers that the area is an old burial grounds. The state is to consider historic and culturally important resources in deciding whether a site qualifies as "special, exceptional, critical, or unique."
The state Board of Minerals and Environment will hear White Face's appeal at 10 a.m. CDT Monday, April 20, in the Matthew Environmental Education and Training Center, 523 East Capitol Ave., in Pierre.
Powertech U.S.A., the American subsidiary of Canadian-based Powertech Uranium Corp., plans an in situ operation to drill wells and inject chemicals that will leach out a uranium-rich solution. The mine and processing facility will be 13 miles northwest of Edgemont, straddling property in Custer and Fall River counties. The so-called Dewey-Burdock Project has been studied for years by various companies, exploring more than 11,000 acres. Powertech has completed 74 exploration holes since receiving permits in 2007.
The state Water Management Board last April heard debates about the project's effects on the area's water resources.
In December, the state Department of Environmental and Natural Resources staff concluded after a site tour that the area does not qualify as "special;" the ruling is the initial step toward granting a large-scale mine permit. If an area has noted unique qualities, special regulations can be applied, but the designation alone does not eliminate mining activity.
After a formal hearing in February, the state Board of Minerals and Environment upheld the staff's decision. White Face said her group is appealing because Powertech officials said there was in an error in reporting of cultural historic sites.
In addition to state permits, Powertech is applying to federal Environmental Protection Agency and Nuclear Regulatory Commission uranium mine licenses.
http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2009/04/19/news/top/doc49ebdbbde67aa831256640.txt
Other News – India
Cong hopes to ride on success of NREGA, forest land right
National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and granting of forest land right to tribals, two flagship programmes of the UPA govt may help congress electorally in Gujarat where tribal population is around 15 per cent and can influence eight seats.
Tribals, which are spread in North-Eastern and South belt of Gujarat, are the main beneficiaries of these two schemes introduced by the Congress-led UPA government.
In the state, out of 26 Lok Sabha seats, four are tribal reserved seats-Bardoli and Valsad in South Gujarat and Dahod and Chhota Udeipur in Central Gujarat.
However, apart from reserved seats, tribals have considerable presence in Panchmahal, Bharuch, Sabarkantha and Banaskantha parliamentary constituencies.
“Our main campaign centres of NREGA, which has given work to the people in tribal areas and has had a positive impact on rural economy,” said Nasvadi Congress MLA Dhirubhai Bhil.
“We also tell people that ask BJP leaders to make their stand clear regarding the employment guarantee scheme. It is important to know whether the BJP if voted to power, will continue the scheme or scrap it,” he said.
http://www.freshnews.in/cong-hopes-to-ride-on-success-of-nrega-forest-land-right-137913
Wildlife census shows increase in Hangul population
Jammu (PTI): The population of endangered Hangul deer has registered an increase in the Kashmir Valley, according to the latest wildlife census.
The estimated population of the red deer is now between 201 and 234, compared to 117-199 in March 2008, Chief Wildlife Warden, J&K, A K Shrivastava said here on Monday.
The male-female ratio and female-fawn ratio have also shown an upward swing in the current census.
The census was conducted last month in Dachigam National Park and its adjoining areas like Dara, Nishat, Braine, Cheshma Shahi, Khonmoh, Khrew, Wangath conservation reserves and the adjoining forest areas of Akhal, Najwan, Surfrao, Kulan, Mammar, Ganiwan.
The census conducted in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun and Wildlife Trust of India, New Delhi was aimed at identifying threats to the species and formulate a strategy to save them.
The increase in population of the deer is being attributed to stricter measures taken to end poaching besides involvement of independent volunteers, researchers, students and NGOs, he said.
Hangul or Kashmir stag is an endangered species found in J&K mainly in the Dachigam National Park and its adjoining areas.
Conservation of this species assumes great significance as this is the only survivor of the Red Deer group in the Indian subcontinent.
In order to conserve Hangul, a Species Recovery Plan has also been prepared by the Wildlife Department through the Wildlife Institute of India for a period of five years and submitted to the Union Ministry of Environment & Forests for approval, Mr. Shrivastava said.
Launching of the Species Recovery Plan for Hangul will help not only in conservation of this critically endangered species but also enrich the biodiversity of the habitat where Hangul is found.
The project will be implemented with the involvement of the local communities, he said adding the current census data will form a valuable input for the planning and implementation of the Species Recovery Programme.
The Department has also started construction of a Conservation Breeding Centre for Hangul at Shikargarh, Tral with financial assistance provided by Central Zoo Authority.
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/008200904201012.htm
ADB boost to highway plan
A STAFF REPORTER
Guwahati, April 19: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has expressed interest in preparing investment projects to strengthen the national highway system in the Northeast.
A senior official at Dispur said the bank has given the go ahead for financing a technical assistance programme this year in this regard.
“The idea is to improve the national highways in the region to a standard that is economically and financially viable, as well as environmentally and socially sustainable,” an official source said.
The Northeast has 43 national highways passing through them. Assam boasts 21 national highways, Arunachal Pradesh three, Manipur, Meghalaya, and Mizoram have four each, Nagaland five and Tripura two.
The total length of national highways covered in the Northeast is about 6,657km and they are being developed and maintained by three agencies — the state PWDs, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
The technical assistance provided will help the executing agency in project preparation in the first phase and pre-construction in the second, to enhance overall implementation readiness.
The first phase will include feasibility studies, environmental studies, social impact assessments, resettlement impact studies and preparation of resettlement plans, including a detailed action plan. It will also review and finalise preparation of detailed project reports, float bids for civil works and requests for proposals for consultant recruitment. Institutional studies and capacity development plans will also be there in the first phase.
The second phase will include development of action plans for each stream of pre-construction, including institutional strengthening, environmental clearance, land acquisition and resettlement, utility shifting, procurement of civil works, and recruitment of consultants.
“It will ensure a high-level of readiness of the ensuing investment projects for implementation,” the official said.
The Centre has attached a lot of importance in developing the road network in the region in the 11th Five Year Plan for increased connectivity among all the state capitals.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090420/jsp/northeast/story_10847005.jsp
Indigenous peoples at world summit to share climate change observations, coping techniques
Indigenous peoples seek greater recognition in successor to Kyoto agreement
With the first climate change-related relocation of an Inuit village already underway, some 400 Indigenous People and observers from 80 nations are convening in Alaska for a UN-affiliated conference April 20-24 to discuss ways in which traditional knowledge can be used to both mitigate and adapt to climate change.
Hosted by the Inuit Circumpolar Council, the Indigenous Peoples' Global Summit on Climate Change is also designed to help strengthen the communities' participation in and articulate messages and recommendations to the December UN climate change conference in Copenhagen, at which a successor agreement to the Kyoto protocol will be negotiated. The Summit will conclude Fri. April 24 with a declaration and action plan, and a call for world governments to fully include Indigenous Peoples in any post-Kyoto climate change regime adopted in Copenhagen.
The Summit takes place in Anchorage, about 800 km east of the Alaskan village of Newtok, where intensifying river flow and melting permafrost are destroying homes and infrastructure, forcing 320 residents to relocate to a higher site 15 km west, at an expected financial cost in the tens of millions of dollars.
While the move will be financed in part with government funds that would have been spent maintaining the existing village and on periodic emergency evacuations, NGOs say the relocation of Newtok marks an Arctic milestone – the first official casualty among six Alaskan Inuit settlements in urgent need of relocation, including Shishmaref (pop. 560), Kivalina (pop. 377), where autumn storm waves are no longer contained by shore-fast ice, which used to form in September but in recent years has appeared only in December or even January. Dozens of similar settlements are considered threatened.
At the Summit, Indigenous Peoples from every world region will share observations and experiences of early impacts in their part of the planet, as well as traditional practices that could both ease climate change and help all humanity adapt to its anticipated consequences.
With scientific experts now predicting that the effects of climate change will be more severe and appear even faster than previously believed, Indigenous Peoples will present the Summit with new observations of changes, including:
Papua New Guinea: Indigenous People are being forced to relocate due to a combination of population growth and the inundation of coastal land due to sea level rise.
Borneo: The Dayak have documented climate variations based on observations of bird species, rising water levels, and the loss of traditional medicinal plants;
Mexico: Highland Mayan milpa farmers have a shortened rain season, unseasonal frost and unusually large daytime temperature changes, forcing them to find alternative sources of irrigation and crop variations;
Andean Region: Temperature changes in the Andean region have had a drastic impact on agriculture, health and biodiversity, evidenced by an increase in respiratory illnesses, a decrease in alpaca farming and a shortened growing season. In some areas where Indigenous People depend on Alpine flora for medicines, grazing and food, the growing season could be cut in half should the loss of glaciers continue and agriculture become dependent solely on rainfall;
Kenya: Protracted droughts are killing livestock on which the Samburu People depend for food and economic survival;
Nepal: Intense rainfall and droughts have become common, having severe crop effects.
"Indigenous Peoples have contributed the least to the global problem of climate change but will almost certainly bear the greatest brunt of its impact," says Patricia Cochran, Chair of both the Inuit Circumpolar Council and the April Summit.
"Indigenous Peoples are on the front lines of this global problem at a time when their cultures and livelihoods in traditional lands are already threatened by such trends as accelerating natural resource development stimulated by trade liberalization and globalization."
Says Sam Johnston of Tokyo-based United Nations University, a Summit co-sponsor: "The rich and detailed insights of Indigenous Peoples reflects and embodies a cultural and spiritual relationship with the land, ocean and wildlife. The world owes it to both the Indigenous Peoples and itself to pay greater heed to the opinions of these communities and to the wisdom of ages-old traditional knowledge."
At least 5,000 distinct groups of Indigenous Peoples have been identified in more than 70 countries, with a combined global population estimated at 300-350 million, representing about 6% of humanity.
Their traditional knowledge contributes to understanding climate change – observations and interpretations by Indigenous Peoples of changing Arctic sea ice, for example, has proven important across a wide range of economic and scientific interests. Traditional knowledge of fire, meanwhile, is helping to create more effective strategies for year round forest management and reducing the risk of killer wild fires.
Interestingly, in a world first, the aborigines of Western Arnhem Land have used traditional fire practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, they have sold $17 million worth of carbon credits to industry, generating significant new income for the local community.
Over millennia, Indigenous Peoples have developed a large arsenal of practices of potential benefit in the climate change context, including:
• Traditional methods of shoreline reinforcement, land stabilization and reclamation;
• Protecting watersheds with Indigenous farming techniques; and
• Fostering biodiversity and the growth of useful species through planting, transplantation, and weeding techniques, the benefits of which have often gone unappreciated outside Indigenous communities until traditional peoples are relocated or their practices restricted.
Traditional drought-related practices used to hedge against normal climate variation include:
• Sophisticated small dam systems to capture and store rainfall;
• Temporary migration;
• Planting diverse varieties of crops simultaneously; and
• Using alternative agricultural lands, food preservation techniques, hunting and gathering periods and wild food sources as required.
Among new Indigenous climate change adaptation efforts to be presented at the Summit:
Honduras: With increasing hurricane strikes and drastic weather changes, the Quezungal people have developed a farming method which involves planting crops under trees so the roots anchor the soil and reduce the loss of crops during natural disasters.
East Cameroon and Congo: The Baka Pygmies of South East Cameroon and the Bambendzele of Congo have developed new fishing and hunting methods to adapt to a decrease in precipitation and an increase in forest fires;
Guyana: Indigenous peoples have adopted a nomadic lifestyle, moving to more forested zones in the dry season, and are now planting manioc, their main staple, in alluvial plains where, previously, it was too moist to plant crops.
Indigenous Peoples most at risk
According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the number of Indigenous Peoples most likely to be impacted to climate change requires additional research. However, those at greatest risk from expected extreme climate change-induced events such as sea level rise and crop-damaging droughts reside in:
• The Arctic,
• The Caribbean
• The Amazon
• Southern Chile and Argentina,
• Southern Africa,
• Pacific islands and other island states,
• Along the Asian coastline
• Across Australia
Beyond temperature flux, climate change is expected to alter the timing, frequency and intensity of precipitation, the direction and intensity of winds, waves, ocean currents and storm circulations, the volume of rivers, and the ranges of plants and animals.
UNU researchers say the greatest number of people will be affected by climate change through more frequent drought and spreading desertification, by rising sea levels that inundate coastal communities, through the expanded range of diseases like malaria and dengue fever, and by the disappearance of glaciers, which will stunt the usual supply of water in areas such as the Indian subcontinent, where more than 2 billion people will reside by 2050.
Dr. Anthony Oliver-Smith of the University of Florida and UNU's Institute for the Environment and Human Security, who researches the link between the environment and migration, says the impact of climate change on Indigenous Peoples will be particularly severe because most practice subsistence lifestyles and share a deep connection with ancestral lands.
Says Prof. Oliver-Smith: "Climate change will make things significantly worse for people with difficult lives already due to discrimination, poor nutrition and health conditions. Most Indigenous Peoples today live oppressed existences as minority groups within states. Climate change for them layers another potentially crushing pressure on top of many others."
Human rights regime proposed to protect victims of forced "climigration"
Alaskan human rights lawyer and Summit participant Robin Bronen is part of a growing group of experts calling for an international legal regime to protect the rights of people uprooted by the creeping effects of climate change.
She coined the term "climigration" to describe forced, permanent migration of communities due to severe climate change impacts on infrastructure such as health clinics and schools, and on livelihoods and well-being.
"Communities forced to relocate must participate throughout the process, including the decision to relocate in the first place," says Ms. Bronen. "Obvious as it may seem through common sense, such rights could be easily trampled in many places and should be defined and protected internationally."
"Climigration differs from migration caused by catastrophic environmental events such as hurricanes, where disaster relief and the temporary relocation of individuals and communities is the humanitarian response," she says. "Climigration means no possibility to return home."
Says UN Under-Secretary-General Konrad Osterwalder, Rector of UN University: "The fires in Australia last summer that killed 240 people graphically demonstrated the devastating potential of extreme weather events, which are expected with increasing frequency as climate change progresses.
"Indigenous people worldwide are recognizing dramatic shifts in local environmental patterns. Like the canary in the mine whose condition warned of danger, many Indigenous Peoples are starting to confront dire circumstances in terms of access to food, fresh water and natural resources needed for the survival of themselves, their unique cultures and their spiritual wellbeing.
"The clear voice of Indigenous Peoples needs to be heard by rest of the world community and their insights honoured in critically important climate change discussions now underway. When it comes to implementing mitigation and adaptation strategies, the world would gain greatly from proven ancient approaches built on profound respect for the Earth."
Dignitaries expected at the Indigenous Peoples' Global Summit on Climate Change include:
• Evo Morales, President of Bolivia
• Fr. Miguel d'Escoto Brockman, President, UN General Assembly
• Danish Parliamentarian Juliane Henningsen of Greenland
All three will sign the concluding declaration, Ms. Henningsen on behalf of Denmark, host of the December UN climate change conference in Copenhagen.
Sponsors of the Summit:
• The Christensen Fund
• The Ford Foundation
• The Oak Foundation
• The MacArthur Foundation
• The Wilburforce Foundation
• The Gordon Foundation
• The Trust for Mutual Understanding
• Conservation International
• The World Wildlife Fund
• The Nature Conservancy
Summit partners:
• U.N. Development Program
• Government of Sweden
• Government of Denmark
• U.S. National Parks Service - Beringia Heritage Program
• U.S. Arctic Research Comission
• National Pacific Research Board
• The Denali Commission
United Nations University
Established by the U.N. General Assembly, UNU (www.unu.edu) is an international community of scholars engaged in research, advanced training and the dissemination of knowledge related to pressing global problems. Activities focus mainly on peace and conflict resolution, sustainable development and the use of science and technology to advance human welfare. The University operates a worldwide network of research and post-graduate training centres, with headquarters in Tokyo
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-04/unu-ipa041309.php
'Poverty can't be removed by NREGA'
20 Apr 2009, 0110 hrs IST, TNN
LUCKNOW: Holding Congress, BJP and their supporting parties responsible for increasing inflation, backwardness and poverty in the country, the
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president and chief minister Mayawati said that even after 61 years of the independence, there had been no perceptible change in the socio-economic conditions of the SC/ST and OBCs and religious minorities comprising Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists and Parsis.
Addressing huge election meetings in Pratapgarh and Sultanpur districts, Maya said that poverty can not be removed by providing 100 days of temporary employment to a member of a family under NREGA started by Congress-led UPA government. She said that after forming BSP Government at the Centre, permanent employment arrangement would be made for the whole year. She said that BSP was the only party, which worked for the betterment of poor and watched the interests of backward and exploited sections of the society, besides working in the interest of religious minorities.
Referring to the propaganda by Congress regarding the development of Amethi and Rae Bareli, Mayawati said that re-inauguration of the rail coach factory in Rae Bareli was just a farce. She said that the Congress was fully responsible for the backwardness of Amethi and Rae Bareli as it ruled the state for almost 40 years and was in power for 50 years at the centre. She said that 11 out of 20 prominent factories set up in Rae Bareli earlier had been shut down and about 192 acres of land belonging to farmers was lying useless. Likewise, seven out of 19 prominent factories set up in Sultanpur district had been closed and about 875 acres of land was lying unused. She said that Congress was solely responsible for it.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Poverty-cant-be-removed-by-NREGA/articleshow/4422327.cms
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