Mining – India 1
1. CIL to shortlist companies for coal mine revival 1
2. MMTC to import 12.5 mn tn coal for NTPC 2
3. Nippon close to signing iron ore pact 3
4. Coal mine auction on fast action list 3
5. Steel Min wants Chiria mine leases renewed for SAIL 5
6. JSW Steel expands footprint in Andhra Pradesh 5
7. Tata Steel gets nod for Ankua iron ore mine 6
Mining – International 7
8. Legislators move to monitor environmentally destructive mining 7
9. Reviews may delay construction of central highlands alumina plant 8
10. Nunatsiavut government says uranium mining ban stays 10
11. Farmers call for Amendment of Mining Law 11
12. BHP Billiton seeks to build first uranium mine in WA 12
13. Uranium mines 'flood prone' 14
14. Vietnam plans biggest coal mining project 15
Other News – India 16
15. Congress is on the lookout for NREGA-II 16
16. State Pulse: Maharashtra: Tribals denied their rights 17
17. Delhi govt takes lead in global warming awareness 18
18. Global warming's impacts on state forests: Burn baby burn! 18
19. 80 Million Americans Vote for Action on Climate Change During World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour 2009 21
Mining – India
CIL to shortlist companies for coal mine revival
Jayajit Dash / Kolkata/ Bhubaneswar May 22, 2009, 0:46 IST
Coal India Limited (CIL) will shortlist companies for revival and development of abandoned coal mines within three months.
“We expect to shortlist the companies for the revival and development of the abandoned coal mines within three months. CIL is in the process of scrutinising the proposals of 12 companies and it aims to enter into joint ventures (JVs) with the shortlisted companies”, a top CIL official told Business Standard.
Asked on the number of JVs that CIL was aiming to form for the development of abandoned coal mines, he replied, “As of now, we haven’t taken a call on the number of JVs that we are going to form. CIL will forge JVs with the companies which meet our eligibility criteria for revival of the abandoned mines.”
Earlier, CIL had received proposals from 12 companies in response to its expressions of interest invited for the revival and development of abandoned mines.
Meanwhile, Central Mine Planning and Design Institute (CMPDI), a subsidiary of CIL was in the process of preparing the Notice Inviting Tender (NIT) for the development of the abandoned coal mines located in the different subsidiaries of CIL. The tendering process for the revival and development of the abandoned coal mines was scheduled to be completed by the end of this fiscal.
Moreover, CIL was in the process of constituting a committee which would work out the modalities for developing the abandoned coal mines. The coal major’s thrust on revival of underground mines was aimed at scaling up coal production to meet the growing requirement of the raw material in the country.
The navratna coal PSU’s coal output was projected at 520 million tonnes per annum by the end of 2011-12. However, the demand for the raw material in the county was set to reach 730 million tonnes by then, thereby creating a deficit of over 200 million tonnes.
Apart from scaling up its coal production, CIL was scouting for acquisition of overseas coal assets in countries like Australia, Canada and Indonesia to meet the domestic coal requirement. CIL was recently awarded exploratory rights for two coal mining blocks in Mozambique with an estimated reserve of around one billion tonnes.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/cil-to-shortlist-companies-for-coal-mine-revival/358826/
MMTC to import 12.5 mn tn coal for NTPC
Press Trust Of India / New Delhi May 22, 2009, 0:33 IST
State-run trading firm MMTC Ltd will import 12.5 million tonnes of coal this fiscal for the country’s largest power producer, NTPC. MMTC has invited bids for purchasing coal to meet the requirements of the power major. The bids would have to be submitted by June 4 and would be evaluated the same day, MMTC said on its website.
According to the Central Vigilance Commission guidelines, the bid would be split in the ratio of 60:40 considering the nature of the fuel. Thus, the lowest bidder would supply 60 per cent of the quality and remaining 40 per cent would be purchased from the second lowest, the trading firm said.
Besides importing coal, the successful bidders would be responsible for making all arrangements for delivering the dry fuel at NTPC’s thermal power stations. The power company would only arrange for unloading of coal from railway wagons at their electricity generation plants, it said.
During this fiscal, NTPC requires close to 150 million tonnes of coal. Since the imported coal has a higher calorific value, the 12.5 million tonnes of dry fuel would meet around 20 million tonnes of fuel demand of NTPC.
Coal India Limited and its subsidiaries would meet the remaining requirement of about 130 million tonnes for NTPC during this fiscal. NTPC had set a target of importing 8.2 million tonnes of coal. It revised coal import target upwards to 12.5 million tonnes for this fiscal considering its power generation capacity addition of about 3,000 Mw this financial year.
NTPC had imported nearly 5 million tonnes of coal of the targeted 8.2 million tonnes during 2008-09 for meeting its requirement of 125 million tonnes. NTPC would commission two units of its Dadri thermal power station in Uttar Pradesh, one unit each in Sipat (Chhattisgarh), Korba (Chhattisgarh) and Aravalli (Jhajjar, Haryana) in 2009-10. Presently, NTPC has installed power generation capacity of around 30,000 Mw in the country.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/mmtc-to-import-125-mn-tn-coal-for-ntpc/358813/
Nippon close to signing iron ore pact
Bloomberg / May 22, 2009, 0:34 IST
Nippon Steel Corp., the world’s second-largest steelmaker, may be close to agreeing a 30-35 per cent cut in iron ore contract prices with producers including Rio Tinto Group, said two people familiar with the talks.
A possible benchmark price is likely be agreed within weeks for the year started April 1, one of the people said, declining to be identified because the talks are confidential. Rio and Cia. Vale do Rio Doce, the world’s two biggest ore exporters, are in Tokyo for talks with mills this week, the other person said.
An agreement with Japanese mills would be the first contract price settlement in Asia this year and will end six years of gains to last year’s record. The global recession has curbed demand for steel, forcing producers to offer discounts. “A benchmark settlement may be close with investor consensus anticipating 30 per cent or 35 per cent between Australia and Japan,” Citigroup Inc. analyst Alexander Hacking said in a May 19 report.
Rio rose 2.9 per cent to A$66.64 close on the exchange. Nippon Steel shares fell 1.1 per cent to 349 yen in Tokyo. Talks for a price settlement are nearing a conclusion, Vale’s chief executive officer Roger Agnelli said May 18. Company spokesman Fernando Thompson declined to comment further in an e-mail.
BHP Billiton Ltd. and Rio, which mine most of their iron ore in Australia, last year won annual price increases of 85 percent or more after demand surged, more than the 65 percent Vale received. London-based Rio offered a temporary 20 percent price cut to Asian steelmakers last month as annual talks stalled, four executives with knowledge of the deal said.
Goldman Sachs JBWere Pty has forecast benchmark prices may drop 40 percent this year because of lower demand for cars and building materials, according to a March 17 report. Steel output in Japan, the world’s second-largest producer, tumbled 44 percent last month, the Tokyo-based Japan Iron & Steel Federation said today in a statement.
Spot prices for iron ore rose to $64 a tonne for Australian fines last week, according to Metal Bulletin prices. That’s a 30 per cent discount to last year’s record contract price for Rio’s benchmark ore of about $91 a tonne.
Melbourne-based BHP, the world’s largest mining company, sold 28 per cent of its iron ore at the cheaper spot price in the nine months ended March 31 after customers deferred deliveries ahead of the forecast decline in contract prices.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/nippon-close-to-signing-iron-ore-pact/358809/
Coal mine auction on fast action list
JAYANTA ROY CHOWDHURY
Drill time
New Delhi, May 21: The new government has open auctions of coal mines for captive use on the list of reforms that it plans to initiate quickly.
The government has already drafted the Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Amendment Bill and may either try to push this through Parliament or bring in an ordinance.
Besides, the government will try to work out a compromise with iron-ore-rich states who have rejected the new mineral policy.
The policy has proposed the auction of iron-ore mines instead of the grant of leases to concessionaires on the back of promises to invest in a state.
Officials said currently coal and iron-ore mines were allocated to steel mills and power plants by the central government, but often questions of transparency arose.
The central government believes a bidding process is necessary; otherwise, transparency gets compromised and a state is robbed off mineral riches merely on the basis of promises.
The government has asked states to suggest alternatives in iron-ore. At the same time, it is working on a compromise plan that proposes multiple criteria in the selection of a bidder with weights attached to each. These include the bid value in an open auction, investment plans in the state where the mine is located and proposals on social infrastructure.
Mineral-rich but backward states such as Jharkhand, Orissa, Chhattisgarh have been arguing that promises by steel makers, for instance, to set up mills in return for mineral concessions were the only way to development.
PSUs’ joint venture
State-owned power and steel companies have come together and set up a joint venture firm for coal equity abroad.
Five firms — NTPC, Steel Authority of India, Coal India, Rashtriya Ispat Nigam and NMDC — today registered the long planned joint venture firm, International Coal Ventures Pvt Ltd, to acquire or operate coal mines and blocks.
Industry sources said the joint venture firm was exploring opportunities to acquire coal fields in Zimbabwe, Russia, Indonesia, Australia, Canada and Mozambique. It is also looking at picking up stakes in Australian, Canadian and Brazilian companies.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090522/jsp/business/story_11004365.jsp
Steel Min wants Chiria mine leases renewed for SAIL
Press Trust of India / New Delhi May 21, 2009, 17:16 IST
The Steel Ministry is yet again pushing for the renewal of Chiria mines' leases in favour of state-run SAIL to ensure that the PSU does not face any iron ore shortage while implementing its Rs 78,000-crore expansion project.
Responding to the Cabinet Secretariat's query on major issues to be looked into by the new government, the Steel Ministry has said the Centre should accord priority in getting the Chiria Mines' leases renewed by the Jharkhand government for SAIL.
"Iron ore supply from Chiria mines would be vital for the PSU to achieve its envisaged production target of 26.13 million tonnes by 2010-11," a senior Steel Ministry official said requesting anonymity.
Of the 10 mining leases SAIL had in Chiria and Gua regions, renewal of four is facing dispute while four others have got extension. The disputed mining blocks belonged to erstwhile Indian Iron and Steel Company (IISCO), which was merged with SAIL.
The Jharkhand government is of the view that SAIL cannot stake claim over the blocks originally allotted to IISCO. Chiria mines is estimated to be possessing nearly 2 billion tonnes of iron ore with ferrous (iron) content of over 62 per cent. It is being eyed by private firms, including JSW Steel, ArcelorMittal and JSPL to feed the iron ore needs of their proposed steel plants in the state.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/steel-min-wants-chiria-mine-leases-renewed-for-sail/62513/on
JSW Steel expands footprint in Andhra Pradesh
India Infoline News Service / Mumbai May 21, 2009 17:50
JSW Shoppe is an exclusive steel retail outlet of the company and will have on display and sale all the products of JSW Steel ranging from hot rolled to colour coated steels along with long products
JSW Steel - the largest private sector steel producer in the country, as part of its ongoing forays into pan-India steel retailing, further expanded its footprint in Andhra Pradesh. The Steel major today inaugurated its second exclusive branded retail showroom- JSW Shoppe in the “pearl city” through their authorized distributor M/s Ravindra Iron Works, Hyderabad.
The Company had earlier set up its first exclusive branded steel retail outlet in Secunderabad through its authorized distributor Mohan Steel Corporation. Inaugurating the branded outlet in Hyderabad, Gopi Krishna, Associate Vice-President –Marketing, JSW Steel, said "The concept of the Shoppe originates from the fact that we want customers to get the right quality of product at the right price and at the right place. Shoppe is an effort to create a customer friendly ambience. This interface with the customer will result in creating a strong relationship based on trust and reliability with JSW steel."
JSW Shoppe is an exclusive steel retail outlet of the company and will have on display and sale all the products of JSW Steel ranging from hot rolled to colour coated steels along with long products. It aims to provide a unique experience of buying steel products through a branded distribution channel. “This novel marketing initiative will go a long way in creating brand awareness about JSW Steel’s superior product quality and will ensure that the customers get full value for money,” said Krishna.
JSW Steel has nine shoppes in Maharashtra, eight in Karnataka, seven in Uttar Pradesh, four each in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, three in Haryana, two each in Rajasthan and Gujarat, one each in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala and Punjab. The Company plans to open around 50 such shoppes in a short span and subsequently will have a pan-India presence with over 600 branded outlets.
JSW steel is in the midst of an exponential growth. Its steel plants in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu together produce around 7.8mn tons of steel per annum. With steel plants coming up in West Bengal and Jharkhand, JSW Steel aims to produce 32 million tonnes of steel by the year 2020.
http://www.indiainfoline.com/news/innernews.asp?storyId=102316&lmn=1
Tata Steel gets nod for Ankua iron ore mine
fe Bureau
Posted: 2009-05-22 23:59:18+05:30 IST
Updated: May 22, 2009 at 2359 hrs IST
Jamshedpur: Tata Steel has finally got the prospecting licence (PL) from the Jharkhand government for the Ankua iron ore mines.
In 2007, Jharkhand had recommended to the Centre separate iron ore prospecting areas in the iron ore-rich Ankua belt of West Singhbhum district to Essar Steel, Tata Steel and JSW Steel.
The Centre approved the proposal in 2008, following which the state government granted prospecting licences to both Essar Steel and JSW Steel, but didn’t issue one to Tata Steel.
The licence was issued to Tata Steel on Wednesday after Jharkhand Governor Syed Sibtey Razi—the state is under President’s rule—intervened.
Both Essar Steel and JSW Steel are putting up greenfield projects each of 10 million tonne per annum mtpa) in the state, having signed MoUs with the government earlier.
Both the steel companies are also said to have progressed considerably with the spadework involved in commencing prospecting work on the 547 hectares and 1,388 hectares allotted to Esssar and JSW, respectively, for getting environment/forest and other clearances, etc. Tata Steel has been allocated around 1,800 hectare for prospecting in the Ankua area.
“We have got the prospecting licence for Ankua,” said Prabhat Sharma, Tata Steel head of corporate affairs, confirming the development.
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/tata-steel-gets-nod-for-ankua-iron-ore-mine/463883/
Mining – International
Legislators move to monitor environmentally destructive mining
Construction at the Nhan Co aluminum factory in Dak Nong Province.
National Assembly (NA) representatives continue to lament the lack of oversight on bauxite mining they say is ruining the Central Highlands’ environment.
On the sidelines of the assembly’s ongoing 5th session, Vice Chairman of the Commission on Science, Technology and Environment Nghiem Vu Khai, said bauxite processing produces red mud that is poisoning ecosystems around bauxite mines and processing plants.
In November, 2007, the government approved a two-project bauxite mining initiative in the Central Highlands provinces of Lam Dong and Dak Nong.
Representative Bui Dinh Xuan suggested that NA committees monitor the two bauxite projects more closely.
He said the assembly needed accurate reports on the projects’ impacts.
Several delegates at the group discussions Thursday proposed that the government have reports on the bauxite mining projects ready this week.
“We should continue with the projects only once we are able to control the pollution,” said Khai.
Representative Le Van Cuong said the mining was damaging not only the environment, but also the quality of life among local residents.
The assembly should consider the projects’ social and security impacts alongside their economic implications, he said.
“Bauxite mining is not a bad thing to do,” representative Nguyen Viet Lenh said. “However, we are interested in environment and are worried about waste treatment.”
http://www.thanhniennews.com/politics/?catid=1&newsid=49076
Reviews may delay construction of central highlands alumina plant
10:15' 22/05/2009 (GMT+7)
VietNamNet Bridge – Because legal formalities have not been completed, it may be difficult to start construction of the Nhan Co alumina plant in October 2009 as foreseen in the contract with the Chinese builder Chalieco.
The map of Nhan Co project.
Increasing capacity to raise investment effect
Alumina is an intermediate product in the manufacture of aluminum from bauxite ore. The Nhan Co alumina project was launched in 2005, with a projected initial capacity of 100,000 tonnes of alumina per year. However, the Vietnam Coal and Minerals Group (TKV) recalculated and concluded that at this scale, economic effectiveness would be low. The mining group recommended that the government allow it to raise the plant’s capacity to 300,000 tonnes and then 600,000 tonnes per year. Ultimately, TKV envisions annual output of 1.2 million tonnes.
The Nhan Co project in the central highlands province of Dak Lak includes a bauxite ore refining plant and an alumina refining plant. The plants are expected to cost nearly 12 trillion dong, US$ 705.8 million at current exchange rates. The project is scheduled to be completed in late 2011.
Around 275 billion dong or $16.1 million has already been pumped into this project to pay for land compensation, site clearance, building roads, and purchasing equipment. The Nhan Co-TKV Alumina Corporation signed a contract with Chalieco (a subsidiary of the China Aluminum Corporation) to build a 650,000 tonne/year alumina refining plant. Construction was scheduled to begin in October 2009. Nhan Co-TKV has submitted an environmental impact report to the Dak Lak province government for its consideration and approval.
TKV confirmed that it has mobilized 20 percent of the capital for this work, issued bonds to mobilise 1.5 trillion dong or $88.2 million, and worked with banks to borrow capital.
TKV also reports that it has sent 320 workers from Dak Lak for technical training. It is recruiting 450 others for a second phase of training, including 100 ethnic minority people.
Does bauxite in Dak Nong contain valuable metals?
Regarding the ‘red mud’ that will be waste from Nhan Co project, two branches of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MONRE), that is, the General Department of Environment and the Agency for Environmental Impact Assessment, agreed with Dak Nong authorities that investors must carefully research the geological structure of the area to prevent incidents such as a break in the red mud reservoir. Landslides and flash floods are common in Dak Nong.
Dak Nong province has so far only authorized bauxite mining on half of the 500 square kilometres of bauxite ore deposits. However, with estimated reserves of 270 million tonnes of ore, the Nhan Co project can operate for 235 years. Red mud is problematic but it could be the “material” for extracting other metals.
MONRE’s Mineral and Geology Agency chief Nguyen Van Thuan said that bauxite ore in Dak Nong contains some rare and valuable metals such as potassium and vanadium. These metals will be discharged along with the red mud, so the investor should consider collecting these metals.
People’s interests a top priority
The space for the Nhan Co Alumina Plant.
Dak Nong Party chief Tran Quoc Huy has said that the Nhan Co project needs to be related to many economic targets. The investor has to have policies to assist local people to change jobs and to learn new skills. Most importantly, Nhan Co-TKV must keep their promises. “If the project is not implemented seriously, based on Politburo guidance, it must be stopped,” stressed Huy.
Dak Nong Peoples Committee vice chairman Tran Phuong has said sensitive matters like environmental supervision and land reclamation after the bauxite ore is mined must be stipulated in legal documents to ensure respect for environmental and social interests.
Community inputs are needed to build plans for on environmental protection and policies for local residents, Phuong added.
The Nhan Co Alumina JS Company will sell a certain percentage of its shares to Dak Nong people.
Legal formalities remain incomplete
During his field trip to Nhan Co in early May, MONRE chief Pham Khoi Nguyen said that legal formalities for the construction of Nhan Co alumina plant are being completed exceedingly slowly. TKV had not been granted a mining licence for Nhan Co and its environmental report has not yet been approved.
TKV Deputy General Director Duong Van Hoa, who is responsible for the Nhan Co project, said the exploitable bauxite deposit for the alumina plant is 1.3 million tonnes, which comes from the first-phase of the Nhan Co plant and industrial zone.
It is estimated that Nhan Co Alumina JS Company will recover over 10 million tonnes of bauxite ore from the levelling of the Nhan Co industrial zone in the second phase. This volume of ore is sufficient for the plant in its first year. Nhan Co will begin mining bauxite ore in 2012.
TKV plans to finish its detailed technical exploration of bauxite resources by the end of the third quarter 2009 and will then supplement its submission to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment requesting a bauxite ore mining licence in Nhan Co.
Minister Nguyen of MONRE has confirmed that “if the documents are complete, the ministry will issue a licence within three months afterward.”
For the above reasons, the Nhan Co Alumina JS Company may not be in a position to kick of the construction of its alumina plant by year-end.
First of all, it must complete its report on environmental impacts for the Dak Nong authorities. MONRE will assist Dak Nong in its assessment of the report before Dak Nong approves it.
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/reports/2009/05/849016/
Nunatsiavut government says uranium mining ban stays
Last Updated: Thursday, May 21, 2009 | 12:30 PM NT
CBC News
Labrador's Nunatsiavut government says it has no intention of lifting its moratorium on uranium mining, even though the ban is causing a dramatic decline in uranium exploration and costing Labrador communities hundreds of jobs.
The Inuit legislature put the ban in place April 2008 and it'll continue for two more years. The government said it needs two more years to complete a land-use study.
The ban applies to the working, production, mining and development of uranium in Nunatsiavut, the land settlement area in northern Labrador. The Nunatsiavut government said it will still allow uranium exploration.
However, only three junior exploration companies applied to do exploration work this summer and none will drill any test holes. This time last year, Aurora Energy, for example, had more than 200 workers. Now it has only eight.
Nunatsiavut's Lands and Resources Minister Todd Broomfield said people who've lost their jobs will just have to be patient:
"Hang in there. These companies aren't going away. We have the mineral," he said, adding the land use plan must come first.
"We have to do this before we allow major developments on our land. I think it's very important to take the time to do it right," he said.
Gerry O'Connell, spokesman for Newfoundland and Labrador Chamber of Mineral Resources, said his group would love it if the Inuit would choose to lift the moratorium and engage with Aurora.
"I think it would certainly bring in uranium explorers, but that's their choice and they've made it for the time being," he said.
Nunatsiavut's uranium development moratorium expires in the spring of 2011.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2009/05/21/nunatsiavut-ban-521.html
Farmers call for Amendment of Mining Law
Ghana News Agency , 22/05/2009
Mines Minister Collins Dauda
Concerned farmers of Adansi and Amansie communities in Ashanti, whose activities have been affected by the operations of AngloGold Ashanti, Obuasi Mine, have called on the government to initiate an urgent amendment to the current Minerals and Mining Act passed in 2006.
They claimed that the law as it stood did not address the needs of poor and marginalised communities, but rather was a promotional document for mining companies operating in the country.
The farmers also called on the Environmental Protection Agency to release the report on its investigations into the pollution of River Fena as quickly as possible as "they smell something fishy”.
This was in a press statement signed by Anthony Ekyem, spokesperson for the farmers and issued in Kumasi.
The call comes in the wake of the mass pollution of major river bodies in those communities as a result of surface mining by AngloGold.
“Rivers, which hitherto were used in washing, farming, cooking, recreation and religious purposes, had all gone bad due to unhealthy surface mining resulting in poverty among the farmers.”
The group recalled with pain the pollution of River Fena, with mine waste and poisonous chemicals like cyanide, saying “this singular act of wickedness on the part of the company” had rendered the river “almost useless” for domestic and other purposes.
River Fena is a major river body used by almost all the communities in the Amansie area in 1998.
The farmers said they found this hypocritical since for the past 20 years the company had refused to provide basic amenities to the communities, while they continued to spend several dollars in the form of donation to others outside their concessional area.
It appealed to the government to endeavour to come to their aid to ensure that AngloGold lived up to expectation as earlier dialogues between them, Wassa Communities Affected by Mining and the company fell on the rocks. GNA
http://www.thestatesmanonline.com/pages/news_detail.php?newsid=8611§ion=2
BHP Billiton seeks to build first uranium mine in WA
PRINT FRIENDLY EMAIL STORY
The World Today - Friday, 22 May , 2009 12:41:00
Reporter: Sue Lannin
PETER CAVE: The Federal Government says it expects a planned new uranium mine in Western Australia to get the go ahead.
BHP Billiton wants to build the mine at Yeelirrie in the State's mid-west and it's seeking environmental approval.
Resources Minister Martin Ferguson said he believes the mine will be approved and the demand for uranium will grow.
It's expected to open in 2014 and it will be the first major uranium mine in Australia in more than 20 years.
Finance reporter Sue Lannin:
SUE LANNIN: Australia has the world's biggest uranium reserves and most governments around the country are eager to make the most of a lucrative commodity.
Federal Resources Minister Martin Ferguson says he supports BHP Billiton's plan to mine the Yeelirrie uranium deposit in Western Australia.
MARTIN FERGUSON: The Australian Government's policy is very clear; we support the expansion of uranium mining. It creates new investment opportunities for Australia and important export earnings.
I'll continue to work with the Western Australian Government to bring on investments not only in the LNG sector but also the uranium and a range of other resources and energy sectors because these private sector investments create jobs and they are so important as we dig our way out of this economic slowdown.
SUE LANNIN: The Western Australian Government lifted the State's ban on uranium mining in November. WA Mines Minister Norman Moore says the mine will be approved if it meets the Government's regulations.
NORMAN MOORE: Provided they meet all the requirements of the Government, we've always said that we would allow uranium mining, but only on the basis that the companies who want to engage in that activity are subject to the most stringent environmental and safety conditions.
So we will look very carefully at their proposal. If they meet our obligations and requirements then they can go ahead.
SUE LANNIN: BHP Billiton also owns the world's biggest uranium mine, Olympic Dam, and is seeking approval for a huge expansion.
Resources analyst Gavin Wendt from Fat Prophets says development of Yeerlirrie is important for the company's future.
GAVIN WENDT: It's a tremendously important deal. Firstly that it's the first uranium development in Western Australia. It's the second largest undeveloped uranium deposit within Australia.
BHP at the present time of course is implementing a massive expansion of its Olympic Dam operation in South Australia. This is set to overtake the Ranger uranium mine of ERA up in the Northern Territory. So it really is going to establish BHP as a major uranium player at a time when the world is increasingly going to be looking towards nuclear power as an alternate energy source.
SUE LANNIN: But there will be environmental concerns in the local community.
GAVIN WENDT: Absolutely and I think that is why all new planned uranium developments have to be squeaky clean in terms of environmental issues.
SUE LANNIN: And the plan to mine uranium in Western Australia already faces strong community opposition.
The State Government says it won't allow uranium to be shipped out of its ports so it will have to be sent by rail to Darwin or Adelaide.
Piers Verstegen is from the Conservation Council of Western Australia.
PIERS VERSTEGEN: We don't believe that there are safeguards that are strong enough to ensure that West Australian yellow cake will not end up in nuclear weapons. And mining uranium in Western Australia we know will have a major impact on communities and will have a major impact on the environment.
So nuclear energy is really not the solution to climate change. The solution to climate change lies in Western Australia's abundant supplies of renewable energy and this is what we should be focussing on in Western Australia, not the dangerous nuclear industry that will be of no benefit to West Australians.
SUE LANNIN: WA Mines Minister Norman Moore says he thinks people will support uranium mining.
NORMAN MOORE: There is a growing acceptance in the community that uranium mining should be allowed to go ahead in Western Australia. You would be aware that we went to the election on the basis of having uranium mining. It didn't seem to be a significant issue in the election in that context.
PIERS VERSTEGEN: Well the West Australian Government has really admitted that it's not a good practice to be shipping yellow cake through communities. There's no support for this industry in Western Australia and people living around West Australian ports will not support the transport of yellow cake through their communities.
PETER CAVE: Piers Verstegen, the director of the West Australian Conservation Council, ending that report from Sue Lannin.
http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2008/s2578329.htm
Uranium mines 'flood prone'
Tony Moore
May 22, 2009 - 3:07PM
Uranium mining does not produce jobs and is increasingly flood-prone, meaning toxic waste could run from flooded tailings dams, Queensland's Conservation Council said this morning.
QCC co-ordinator Toby Hutcheon said he acknowledged the job losses predicted by Australia's peak mining organisation in Queensland's mining industry as a result of an emission trading scheme.
However Mr Hutcheon said he did not accept this meant a shift to nuclear energy as a green source of producing electricity, saying Queensland had just two per cent of Australia's uranium reserves.
He said Queensland Premier Anna Bligh should instead build on her plans - announced in the State Budget - to produce local and regional jobs through a grass-roots solar hot water installation program.
"Uranium mining is not a big earner and it is not a big job creator for a start," Mr Hutcheon said.
"And the key issue is that now almost all of Queensland's uranium deposits were under water at the beginning of this year.
"And with floods set to become more regular we have a resource that is essentially in an inappropriate location.
"And it would be inappropriate to develop it.
"You could have old tailings dams running into the rivers and creeks."
Mr Hutcheon said the impact of an emission trading scheme on Queensland's carbon-intensive mining industry should be replaced by a bigger investment in industries linked to solar power.
"You have hundreds of thousands of roofs in every major city in Queensland that don't have a solar hot water system on them," Mr Hutcheon said.
"How many jobs could be created by a program of putting solar panels and solar hot water on all those roofs?" he asked.
"It creates local regional jobs and it has the effect of reducing energy costs for all those households."
The Premier promised 200,000 solar-powered hot water systems for Queensland during the March State Election.
The ACTU and the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) in October 2008 published a "Green Gold Rush" policy statement predicting the number of green jobs in Australia could increase from 112,000 to 500,000 by 2030.
This would include jobs in renewable energy, sustainable water, biomaterials, green buildings, waste and recycling.
Mr Hutcheon said it was clear Queensland's economy was vulnerable as prices for mineral exports fell.
"And it is likely that we will see a decline in demand as countries look to find alternatives other than using coal," he said.
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/qld-news/uranium-mines-flood-prone-20090522-bhzo.html
Vietnam plans biggest coal mining project
Fri, May 22, 2009
Reuters
HANOI - Vietnam's state coal monopoly, Vinacomin, is drawing up plans to produce coal from the country's biggest deposit in the northern region, the government said.
The deposit, located in an area of 3,500 square km spanning five northern provinces, Hung Yen, Nam Dinh, Thai Binh, Hai Duong and Hai Phong, is estimated to hold 210 billion tonnes of coal, the government said in a report seen on Friday.
The Red River Delta Coal Basin is about 20 times larger than the country's current biggest coal deposit in the northern province of Quang Ninh, the report said.
'The Red River Delta Coal Basin will be developed through cooperation and joint ventures with foreign partners,' it said, without naming the foreign firms interested in the project.
'The project will create the country's biggest clean energy centre, helping ensure national energy security by 2025,' it said.
Vinacomin and the Ministry of Industry and Trade are to submit a feasibility study to the government in July.
State media quoted Vinacomin as saying it would invest 73 trillion dong (S$5.97 billion) to develop 11 projects in the basin.
Vinacomin, a major coal supplier to China and Japan, has said it planned to export 22 million tonnes of the fossil fuel this year, up from 19.7 million tonnes last year.
http://business.asiaone.com/Business/News/Story/A1Story20090522-143163.html
Other News – India
Congress is on the lookout for NREGA-II
Nistula Hebbar
Friday, May 22, 2009 3:56 IST
New Delhi: After the success of the NationalRural Employement Guarantee Act (NREGA) and Bharat Nirman at the hustings, the newly-elected UPA government is searching for the next big social sector idea for its second innings.
As preparations continue for the next budget to be presented on July 2, sources in the government said it will be a Keynesian budget, and work is on for a new social sector programme on the lines of NREGA. "It could be something big like an urban employment guarantee programme," a source said.
The new government has taken to heart nobel laureate Paul Krugman's dictum about combating the economic downturn. Krugman, in a newspaper column had said that this "was not the year" to look at fiscal deficit.
Therefore, the new Budget will have huge allocations for roads, airports, ports and if PM Manmohan Singh is allowed to have his way, serious steps towards power reforms as well. "The prime minister has been very clear that the only way to combat recession is to make India an investment destination. The developed world's fortune should be linked to ours since that is the only way to self-preservation. China has done that which is why it always factored into all of the first world's economic plans," said a senior government official. Therefore, despite dire forecasts over the fiscal deficit going out of control, expect a high-expenditure budget.
In the previous UPA government, allocations for the rural development ministry were second only to the defence ministry. In fact, this is probably why this ministry has become a hot favourite. "Because of the orientation of this government, this has suddenly become a very prized ministry," said the source.
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1257928
State Pulse: Maharashtra: Tribals denied their rights
Category » Editorial Posted On Thursday, May 21, 2009
Tribals who lost their agricultural land in a forest area because of faulty implementation of forest rights laws in Maharashtra are as peeved as fishers in the Tamil Nadu-AP border who are not allowed to go to sea each time the country celebrates a satellite launch- DTE team.
Having lost their means to earn a living, communities are increasingly using their vote to drive home the message they distrust the State. Tribals who lost their agricultural land in a forest area because of faulty implementation of forest rights laws in Maharashtra are as peeved as fishers in the Tamil Nadu-Andhra Pradesh border who are not allowed to go to sea each time the country celebrates a satellite launch. In West Bengal tribals debarred the police from entering their territory saying they were being highhanded.
People belonging to the Pawra tribe in Chopda taluka of Maharashtra's Jalgaon district did not turn up to vote on April 23. The adivasi panchayat had decided in early April they would boycott the polls to protest the district administration robbing them of their rights over forestland.
About 20,000 Pawra tribals live in the 30 villages of Chopda. Members of the tribe said the district administration denied them lease to forestland under the forest rights Act, 2006, though they fulfilled eligibility criteria. The Act recognizes the rights of scheduled tribes and forest dwellers over forestland.
People said they submitted their claims to the Forest Rights Committee (FRC) that recommends cases to the sub-divisional committee. The FRC did not present the claims before the village-committee which weakened their claims and gave the sub-divisional committee a convenient excuse to reject them, said Pratibha Shinde, of non-profit Lok Sangarsh Morcha that works in the area. The final arbiter on forest rights leases, the district committee, chose to go along with the sub-divisional committee's decision.
"The tribal people approached all political parties for support but none came forward to help them. They have decided not to vote," said Ambarish Rai, president of the non-profit. Jalgaon's district magistrate Kunal Kumar said a few tribals might have been left out in Chopda taluka, but 80 per cent rights were distributed in March.
Satellite launches from Sriharikota island in Pulicat lake in south Andhra Pradesh means frequent bans on fishing in the lake. This has affected the fishing community dependant on the lake and the sea beyond for income. Sriharikota is a barrier island that separates the lake from the Bay of Bengal.
On April 7, the fishing community took the decision to stop politicians from entering their villages as their demands to lift the ban, had not been met. "Earlier, they would stop us from venturing into the sea for three days during the time of the launch, but from last year this was increased to 20 days. In 2008, there were three launches, so we lost 60 days of fishing," said K Bharathi, president of the South Indian Fishermen Welfare Association.
Lalgarh in West Midnapore district in West Bengal has been on the boil since November when tribals alleged atrocities by the police investigating a bomb attack on the chief minister's convoy.
The cluster of 118 villages that has strong Maoist presence is out of bounds for the police now. Tribals are demanding an apology from the superintendent of police. It was uncertain if polling could be held in Lalgarh on April 30 since security forces are barred from the area. The government was in a dilemma: not holding polls would mean acknowledging Maoist control over the area. A false step could cause a bloodbath.
A formula was finally worked out by the chief election commissioner, the tribal leaders and state government officials. They decided the 40 polling stations would be clubbed in five centres and voters would be ferried there.
Down To Earth Feature
http://www.centralchronicle.com/viewnews.asp?articleID=7682
Delhi govt takes lead in global warming awareness
Agencies Posted: Friday , May 22, 2009 at 1437 hrs IST
New Delhi:
With climate change becoming a major issue of concern, Delhi Government has taken a lead in identifying an institute which will be completely dedicated to research and creating awareness about global warming.
"The Mahatama Gandhi Institute of Climate Change Challenge in East Delhi will be engaged in evolving effective policies as well in creating and conducting research in the area," Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta told PTI.
With climate change high on the agenda of every government, the Delhi government too have taken an innovative step for better coordination and energy management in holistic manner, he said.
The Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Management Centre of the Delhi government, presently carrying out research in non-fossil fuels, has also been placed under the Institute.
"The Institute, which was initially oriented towards integrated rural renewable energy, will now partner with leading institutions in creating awareness and conducting research in the area," Mehta said.
The Institute will educate citizens and create awareness on the need to reduce green house gas emissions responsible for global warming, its Director S K Saxena said.
The Institute will also contribute in developing policies and in carrying out research to promote renewable energy on the lines of the National Action Plan for Climate Change, he added.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Delhi-govt-takes-lead-in-global-warming-awareness/464378
Global warming's impacts on state forests: Burn baby burn!
Lands commissioner says our children will live with consequences
By JOEL CONNELLY
SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF
State Lands Commissioner Peter Goldmark looks out at Washington's unhealthy forests from a pilot's seat, flying his plane from Olympia to his family's ranch in the remote reaches of Okanogan County.
"It is just mind-numbing the damage you see on west facing and south facing slopes . . . an overburden of dead and dying trees," Goldmark said yesterday, referring mainly to predation by pine bark beetles.
Goldmark had just shared his up-close perspective on global warming, and its consequences for trees in the Evergreen State, at a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency hearing here.
The likely future for our forests through the 21st Century: Burn Baby Burn.
"There is a 33 percent chance that we will see 2 million acres burn in one year by 2080: That is about 5 percent of the entire state," Goldmark told the EPA.
Big fires in our Okanogan, Chelan and Entiat drainages -- and in the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana, and in central Idaho -- have served as signal flares of what is to come.
Goldmark is a rancher with a PhD in molecular biology, but he is also a longtime volunteer firefighter. He's also head of an agency manages 2.2 million acres of state-owned forests, and is responsible for fighting fires on 12 million acres of state and private forests.
Tune in TV and radio talk, and you may hear a different message. The global warming denial cult is lately on a bit of a roll.
Man-caused climate change "is a hoax," D.C. pundit Patrick Buchanan declared last week on an early morning MSNBC gabfest. Rush Limbaugh sneers at "screwy little spaghetti light bulbs" and guilt-driven people "using something other than the toilet paper in the bathroom."
These guys ought to come out West, even to places where snows linger, and look around.
As I drove up into the Sawtooth National Recreation Area of Idaho last weekend, the lodge pole pine forests came in three colors. The green trees were alive. The orange trees were dying. The grey trees were dead.
Some of the pines were horizontal, or just stumps. The Sawtooth NRA has launched a vigorous program of forest thinning, seeking to head off a big fire in one of the most drop-dead gorgeous valleys of the Mountain West.
Together with white bark pines in the nearby White Cloud peaks, the dead and dying trees are victims of the mountain pine beetle. Stanley, Idaho, often registers the lowest winter temperature of anyplace in the 'lower 48' states.
With slight winter warming, however, beetle populations in the Sawtooth NRA have taken off.
Up north, British Columbia's Chilcotin Plateau has recorded the coldest registered temperatures in Canada outside the Arctic. Yet, beetle kill has exploded north and east out of the Chilcotin, and now covers a geographic area larger than Sweden.
Goldmark drew on the "Climate Change Impacts Assessment" delivered two months ago by University of Washington scientists:"Due to increased summer temperature and decreased summer precipitation, the area burned by fire regionally is projected to double by the 2040s and triple by the 2080s . . . Primarily east of the Cascades, mountain pine beetles will likely reach higher elevations and pine trees will likely be more vulnerable to attack by beetles."
The Okanogan country -- spelled Okanagan north of the border -- has experienced big fires in recent years. The most frightening was a blaze that swept down out of B.C.'s Okanagan Mountain Park and burned dozens of houses in the suburbs of Kelowna.
"I flew out of the Methow Valley (in 2006) and had to get up to 10,000 feet before I got out of the fire smoke," Goldmark said. "Think of all the carbon that is burned in these fires. We are being encouraged to walk or ride bicycles. Compare what is saved with what is released into the atmosphere by a normal fire."
Goldmark is burned up by something else. The 2009 Legislature tried to zero out money for the Department of Natural Resources forest health program. A part of the budget was saved. Its elimination would have denied the state federal matching money.
The underperforming Legislature also sat on a bevy of environmental proposals from Gov. Chris Gregoire. On Thursday, Gregoire signed an executive order that includes interagency work to cut down traffic.
The order also requires that the state reach an agreement with Washington's only coal-fired power plant, TransAlta near Centralia. It would require TransAlta to comply, by 2025 at the latest, with the state's emission standards for new power plants.
But Gregoire will be gone from office long before the deadline. Goldmark will no longer be lands commissioner. It raises a question: Can our state achieve continuity in dealing with climate change?
Goldmark has an answer: We better.
"No matter what happens out there, we will still have deniers," he reflected. "Our duty is to base policy on sound science, make wise decisions, and -- most important -- look ahead.
"We are going to escape, to a large degree, the consequences of climate change. Our children and grandchildren will not."
http://www.seattlepi.com/connelly/406468_joel22.html
80 Million Americans Vote for Action on Climate Change During World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour 2009
Posted : Thu, 21 May 2009 20:38:22 GMT
Author : World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
WASHINGTON - (Business Wire) An estimated 80 million Americans participated in Earth Hour 2009 in an unprecedented global vote for action on climate change, World Wildlife Fund officials announced today. Globally, nearly a billion people are estimated to have participated in the March 28th event, in which more than 4,100 cities and iconic landmarks around the world went dark for one hour.
According to polling conducted by Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates on behalf of WWF, nearly 30% of US adults surveyed reported taking part in Earth Hour, with 85% of those surveyed agreeing that climate change is an important global issue that affects all of us and must be addressed before it becomes an even bigger problem.
“The American people have sent a clear mandate to our nation’s decision-makers: they want action on climate change,” said WWF President and CEO Carter Roberts. “From coast-to-coast, more than 300 cities went dark as citizens, businesses, communities, and state governments, turned out the lights to take a stand on this defining issue of our time. As members of Congress debate a new clean energy jobs package that would dramatically reduce the pollution that is causing climate change, they should take note of the clear call for action from their constituents.”
Of those surveyed, 80 percent said they support the negotiation of an international agreement to address climate change. WWF officials said the finding is particularly relevant because negotiations are currently underway on a global climate accord that is expected to be finalized in December in Copenhagen.
“With world governments in the throes of negotiations on a new global climate agreement, the results of the post-Earth Hour survey are particularly noteworthy,” said Dr. Richard H. Moss, WWF vice president for climate change. “An overwhelming number of Americans want the US to reengage in the effort to secure a climate deal. Simply put, they want an agreement in Copenhagen.”
On Saturday, March 28th at 8:30 p.m., people in more than 4,100 cities in 87 countries, on all seven continents, turned off their lights in the first global vote for action on climate change. In the US, more than 300 cities turned off non-essential lighting including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York, San Francisco and Washington DC. Additionally, seven states officially took part: Arkansas, California, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and New York.
Thousands of buildings and landmarks across the US participated including the Las Vegas Strip, Chrysler and Empire State Buildings in New York City, Space Needle in Seattle, Church of Latter-Day Saints Temple in Salt Lake City, Gateway Arch in St. Louis and National Cathedral in Washington DC. International landmarks going dark included the Great Pyramids of Giza, Parthenon in Athens, St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, Big Ben and Houses of Parliament in London, Paris’ Elysee Palace and Eiffel Tower, Beijing’s Birds Nest and Water Cube, Symphony of Lights in Hong Kong, Sydney’s Opera House and Christ de Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro.
Among other notable findings of the polling, the number of people who said they were very interested in taking additional action against climate change rose six percentage points after Earth Hour, while nearly 8 in 10 people said they planned to participate in Earth Hour 2010.
Survey Methodology
WWF commissioned a survey which was conducted by Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates. PSB conducted a quantitative benchmark and tracking study to determine pre-post evaluation of WWF’s 2009 Earth Hour. Two waves of 2009 Earth Hour research were conducted via web-based surveys of the general public, including oversamples in 10 key media markets across the United States.
B Roll:
More information about Earth Hour can be found at www.EarthHourUS.org. Video footage and photographs from Earth Hour 2009 can be found at http://www.earthhourus.org/mediacenter.php.
About World Wildlife Fund and Earth Hour
Earth Hour (www.EarthHourUS.org) is a global initiative of WWF in which millions of people around the world cast a vote in favor of action on climate change by turning off their lights for one hour on March 28, 2009 at 8:30 p.m. By voting with their light switches, Earth Hour participants sent a powerful, visual message to their leaders demanding immediate action on climate change. WWF is the world’s leading conservation organization, working in 100 countries for nearly half a century. With the support of almost 5 million members worldwide, WWF is dedicated to delivering science-based solutions to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth, stop the degradation of the environment and combat climate change. Visit www.worldwildlife.org to learn more.
World Wildlife Fund
Leslie Aun, 202-495-4680
Mobile: 703-517-4550
leslie.aun@wwfus.org
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/80-million-americans-vote-for,834877.shtml
No comments:
Post a Comment