Mining – India
1. SC rejects OMC plea on survey
2. Work starts in Nalco mine
3. Nalco resumes full operation at Panchpatmali mines
4. Dubai to hold talks with India on bauxite project
5. UK, India to run 5 projects to study climate change ________________________________________
Mining – International
6. Forest faces threat from coal mines!
7. Moratorium pondered for depleted uranium
8. First Uranium in roaring mood
9. Santoy Resources agrees to acquire stake in Virginia Uranium
10. Nuclear boom leads to uranium claims near proposed wilderness area
11. Advocates say time is right to reform mining law
12. Spectacle Industries acquires mines, to focus on mining business
13. B.C.’s mining industry — some facts 17________________________________________
Other News – India
14. Tribals to launch green economic zones
15. ‘Environment very much an issue in this campaign’
16. Canada: Ontario Releases Long-Awaited Amendments To Mining Act
17. 'Mother Earth in climate crisis' say indigenous people
18. Red signs ignored in Dhamtari
19. Starvation among Primitive Tribal Groups tribes (STs)
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Mining – India
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SC rejects OMC plea on survey
Express News Service
First Published : 13 May 2009 04:51:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 13 May 2009 09:14:25 AM IST
ANANTAPUR: Notwithstanding the Supreme Court’s assertion on Tuesday that the mining should not be held in the iron ore areas till the completion of the survey and fixing of boundaries, the activity is going on illegally in the D Hirehal mandal of Anantapur district.
The Apex court on Tuesday rejected the petition filed by the Obulapuram Mining Company, which pleaded to stop the survey by the Central Mining Department, and clarified that the mining should not be held till the survey was completed.
The Supreme Court in the past passed orders to conduct the survey and to fix the boundaries in the iron ore areas and to stop the mining.
The Bellari Iron Ore Company appealed the Apex Court to give directions for conducting survey by the Central Mining Department.
The Obulapuram Mining Company recently filed a petition in the Apex Court challenging the direction to conduct the survey by the Central department which was rejected by the Supreme Court on Tuesday.
A petition was also filed in the Karnataka High Court seeking survey on which the court also passed orders for the same.
Though the cases are pending with the Supreme Court and Karnataka High Court the mining companies are continuing illegal mining.
http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=SC+rejects+OMC+plea+on+survey&artid=Job6ZKrgXqg=&SectionID=e7uPP4%7CpSiw=&MainSectionID=fyV9T2jIa4A=&SectionName=EH8HilNJ2uYAot5nzqumeA==&SEO=
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Work starts in Nalco mine
12 May 2009, 2359 hrs IST, Rajaram Satapathy, TNN
BHUBANESWAR: Exactly one month after the Maoist attack, Nalco on Tuesday haltingly began night mining atop Panchpatmali bauxite hill in Koraput
district with employees still sunk in fear and anxiety.
The Navratna company was forced to scale down mining operation after employees refused to work beyond 5 pm apprehending danger to their lives in the aftermath of the April 12 bloody Maoist attack on the mines. The extremists looted explosives and arms after killing 10 CISF personnel in night long violence during which they had held civilians hostage. The Maoists left the hill in the morning with no police force or additional CISF reaching from Damanjodi to challenge them.
Nalco requires about 14,000 tonnes of bauxite daily to feed its refinery down the hill. As employees were reluctant to carry out mining after sunset, the authorities had no option but to cancel the post-noon shift from 2 pm to 10 pm. The working hour falling from 16 to 10 hours led to 30 percent drop in bauxite production. With bauxite ore output slumping to about 9,000 tonnes, Nalco was apprehensive that if the trend persisted production at the refinery would be affected.
Nalco's problem did not end there. Amid intelligence reports that Maoists could attack again, the staff placed a host of demands before the management. This included strengthening the security system, additional financial package for those working in the mines, rotation of staff between refinery and mines, etc.
Sources said Nalco apart from beefing up CISF presence on the top has assured the employees that additional financial package demand would be placed before the board soon for examination. "After the night shift the bus carrying staff would be piloted down the hill under strict security cover. We are also planning a new service policy under which employees working in the refinery could be posted in the mine on rotation basis," a senior Nalco official said. There are about 500 people working in the mines as against over 2,000 in the refinery.
Investigations have revealed that there were at least two Maoists cadres working as casual labourers in the mine area. Taking advantage of the gross failure of the CISF intelligence for which a 12-member team has been exclusively working, these two spies worked for months and were regularly feeding information to their superiors. The April 12 attack has all the more widened the divide amongst employees so much that permanent employees are reluctant to travel in the same bus with their temporary counterparts. There has been demand made to arrange separate bus for the temporary staff, which has put the Nalco authorities in a fix. "We don't mind having more buses for the staff, but such segregation could damage the work culture and make people more vulnerable to extremist attack. We are examining all the demands. Hope a solution would emerge soon," the official pointed out.
"Amid all the problems we have however restored normalcy in mining operations. Loss in bauxite production is likely to be adjusted in a month's time, though refinery was not affected because of the adequate stocks available at the plant site," he said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Bhubaneswar/Work-starts-in-Nalco-mine/articleshow/4522145.cms
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Nalco resumes full operation at Panchpatmali mines
BS Reporter / Bhubaneswar May 13, 2009, 0:36 IST
National Aluminium Company (Nalco) has resumed full-fledged operations at its Panchpatmali mines, about 16 km from its alumina refinery plant at Damanjodi in Orissa’s Koraput district.
In the aftermath of the Naxalite attack at the mines on April 12, the mine workers were reluctant to carry out mining operations after sunset. As a result, Nalco’s bauxite output had dropped from 14,000 tonnes per day to 9,000 tonnes per day.
The company’s management has successfully restored normalcy at the mines after talks with the trade unions.
With the restarting of the B-shift operations at the Panchpatmali mines, Nalco is set to regain its normal production level of bauxite. The company hopes to recover production losses by the end of this month.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/nalco-resumes-full-operation-at-panchpatmali-mines/357912/
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Dubai to hold talks with India on bauxite project
United Arab Emirates: 45 minutes ago
Abdullah Kalban, CEO of Dubai Aluminium Company (Dubal) told Reuters that the state-owned smelter will be holding talks with the Indian government regarding plans for its bauxite mine and alumina refinery and smelter project in Orissa after the Indian elections end. The project, a joint venture with Indian engineering conglomerate Larsen and Toubro, was originally scheduled to start in 2009, but Dubal had said it expected delays due to 'bureaucratic issues in India'.
http://www.ameinfo.com/196380.html
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Mining – International
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Forest faces threat from coal mines!
Posted on Tuesday, May 12 @ 04:56:17 CDT by voices
AN ENVIRONMENTAL group has launched a campaign against the trimming of trees in the forests around Akbük.
Akbük Environment and Culture Association (AKÇED) claims that despite assurances from the Directorate of Forestry authorities, there are fears that the trees are being cut down as the area is being turned into a coal mine.
AKÇED said that after last year’s cuttings in the forests, the area was turned into a coal mine and they were worried to encounter the same situation this year.
AKÇED has now started a petition, acting upon the 56th clause of the Constitutional Law which reads: “Everybody has the right to live in a healthy and balanced environment. It is both state and public duty to improve the environment, to maintain environmental health and to prevent environmental pollution.”
AKÇED announced that if an official announcement did not come regarding the cutting of the trees they would submit a criminal complaint to the Didim Public Prosecutor.
The petition entitled “No to the Coal Mines that slay the forests and pollute the air!” was continued at the Akbük market. Members of AKÇED said that they were supported by the British as much as the Turks, and by Akbük Mayor Erçin Sandalcı.
One resident said: “We suffer from the coal mines. Even in the heat of the summer, we can not open our windows because of the smell and smoke.” They they added that the trees were not being trimmed as claimed and that all the cut trees were young and bore no seal showing the permit of Directorate of Forestry.
Whilst the petition campaign continued at the market, another group of AKÇED members protested the cutting of the trees by opening banners that read, “The Akbük forest should not become coal mines”, “Forests are the future of our children” in the area on Kazıklı road where the trees are cut.
Members of AKÇED urged Kazıklı villagers to back their campaign and pledged to defend their constitutional rights.
http://www.voicesnewspaper.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2942
LSO ON THE PROWL?
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Moratorium pondered for depleted uranium
Safety » Board asks lawyers to consider legal aspects of a hot-waste freeze.
By Judy Fahys
The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated: 05/12/2009 07:33:58 PM MDT
A half dozen Utahns urged regulators to demand that the long-term safety of residents is assured before allowing any more depleted uranium to be buried in the state.
The message, part of an organized effort by the Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah (HEAL), landed before the Utah Radiation Control Board on Tuesday. And the panel asked its lawyers to begin looking at the legal implications of imposing a moratorium on the low-level radioactive waste disposal until that assurance can be made confidently.
"We, as a state, are vulnerable right now," said HEAL's Christopher Thomas.
EnergySolutions Inc.'s low-level radioactive waste-disposal site in Tooele County has accepted about 49,000 tons of depleted uranium over about two decades.
Right now, the material, the waste byproduct of uranium enrichment and bomb-making, is only mildly contaminated and falls well within state law to be no more radioactive than Class A waste.
But over time, depleted uranium "decays" or breaks down and become more hazardous, peaking in 1 million years. The depleted uranium at EnergySolutions, for instance, is expected to exceed the state's Class A hazard limits in about 35,000 years, according to the company.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering rules to determine how much depleted uranium can be buried in one place and still be safely treated as "Class A" and under what conditions, it should be required to meet tougher
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Advertisement
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safety standards.
The issue is pressing because the U.S. Energy Department has about 700,000 tons of depleted uranium that needs to be disposed of now, and another 700,000 tons is expected to be generated by new uranium enrichment facilities that are coming on line.
Said Thomas: "We could take more of that material even before that [NRC] analysis is complete."
Thomas told board members that the waste will be as dangerous as Class C in about 200,000 years and will eventually be three times more dangerous than Class C waste.
Radiation board members wondered aloud whether a license restriction for the EnergySolutions site would be appropriate, or whether a regulation or some other means might be better for restricting depleted uranium until the state can be sure that it will remain safe in the long run.
fahys@sltrib.com
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_12354676
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First Uranium in roaring mood
One of the world's best performing stocks of any kind quietly raises C$107m to accelerate South African mine development, and put powder in its potential acquisition keg.
Author: Barry Sergeant
Posted: Tuesday , 12 May 2009
JOHANNESBURG -
South African uranium and gold miner First Uranium, one of the world's top performing stocks of any kind, has announced a bought deal where it has raised C$107m by selling 15.25m new shares for C$7 each. In Toronto, where the company holds its primary listing, the stock price reflects a gain of more than 600% from lows seen in October 2008, to a current market value (capitalisation) of nearly $1bn.
The stock is also listed in Johannesburg, but hardly ever trades due to extremely thin liquidity. First Uranium is 41% held by South African gold miner Simmer & Jack, which carries a market value of $410m. First Uranium's latest capital raising is aimed at accelerating construction of the pressure leach portion of the uranium circuit at the Mine Waste Solutions tailings recovery operation "to more quickly realise higher uranium and gold recoveries", but also "for potential consolidation opportunities".
First Uranium has taken advantage of buoyant demand for mining stocks. Global portfolio flows indicate that among mining stocks, listed uranium names have been in strong demand over the past few months, third among mining subsectors only to specialist miners of nickel and zinc. One catalyst has come by way of spot uraniumprices, moving up over the past month or so, reversing a longer term downward trend, and a more recent one in place since December.
First Uranium ranks broadly as the best performer among the global uranium group. The company commissioned the gold plant at its Ezulwini mine in South Africa in July 2008, and is currently busy commissioning the uranium plant there. Gold output is projected at around 340 000 ounces a year at full production, with a co-product cash cost of around $340/oz, while uranium output is seen at about 1.2m pounds a year, with a co-product cash cost of some $25/lb.
At Mine Waste Solutions, also in South Africa, First Uranium is building up to annual production of 142 000 ounces of gold (co-product cash cost: $279/oz) and 1.4m pounds a year of uranium ($21/lb). First Uranium is now well funded, and more modules are going up at MWS. Overall, the company is set to move into the Top 10 global uranium producers, and simultaneously rank as a Tier II global gold miner.
In January, First Uranium announced a bought deal, where it raised C$61.5m, selling shares at C$3.00 each, less than half the price of the current offering. In March, First Uranium raised $75m from Gold Wheaton in a gold royalty type deal,after raising $50m in a similar deal with Gold Wheaton in December.
Listed uranium stocks have also been spurred by a good stream of news on the discovery front, especially out of Namibia, where much focus has gone to Extract Resources, with its Rössing South discovery. Major miner Rio Tinto has taken a stake in Extract, and also Kalahari Minerals, which holds 38.85% of Extract. Good stock price gains have also come from NWT Uranium, which holds 34.06% of Niger Uranium, which in turn owns 15.06% of Kalahari Minerals.
The outlook for spot uranium prices remains on balance for the meantime. Uranium prices moved up from around $10/lb some ten years ago, to a peak of $136/lb in late June 2007, and then fell and fell, to recent multi-year lows around $40/lb, but have since picked up to around $44/lb.
http://www.mineweb.com/mineweb/view/mineweb/en/page72103?oid=83154&sn=Detail
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Santoy Resources agrees to acquire stake in Virginia Uranium
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Falling markets and weak economies hardly fuel optimism. But for companies that seek to grow through acquisitions, hard times bestow remarkable opportunities. Low valuations in the face of weak commodity prices have left many companies and projects at attractive prices. They are however not for faint-hearted but are for those who have the experience and ability to develop them. The glut of acquisitions markets witnessed over the last few months confirms that the mining industry is entering a new phase.
In what could be a similar scenario, Canadian Venture listed Santoy Resources (TSX.V: SAN) has signed a definitive agreement to enter into a series of transactions involving the acquisition of Virginia Uranium Ltd. (“Virginia”). Santoy will hold an initial 20.8% interest in VA Uranium Holdings Inc. (“VAU”) which holds the Coles Hill uranium property, as well as various financing and M&A rights. Santoy plans to increase its interest gradually to approximately 30% through further investments and financings of development work. Santoy has the right of first refusal on future financings.
Santoy management has a nose for good projects and this acquisition follows a series of similar acquisitions and joint venture agreements. With 30 years of mining exploration experience including three major gold discoveries in Eskay Creek, Snip and Brewery Creek that were subsequently put into production, Santoy’s President & CEO Ronald Netolitzky is not in the habit of acquiring companies nonchalantly. Netolitzky has strict acquisition criteria which include advanced stage projects in safe and workable jurisdictions, preferably with a resource estimate.
Virginia and the Coles Hill uranium property nicely slots into Santoy’s strategy and business model. Located in southern Virginia, the Coles Hill deposit and is considered to be one of the largest undeveloped uranium deposits in the US. It has a National Instrument 43-101 compliant estimated measured and indicated resource of 119 million pounds of U308, grading 0.06% average at a cut-off grade of 0.025% U308. The deposit, which was advanced to the Feasibility stage 25 years ago and then shelved with the price collapse of uranium, has a high grade core that is expected to support mining in most uranium price environments.
An ambitious development programme is in store for Coles Hill. Santoy intends to provide funding for prefeasibility and scoping studies as well as for selective infill and step-out drilling programme to increase the size of the defined resource. The launch of an Environmental Impact Study is expected soon together with a community outreach programme. Santoy is aware of the sensitive nature of uranium projects and plans are underway to expand public relations efforts. They include sponsoring uranium related research initiatives at local universities and supporting National Academy of Sciences study of uranium mining in Virginia. Santoy would like to see Coles Hill move into production by 2014/2015.
Prospects of Coles Hill are further enhanced by favourable local dynamics for uranium projects in Virginia. The state is no stranger to uranium and has four nuclear power plants operated by Dominion Resources, guzzling some 1.6 MM lbs of U308 annually. Another nuclear plant is expected to come on stream by 2011. Nuclear power currently accounts for 35% of Virginia’s electricity supply.
Prospects of Coles Hill are further enhanced by favourable local dynamics for uranium projects. The Coles family and numerous other surrounding land owners are substantial shareholders in the company. The large local ownership makes the Coles Hill project unique and will prove to be a critical component for its success. The state is no stranger to uranium and has four nuclear power plants operated by Dominion Resources, guzzling some 1.6 MM lbs of U308 annually. Another nuclear plant is expected to come on stream by 2011. Nuclear power currently accounts for 35% of Virginia’s electricity supply.
The state of Virginia also has a strong AREVA nuclear infrastructure including commercial nuclear fuel production facility, engineering & services and a heavy equipment manufacturing partnership with Northrop Grumman. This is further enhanced by its strong naval nuclear infrastructure such as Babcock & Wilcox naval nuclear fuel facility and Northrop Grumman naval shipbuilding and maintenance facilities. Virginia is also the home base to five nuclear powered aircraft carriers. Clearly, Virginia is a state ripe for uranium projects with a guaranteed large and a growing market.
Mining laws and mining environments differ widely in the US with some states showing considerable hostility towards mining projects. Virginia however is a notable exception and has a long mining history. For instance, the first commercial coal mining in the US occurred near Richmond, the state capital, in 1748.
Today, over 400 different minerals have been found and more than 30 different mineral resources are produced in Virginia at a combined annual value of nearly $2 billion. Virginia is the nation’s 10th largest producer of coal, ranks 5th in the production of crushed stone and is a large natural gas producer following the development of coal-bed methane (CBM) reserves. Not surprisingly, Virginia boasts of several prominent mining companies including Alpha Natural Resources (NYSE: ANR) and Massey Energy (NYSE: MEE).
While we rejoice the addition of Coles Hill, it is important to highlight Santoy’s other projects in its portfolio. Santoy has two joint-ventures and an option agreement in place in the Otish Basin Northern Quebec. Its 100% owned Marc-Andre Prospect has mineralisation with similar setting to Strateco’s Matoush deposit. The company also has an Option Agreement with Xemplar Energy Corp. (TSX.V: XE) to acquire up to 100% interest in 1,241 claims totalling approximately 61,194 hectares in four main blocks in the Otish Basin.
Santoy has four uranium properties in the Athabasca basin of Saskatchewan as a part of a 50-50 joint venture operated by Denison Mines Corp (TSX: DML). Development efforts are underway by Denison in all of them with preliminary development efforts showing promising results. Santoy’s other projects include the Bow River Coal Field, Saskatchewan and a joint venture with Golden Band Resources Inc. to develop gold exploration projects north of La Ronge, SK.
When companies continue their growth endeavours through acquisitions it confirms the management’s desire to add shareholder value. Santoy’s acquisitions have always been in line with its existing business plan and in areas where the company has some expertise or past experience. The Coles Hill transaction is expected to take Santoy to a higher level as the project is located in a jurisdiction where there is a ready market for uranium. As Santoy continues its development efforts at Coles Hill and elsewhere, the market may well re-rate the company.
http://www.yournuclearnews.com/santoy+resources+agrees+to+acquire+stake+in+virginia+uranium_32155.html
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Nuclear boom leads to uranium claims near proposed wilderness area
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
A spike in uranium prices in recent years has sparked a mining-claim rush near a proposed Colorado wilderness area — a situation that would be exacerbated by a federal energy bill that may include nuclear power in a national renewable energy standard.
Several uranium mining claims have been filed near the proposed Dolores River Canyon Wilderness Area along the high desert cliffs of a river known for its scenic rafting and kayaking from high in the San Juan Mountains to the border of Utah.
The Dolores was initially recommended as a wild river under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in 1976 and for years has been part of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s 29,000-acre Dolores River Canyon Wilderness Study Area.
Official wilderness designation would require an act of Congress, and a local environmental advocacy group has been pushing U.S. Rep. John Salazar, a Manassa Democrat, to introduce such legislation and include 12,000 additional acres.
Uranium mining could complicate that process given the revival of the nuclear-energy industry as a means of combating global warming and reducing dependence on fossil fuels. Some have even suggested nuclear plants as a means of powering the oil shale industry on Colorado’s Western Slope.
A comprehensive federal energy bill introduced in late March seeks to mandate a renewable energy standard of 25 percent by 2025. It also would mandate efficiency standards and possibly create a cap-and-trade system or carbon tax to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But none of those possibilities is a sure thing.
“All three of those are deeply in danger of getting removed or watered down,” said Keith Hay, energy advocate for Denver-based Environment Colorado. “There’s a strong push by southern Democrats to include nuclear and clean coal in the renewable energy standard, for example, and we in the advocacy community are pushing back strongly that those are not clean fuels, especially here in Colorado.
“Anyone who has seen the front end of uranium mining for nuclear knows that it is in no way clean.”
Indiana, the only state in the upper Midwest without a renewable energy standard and one of only 21 in the nation, recently saw a bid to implement such a standard fail in the statehouse. Early versions of the bill sought to include nuclear power as a renewable energy source.
Colorado is one of five uranium-producing states in the West and has a long history of producing weapons-grade uranium. The current boom in mining claims, which has waned a bit in recent months with a worldwide drop in prices, has focused mostly on states such as Utah and Arizona, where activists have been fighting new claims near national parks such as the Grand Canyon, Arches and Canyonlands.
Even politicians in gas-rich areas of Colorado say nuclear may be the solution.
“What we have to say is we’re using the energy, everybody uses energy, and who’s going to produce it for us? We’re going to have to solve it,” Garfield County Commissioner John Martin said when asked if nuclear should be considered to power oil shale production on Colorado’s Western Slope, adding Europe is far ahead of the United States in that arena.
“Because of the regulations in the United States, [nuclear energy] companies have gone to Europe and have developed that and actually mastered it, and now what we need to do is bring back our own technology and use it in the United States,” Martin said.
http://www.yourindustrynews.com/nuclear+boom+leads+to+uranium+claims+near+proposed+wilderness+area_32171.html
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Advocates say time is right to reform mining law
By JOAN LOWY
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
WASHINGTON -- When Congress approved the rules governing the nation's mining operations, Ulysses S. Grant was in the White House, George Armstrong Custer was fighting Native Americans and Congress was looking for ways to encourage greater settlement of the nation's vast frontier.
A lot has changed since the General Mining Law was passed in 1872, but very little has changed about the law itself. Those who want it to be modernized say this finally may be the year they get reform.
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., has introduced a reform bill, and House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., already has held a hearing on his own legislation.
"Given the current economic crisis in which we find ourselves, the empty state of the national treasury, it's ludicrous in my opinion to allow this outmoded law to continue to exempt these lucrative mining activities - and they are making money today, make no mistake about it - from paying a fair return to the American people while at the same time sticking the taxpayers with a multibillion dollar bill to clean up after them," Rahall said.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, a former senator from Colorado, is a longtime advocate of mining law reform.
His spokeswoman, Kendra Barkoff, said Salazar is committed to trying to pass a bill that provides the mining industry with the kind of regulatory certainty needed to make financial investments. But he also wants to require royalties to the government, environmental protections and a cleanup fund for abandoned mines.
Attempts over the years to change the law have foundered against the political influence of the mining industry, but members of Congress say prospects for an overhaul are the best they've been in more than a decade. The 2008 election increased Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, including a crop of conservation-minded Westerners, and President Barack Obama is expected to be more sympathetic than his predecessor, who threatened to veto mining legislation.
The 137-year-old law is the legacy of a bygone era.
It still allows anyone to hammer a stake in the ground and lay claim to gold, silver and other hardrock minerals beneath federal land. It also gives preference to mining over other uses, except for specifically protected areas such as national parks and wilderness.
And until 15 years ago, claimholders could actually buy federal land for a mere $5 an acre. Several high-profile abuses finally led to a moratorium on such purchases, called "patenting," in 1994.
Unlike the coal, oil and gas industries, hardrock mining companies are not required to pay government royalties on the estimated $1 billion in minerals they extract annually. Moreover, tens of thousands of abandoned mines are scattered across the West, many of them exposing people to dangerous contaminants such as arsenic, lead and mercury.
In former mining towns such as Crested Butte, Colo., where tourism is now big business, the last thing residents want is an operating mine that might spoil the scenery, water and their main source of income. But they say the law makes it difficult to fight new mines proposed for national forests or other federal land.
"Tourism is essentially everything for us," said John Belkin, attorney for Crested Butte, where a mining company has its eye on the molybdenum - used as a steel hardener - beneath a mountain slope that dominates the town's western vista.
He insists the town isn't opposed to mining, which is part of the region's roots.
"But there are some spots it just shouldn't be allowed, like a watershed, unless you are prepared to say to the community, 'You have to be a sacrifice,'" Belkin said.
The site being studied by Thompson Creek Metals of Denver is in the town's watershed. The company says mining claims on Mt. Emmons contain one of the world's largest and purest deposits of molybdenum.
"It's not as though somebody is going to look up and all of sudden there's going to be a mine on Mt. Emmons. This is a multiyear process," said Larry Clark, manager of Thompson Creek's Mt. Emmons subsidiary. "There are many mines that are operated in an environmentally sound manner without discharges off the property."
The biggest question mark hanging over reform efforts is Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Nevada, his home state, has more mining than any other.
"Mining is one of Nevada's largest industries and the largest employer in the state's rural communities," Reid said in a statement to The Associated Press. "I support responsible mining law reform that is fair to all sides and protects these important jobs."
The mining industry has contributed nearly $274,000 to Reid over the course of his career, according Opensecrets.org, which tracks political money. Nevertheless, reform proponents who have spoken to Reid said he isn't set against changes.
"He's not a die-hard, 'over my dead body' type of person," said mining law expert John Leshy, a former Interior Department solicitor general. "If there is some sort of compromise that will allow him to tell the industry in Nevada, 'You can live with this,' then it can happen."
A major sticking point is how much of a royalty to charge mining companies. Rahall's bill calls for a 4 percent royalty on existing mining operations and 8 percent on new mines. The National Mining Association says that's too high and would cost jobs.
More than 50,000 people work in metal mining in the United States.
Bingaman's bill calls for a royalty of between 2 percent and 5 percent on the value of production, minus transportation and certain other costs. The royalty would apply only to new mines.
The industry also opposes a requirement in the House bill that would allow the government to write environmental standards for mining on federal land, saying new standards would duplicate existing laws.
"We already have to comply with at least 13 or 14 federal laws, to say nothing of the laws the states themselves impose," said Luke Popovich, vice president of the National Mining Association.
The Environmental Protection Agency says metal mining accounts for 28 percent of the 4.1 billion pounds of toxics released in the U.S. in 2007, the most of any industry.
The closest Congress came to an overhaul of the mining law was 1993, when the House and Senate were unable to reach a compromise on differing bills. That effort was prompted in part by two high profile cases, one involving a Canadian mining company obtaining access to an estimated $10 billion in gold reserves in Nevada at a cost of just $10,000. The other was a cyanide spill and acid drainage from a Colorado gold mine that killed all life in the Alamosa River for miles.
"We know there needs to be mining - it's an important part of the economy, especially in rural areas - but under the 1872 mining law, there has just been too much damage environmentally, especially to water resources," said Lauren Pagel, policy director of Earthworks.
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_mining_law.html?source=mypi
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Spectacle Industries acquires mines, to focus on mining business
Spectacle Industries Ltd has recently decided to undergo for diversification in to mining, Power, processing of mineral, ores, and allied activities. Accordingly, it has recently changed its main objects and changed its name to "Spectacle Industries Ltd" from "Khaitan Weaving Mills Ltd".
As a part of its diversification and expansion strategy, "Spectacle Industries Ltd" has identified various partners to acquire Iron Ore Mines and Manganese Ore Mines and to acquire the existing plant of Iron ore Processing and also to acquire prospective Plant set up of Low Ash Metallurgical Coke.
Spectacle has entered in to the Memorandum of Understandings on dated April 28, 2009 with "Metalite Coke & Coal Pvt. Ltd" (MCCPL) and "Mangal Steels Pvt. Ltd" (MSPL) for the proposed merger of MCCPL and MSPL with Spectacle. Under the terms of this MoU, MCCPL and MSPL will merge with Spectacle w.e.f. the appointed date of June 01, 2009. The total consideration for merger would be approximate Rs 40 Crores constituting Rs 30 Crs and Rs 10 Crs to MCCPL and MSPL respectively. Spectacle has further entered in to the Memorandum of Understandings on dated April 28, 2009 with for the proposed acquisition of Iron Ore Mine and Manganese Ore Mine from Global Hi-Tech Industries Ltd (GHIL) & Elington Consultancies Pvt. Ltd (ECPL) respectively Under the terms of this M0U GHIL & ECPL will transfer the aforesaid mines to Spectacle by way of merger or any other suitable manner. The total consideration for said acquisition of mines would be approximate Rs 195 Crores constituting Rs 120 Crores for Iron Ore mine from GHIL and Rs 75 Crores for Manganese Mine from ECPL.
If the merger & acquisition is completed, SIL will allot 5.875 Crores Equity Shares of face value of Re 1/- each for a total consolidated deal of Rs 235 Crores to the stakeholders of transferors forming part of the consideration of this strategic move. The transaction is subject to condition of approval of shareholders of Spectacle and transferor Companies, respective High Courts, Bombay Stock Exchange Ltd and various statutory and customary approvals. The aforesaid valuation is subject to valuation reports of independent chartered accountants / merchant bankers / engineers / certified Valuers to be appointed.
The strategic combination will give access to Spectacle for Manganese and iron ores mines and also the existing plant Iron Ore Processing and the access of set up for prospective plant of Low Ash Metallurgical Coke. This merger will help the combined entity in strategic positioning and carve enhanced brand value.
Pursuant to this merger, Company will have opportunity for better yield in terms of profitability by putting forward Integration plant for Iron Ore beneficiation and petletization plant and low carbon Ferro manganese by Infusion of additional funds. The mergers not only strategically but in terms of financially as well carve the niche for the combined entity by enhancing its ability to raise funds through debt as well as equity as post merger Net-Worth of Spectacle will hover at around Rs 240 Crores.
Upon Completion of merger, Spectacle will have the access of Iron Ore Mines at Madhya Pradesh of estimated deposit of 30.00 Million Tones and Manganese Ore at Orrisa of estimated deposit of 2.50 Million Tones.
In addition to this Spectacle will have access of Iron Ore Processing Plant of MSPL along with existing client base and this will help in positioning of its own iron ore from its own mine. Spectacle will further benefited with the land of 6.13 Acres of land at Sarwari, Purulia District of West Bengal and set up for its proposed plant of having capacity of 60,000 MT per annum to produce Low Ash Metallurgical Coke.
Pursuant to this merger Company would be benefited with diversified activities and have the option of direct sale or captive consumption of its quarrying iron ore and manganese. For the efficient and economical operation, Spectacle has strengthened its board by appointing five (5) directors having abundant experience in their domain.
The Proposed transaction of Merger is result of an extended process undertaken by Board of Directors and financial advisors of all parties to address the capital and strategic requirements.
The Boards of Directors of all parties have discussed the transaction and future strategies and plans and approved the transaction in its Board Meeting held on April 27, 2009 and signed the preliminary Memorandum of Understanding on April 28, 2009. The Company is now in process of entering in to definitive merger agreement and to finalize the scheme of merger in order to move the same to BSE, respective courts and other requisite authorities.
Spectacle has also decided to penetrate in to the business of Power Sector and accordingly management is in process of discussion with a emerging Chattisgarh based Company, which been awarded with Coal Block and Iron Ore Mines from the Government and proposing to set up a Power Plant of 40 MW by captive consumption of coal from its own mines.
The stock was trading at Rs.69.05, down by Rs.0.20 or 0.29%. The stock hit an intraday high of Rs.71.90 and low of Rs.67.
The total traded quantity was 202052 compared to 2 week average of 1105480.
http://www.equitybulls.com/admin/news2006/news_det.asp?id=51962
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B.C.’s mining industry — some facts
Published: May 12, 2009 8:00 AM
• British Columbia is Canada’s largest producer of copper and its only producer of molybdenum and the largest exporter of coal, according to BC Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources
• The total value of solid mineral production for B.C. for 2008 is estimated at $5,700 million, according to the ministry.
• The B.C. mining industry reported phenomenal net income of $1.2 billion in 2007, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ 2007 Mining Report
• The mining industry in B.C. generated gross revenues of $6.9 billion in 2007, according to the report.
• The B.C. mining industry directly employed 7,415 people in 2007 compared to 7,345 during 2006, according to the report.
• Mining is the safest heavy industry in B.C. In 2005 the worker injury rate was 1.9 injuries per 100 worker years, according to WorkSafe BC.
• There are 24 mining projects in B.C. currently under environmental review or in the permitting process, according to the federal government.
• Mine reclamation is a fundamental part of the mining life cycle in British Columbia. The Technical and Research Committee on Reclamation (TRCR) has been dedicated to excellence in mine reclamation in B.C. since 197, according to the Technical and Research Committee on Reclamation.
• Actual land usage for a mine is extremely small relative to the area explored — fewer than 28,000 hectares are currently being used by mining, which is less than 0.03 per cent of B.C.’s total land base, according to the federal government.
• More than 850 mining development and exploration company offices are located in Vancouver, according to the federal government.
• Major minerals produced in B.C. (as a percentage of Canada’s production): coal (66 per cent); copper (40 per cent); silver (50 per cent); gold, lead, molybdenum and zinc, according to the.Mining Association of B.C.
• Coal represents a third of the industrial traffic at the Port of Vancouver, the largest port in Canada, according to the Vancouver Port Authority.
http://www.bclocalnews.com/bc_cariboo/williamslaketribune/news/44767082.html
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Other News – India
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Tribals to launch green economic zones
12 May 2009, 2308 hrs IST, TNN
VADODARA: How about sipping buttermilk churned out by a unit in a distant tribal village, or using ginger-garlic paste made by tribal women entrepreneurs of Panchmahal?
All these plans will soon see light of the day with tribals of Gujarat chalking out the concept of Green Economic Zone (GEZ), which is their reply to Special Economic Zone (SEZ). And, to propagate this concept 1,000 tribals will embark on GEZ Launch Walk' where they will cover 240 villages on foot.
The walk, Viveksheel Vikas no Pravah a journey to humble development' with respect for all beings, is aimed at garnering support from locals to join hands in creating GEZ in their villages. GEZ is a concept that aims at making villages self-reliant by using local resources and investment with focus on ecological conservation.
Interestingly, the concept of GEZ is conceptualised, designed and will be implemented by tribals working with city-based NGO Bhasha Research and Publication Centre.
Founder of Bhasha Research and Tejgadh Academy and leading tribal activist Ganesh Devy feels that this is a new idea with locals being the owners of development. "Just like Dr Verghese Kurien ushered in the white revolution, GEZ movement aims at initiating green economic revolution," said Devy.
The army of crusaders began the groundwork for GEZ movement 10 years ago by introducing micro credit schemes, water harvesting co-operatives, organic agriculture, food grain banks, and starting informal centers of learning in 1,200 villagers across seven districts in the eastern belt of the state.
"We wanted a model that helps in solving our problems and at the same time preserve our natural resources. Through GEZ, we are looking to set up village level processing and manufacturing units which will generate jobs as well as create village level markets," said Ramsinh Rathwa, based in Chhota Udepur, looking after micro credit programme.
GEZ will look at promoting horticulture, organic farming, vermicomposting, setting herbal and medicinal gardens. "The idea is to explore goodness of natural resources and not exploit them. We will be promoting nature-friendly methods of cultivation," added Naginsinh Rathwa from Kawant.
To herald GEZ movement, GEZ Launch Walk, that will kickstart from June 5, aims at taking the concept right to the doorstep of villagers. "The impact of global warming and ecological disturbance are now sensed in villages. Quality of land and soil has gone down with climatic changes affecting foodgrains production. So we need to have GEZ in place," said Hemsinh Rathwa from Tejgadh.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Vadodara/Tribals-to-launch-green-economic-zones/articleshow/4521940.cms
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Environment very much an issue in this campaign’
May 13th, 2009 - 9:37 am ICT by IANS -
By Joydeep Gupta
New Delhi, May 13 (IANS) Environment was an integral part of the issues discussed during this election campaign, says one of the top environmentalists in India.
As the country Wednesday ended the long-drawn balloting process to elect the 15th Lok Sabha, many observers have commented on how this has been an “issue-less” election campaign.
“But don’t look for a national issue. Look at the local issues, which have been at the forefront, and you will see how basic environmental questions have been a part of the dialogue during this campaign,” Sunita Narain, director of the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), told IANS.
Narain said that throughout the country, voters had been asking candidates “serious questions on water scarcity, on farming, and various similar issues” and candidates had been dealing with them, with each major party setting out its agenda on how it would tackle these problems.
“Look at the environment as a question of survival at the local level, and you will see how it is an integral part of this campaign,” Narain said. “It cannot be otherwise.”
She talked about how the mining project of the Vedanta group had become a major poll issue in Orissa. “The Congress has promised the voters that if it comes to power, it will stop the mining project, while the BJD (Biju Janata Dal) has said it will go ahead with it. That’s the issue on which the election has been fought in that part of the country.”
In Himachal Pradesh, voters have forced the candidates to state what they plan to do to address the problem of dwindling water supplies. Bangalore residents fed up of traffic pile-ups and the resultant air pollution have asked candidates what they plan to do to improve public transport. In West Bengal’s Sundarbans delta, candidates have been asked how they plan to fight sea level rise, caused by global warming.
While welcoming the entry of these issues in the political process, a senior official in the Ministry of Environment and Forests rued that the long drawn poll process had brought India’s preparation for a global climate pact to a virtual standstill.
The pact to combat climate change is expected to be finalised by this December, and a key preparatory meet is scheduled early June. The official said that unless India had concrete proposals to take to the June meeting, it could expect to be pilloried by many industrialised countries.
India is now the world’s fifth highest contributor of greenhouse gases that are leading to global warming. The country is also one of those worst affected by climate change, which is causing more frequent and more damaging droughts, floods and storms, raising the sea level and adversely affecting farm output.
The outgoing United Progressive Alliance government unveiled a National Action Plan on Climate Change June 30 last year, but details about the activities in the eight areas of action identified by the plan had not been fleshed out before the country went into poll mode.
(Joydeep Gupta can be contacted at joydeep.g@ians.in)
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/politics/environment-very-much-an-issue-in-this-campaign_100191667.html
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Canada: Ontario Releases Long-Awaited Amendments To Mining Act
12 May 2009
On April 30, 2009, Ontario's Minister of Northern Development and Mines, the Hon. Michael Gravelle, introduced for First Reading Bill 173, the Mining Amendment Act, 2009. The Bill strikes a balance between preserving the competitiveness of Ontario for exploration and mining and addressing the concerns of surface rights holders. Importantly it implements the Crown's constitutional duties owed to Aboriginal people. Although the Bill leaves considerable detail for regulations, resource companies that have been engaging Aboriginal people will likely find alignment with the approach of the new regime.
The extensive package of amendments to the province's Mining Act would formalize consultation with Aboriginal communities affected by exploration and mining activities. It would also require prospectors to undergo "awareness" training, and introduce a dispute resolution process to resolve problems when discussions over exploration permits and closure plans run into difficulty. The details of the required consultation, training and dispute resolution mechanisms won't be known until the draft regulations implementing those programs are released for comment.
The Mining Act would be amended to remove most lands in Southern Ontario and certain designated land uses in Northern Ontario from the threat of mining in the future. These restrictions were designed, in part, to allay worries by cottage and home owners that mining rights could be granted to the land literally beneath their feet. However, existing mining claims, leases and licences would remain valid and application could be made to the Minister to reopen any lands closed to staking. New mines would not be permitted in the "Far North", an area to be defined in regulation, on any lands deemed "inconsistent" with mining.
While the Bill has received generally positive results from both the mining industry and Aboriginal groups, several groups have complained that not enough consultation was undertaken. There is also concern that staking would be allowed prior to the start of consultation. First Nations groups are calling for the funding and technical support that will be necessary to participate in future consultations and project assessments on an equal footing.
MNDM has established a website (at www.mndm.gov.on.ca/miningact/miningact_e.asp) to track the modernization of the Mining Act. The amendments can be viewed on-line at www.ontla.on.ca/web/bills/bills_detail.do?locale=en&BillID=2170
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Consultation with Aboriginal communities has been formalized
Bill 173 would amend the purpose of the Mining Act to include the recognition of Aboriginal and treaty rights, as well as remove the final clause which limited the environmental protection provisions of the legislation strictly to the "rehabilitation of mining lands in Ontario". The revised section 2 would read:
The purpose of this Act is to encourage prospecting, staking and exploration for the development of mineral resources, in a manner consistent with the recognition and affirmation of existing Aboriginal and treaty rights in section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, including the duty to consult, and to minimize the impact of these activities on public health and safety and the environment.
A new section (s.86.1) would be added to the Act requiring that lease holders conduct themselves "on the demised premises in a manner consistent with the protection provided to any such rights." This requirement would extend to every lease issued, including leases issued or renewed before the enactment of this section.
However, there is nothing in the Bill that would require prospectors or mining companies to engage in consultation prior to staking claims on Aboriginal or treaty lands (owners of surface rights would have to be notified with 60 days after a claim has been filed). Documentation that consultation has been undertaken would only be required before an exploration permit is issued by the Ministry.
The Minister would also be given authority to designate one or more individuals or a body to hear and resolve disputes related to Aboriginal consultation and treaty rights that may arise during the issuance, amendment or renewal of exploration permits, closure plans and such other circumstances as may be prescribed.
Prospectors would be required to undergo "awareness" training
An individual would not be able to obtain or renew a prospector's licence without providing evidence that he or she has successfully completed the "prescribed prospector's awareness program" within 60 days before the date of application. Existing license holders would be given two years to undertake the requisite awareness training. Details on the program will be set forth in regulations yet to be released under the Act.
List of lands removed from staking has been expanded
The list of restricted lands, where no claims may be staked except with the permission of the Minister, would be expanded to include: lots within a registered plan of subdivision; residential or cottage lots smaller than one hectare; railway lands; natural gas, oil or water pipeline corridors; airport lands; municipal lands improved for public purposes (public buildings, sports fields, parks, etc.); and lands associated with artificial reservoirs or dams.
In addition, Southern Ontario (defined as that part of the province lying south of the French River, Lake Nipissing and Mattawa River) has essentially been taken off the table. For any lands where there is a surface rights owner and the mining rights are held by the Crown, those mining rights would be withdrawn from prospecting, staking, sale and lease the day this provision comes into force. However, any existing mining claims, leases or licences of occupation would remain valid.
The Minister could similarly withdraw mining rights from designated lands in Northern Ontario depending on the "mineral potential of the lands as assessed by the Minister and any other criteria that may be prescribed." Again pre-existing rights are unaffected, and application can be made to reopen lands in both Northern and Southern Ontario. Lands with private surface rights and Crown mineral rights that are open for staking comprise only 1.4 per cent of Southern Ontario's landmass, and only 0.4 per cent of Northern Ontario's landmass.
A new Part XIV would be added to the Act to prohibit the establishment of a new mine in the "Far North" if there is no community-based land use plan for the area, or if the land use designation for the area is "inconsistent" with the opening of a new mine. The meaning and contents of such community plans will be set forth in the Regulations. Existing mining claims, leases, patents and licences would not be affected by any new or amended plan.
Exploration permit required before activity can take place on claim
The legislation would create a new position within the ministry, a "Director of Exploration", and no person would be permitted to carry out any prescribed activity on a mining claim, lease or licence of occupation without first preparing and submitting to the Director an "exploration plan". Such a plan would have to comply with, as yet unavailable, requirements, "including any Aboriginal community consultation that may be prescribed". In determining whether to issue an exploration permit, the Director would consider a number of factors, including the purposes of the Act, the Aboriginal consultations that have been undertaken, and any arrangements made with any affected Aboriginal communities and (other) surface rights holders.
Notification requirements and penalty provisions amended
The extensive Bill contains a number of other amendments, including the following:
• Surface rights holders must be notified of mining claims within 60 days of the application to stake a claim.
• Records, maps and abstracts of mining claims could be available, at the minister's discretion, through the Internet.
• Before advanced exploration or mine production may commence, a proponent must consult with potentially affected Aboriginal communities about closure plans.
• Liability for an offence under the Act or its regulations, would be extended to any "officer, director, employee or agent of the corporation who directed, authorized, assented to, acquiesced in or participated in the commission of the offence".
• The penalty for wilfully neglecting or refusing to obey any order or award of the Mining and Lands Commissioner would be raised from $10,000 to $100,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year.
• In addition to the revised schedule of fines and penalties, the Court would also be permitted to issue orders to recover any monetary benefit related to an offence, and to prevent, eliminate or ameliorate any damage that may be directly or indirectly related to the offence.
There are also a number of technical changes related to "map staking" and other application requirements, the resolution of disputes over claims, the recording of orders, judgments, certificates and writs, the compensation of surface rights holders, notices of royalty on diamonds, rights and easements over other lands that may be conferred by the Commissioner, the authority to issue regulations, and fees and forms. Finally, Part IV, dealing with oil and gas exploration, underground storage and salt solution mining, and Part X, which sets forth the duties of and powers of inspectors, have both been revised.
http://www.mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=79436
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UK, India to run 5 projects to study climate change
12 May 2009, 2056 hrs IST, IANS
NEW DELHI: India and Britain have announced five new projects to assess the potential impact of climate change in India and to undertake regional
projects to identify and develop adaptation strategies.
This was announced at the first Indo-UK Programme on Climate Change Impacts & Adaptation-Phase II workshop on Monday.
This is the 2nd phase of a collaborative research programme that follows a major assessment of the impacts of climate change on India, carried out by Britain's department for environment, food and rural affairs (DEFRA) and the Indian ministry of environment and forests. This programme assessed the impacts of climate change on water resources, agriculture, forests, industry, sea level and human health.
The projects in the second phase will develop improved scenarios to predict the impacts of climate change for India up to 2050. Particularly, they will look at the impacts of climate change on water resources, agriculture and forestry, and the socio-economic effects of climate extremes.
Two regional projects will be developed in Orissa and Madhya Pradesh to assess impacts and vulnerability and develop adaptation options for agriculture, forestry, water resources and heat waves. Britain has committed 500,000 pounds for the second phase of the study.
Speaking at the workshop, David Warrilow, head of climate science & international evidence, department of energy and climate change (DECC), UK, said: "Climate change will pose increasing threats across the world. India, in common with many developing countries, is particularly vulnerable to changing patterns of rainfall, including droughts and floods and other extreme events. These projects will help India to assess the risks of climate and develop adaptation strategies."
The five projects are:
• Linking Water and Agriculture in River Basins: Impacts of Climate Change - to be carried out by Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi;
• Development and Dissemination of High Resolution Climate Change Scenarios for India - to be carried out by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune;
• State-level Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment, Madhya Pradesh - to be carried out by Development Alternatives, New Delhi;
• State-level Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Strategies, Orissa - to be carried out by Winrock International India; and
• Socio-Economic Impacts of Climate Extremes - to be carried out by Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Developmental-Issues/UK-India-to-run-5-projects-to-study-climate-change/articleshow/4521618.cms
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'Mother Earth in climate crisis' say indigenous people
12 May 2009
A statement by indigenous representatives from around the world describes ‘Mother Earth (as) no longer in a period of climate change, but climate crisis.’
The statement, known as the Anchorage Declaration, was released after indigenous people from the Arctic, North America, Asia, the Pacific, Latin America, Africa, the Caribbean and Russia met in Anchorage, Alaska for the ‘Indigenous Peoples’ Global Summit on Climate Change’.
‘We are deeply alarmed by the accelerating climate devastation brought about by unsustainable development,’ the Declaration says. ‘We are experiencing profound and disproportionate adverse impacts on our cultures, human and environmental health, human rights, well-being, traditional livelihoods, food systems and food sovereignty, local infrastructure, economic viability, and our very survival as Indigenous Peoples.
‘Mother Earth is no longer in a period of climate change, but in climate crisis. We therefore insist on an immediate end to the destruction and desecration of the elements of life.’
The Declaration lists fourteen specific calls for action. These include reducing levels of global carbon emissions; indigenous participation in climate change debate; the recognition of indigenous peoples’ rights in schemes to ‘Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation’ (REDD); the abandonment of ‘false solutions’ to climate change such as nuclear energy, ‘clean coal’ and agrofuels; the recognition by governments of indigenous peoples’ rights; and the return and restoration of ‘lands, territories, waters, forests, sea ice and sacred sites’ taken from indigenous peoples by governments in the past.
The Declaration ends with an offer to ‘share with humanity our traditional knowledge. . . relevant to climate change, provided our fundamental rights. . . are fully recognized and respected. We reiterate the urgent need for collective action.’
http://www.survival-international.org/news/4546
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Red signs ignored in Dhamtari
SHEENA K.
A personnel attacked by rebels in Bastar being taken to the ICU. (PTI)
Raipur, May 12: The fact that not a single voter turned out to exercise their franchise in the April 16 Lok Sabha election in Risgaon (Dhamtari) was overlooked by polling and administration staff.
Had both parties examined the matter, villagers insist, they could have established that Maoists had stepped into the otherwise peaceful pocket of Dhamtari. Subsequently, Sunday’s rebel ambush that claimed 13 lives could have been averted.
According to villagers, rebels had made their entry into the Nagri-Sihawa pocket and had also called for a poll boycott that prevented residents from casting their votes. Despite zero polling, senior staff took little notice.
“If authorities had alerted administration regarding the anomaly (zero voting), the presence of Maoists may have been detected and the police party that went for a search operation there could have marched with caution,” admitted a senior police officer talking to The Telegraph.
The 41-member team did take their security lightly letting themselves be guided by junior staff in the rank of head constables. Their commandos were equipped with ordinary weapons.
The personnel travelled in vehicles (a no-no in landmine infested areas), because they were not aware of the seriousness of the situation.
“Luckily, two grenades did not explode and our reinforcements that reached yesterday recovered them live,” the officer said, adding that had they gone off, the casualty could have higher.
The Dhamtari ambush has established the truth that Left radicals are spreading their wings and has reached places near Raipur. Dhamtari adjoins Raipur district.
Home minister Nankiram Kanwar and Congress legislators, led by leader of Opposition Ravindra Choubey, today planned a visit to Risgaon separately.
But all of them returned from Nagri when senior officers informed them that their path ahead was dotted with landmines.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090513/jsp/nation/story_10956285.jsp
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Starvation among Primitive Tribal Groups tribes (STs).
by Meena Radhakrishna
The Indian state’s policy
regarding primitive tribal groups
amounts to a “first wreck and
then rescue”...
http://epw.in/epw//uploads/articles/13475.pdf
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