29-06-09

Mining – India 1
1. CIL disinvestment process to begin by December 1
2. Leaving India was biggest challenge: Lakshmi Mittal 2
3. ICVL to buy coal property abroad by 2011-12 2
4. Illegal miners run riot in Allahabad outskirts 3
Mining – International 4
5. China's iron ore discovery may hit India's exports 5
6. Stories you might have missed 5
7. Utah coal operators back away from deep mining 2 years after deadly Crandall Canyon collapse 7
8. Mining giant re-opens mines in Zimbabwe 9
9. Destroying Indigenous Populations 10
10. Mr. President, go and see for yourself 11
Other News – India 15
11. The story of our civil disobedience against mountaintop-removal coal mining 16
12. TERI chief says Indian Army's biggest enemy is climate change 19
13. Violation of Forest Act by Kerala Forest Dept. 20
14. Water crisis forces KMC to lift ban on tube wells 21


Mining – India

CIL disinvestment process to begin by December


New Delhi: Coal minister Sriprakash Jaiswal said on Monday the government would initiate the process of offloading 10% equity in the state-owned Coal India Limited (CIL) in the next six months.
“We are considering to disinvest a maximum of 10% of our stake in CIL. The process for the same will start in next six months,” Jaiswal said.
Even though the divestment process may start by December, the government is expected to take final decision on selling the stake in the country’s largest coal producer after the upcoming budget session of the Parliament, he added.
The coal major would give priority to its workers in allotment of shares of the disinvested entity. CIL also aims to give a boost to its resettlement & rehabilitation policy by offering shares to the people from whom land is acquired for mining purposes.
“If we disinvest, first preference will be given to our workers while alloting shares second preference to people from whom land is acquired for mining. If workers take that 10% shareholding of CIL then we will only give shares to the workers,” he said.
The coal major, which has an authorised capital of about Rs8,000 crore, may also appoint an investment banker soon for carrying out the formalities for the proposed initial public offer.

http://www.livemint.com/2009/06/29154245/CIL-disinvestment-process-to-b.html

Leaving India was biggest challenge: Lakshmi Mittal

29 Jun 2009, 0548 hrs IST, AGENCIES

NEW DELHI: It’s not the global economic slowdown but leaving India that was the biggest challenge for steel baron Lakshmi Mittal . “The biggest Top 10 Wealthiest CEOs
10 most admired cos
World's top 10 valuable brands
crisis or challenge I faced I believe is when I left India.

I did not have any exposure (to) the global market, global situation and I landed up in a country (Indonesia) I never knew about. That was the biggest challenge ,” Mittal, chairman and CEO of ArcelorMittal, said.

However, admitting that ArcelorMittal did not anticipate a crisis of this magnitude , he maintained the company acknowledged the slowdown and was the first one to resort to cost-cutting measures.

Mittal, 58, born in Sadulpur in Rajasthan, parted ways with his father and brother and took over the international affairs of the family business and left for Indonesia a little more than three decades ago.

Mittal had founded the Mittal Steel Company in 1976. He said he’s disappointed over delays in securing regulatory approvals for his Rs 1-lakh crore steel project in India. “These are disappointments ... we don’t like this... We are still awaiting some of the approvals, land approvals , eco (environment) approvals , and mining licence; clearly this has delayed the progress by two years.”

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Leaving-India-was-biggest-challenge-Lakshmi-Mittal/articleshow/4714232.cms


ICVL to buy coal property abroad by 2011-12

29 Jun 2009, 0157 hrs IST, Rakhi Mazumdar, ET Bureau

KOLKATA: International Coal Ventures (ICVL), a special purpose vehicle created by five giant PSUs to buy coal assets abroad, has set a target of
acquiring at least one such property by 2011-12. Created by sharing holding between NTPC, Coal India, NMDC, Steel Authority of India and Rashtriya Ispat Nigam, ICVL is scouting for opportunities in four countries — Australia, Mozambique, the US and Canada.

“ICVL has set a target of buying a coal property by 2011-12. It should preferably be a 5 million-tonne asset,” PK Bishnoi, chairman and managing director of RINL and executive president of ICVL, told ET. “The idea is to get access to properties with estimated reserves of around 500 million tonne,” he added.

The SPV has bid for a coking coal property in Mozambique after initial survey of the asset. Incidentally, Mozambique has one of the largest reserves of thermal and coking coal in the world. “The latter, however, has asked for certain clarifications with regard to the bid,” a source said.

ICVL can garner a kitty of nearly Rs 10,000 crore to fund its acquisitions, if it decides to leverage its equity base of Rs 3,500 crore. The war chest could be enlarged further to Rs 25,000 crore. To a specific question on the size of a potential deal, the source added: “There is no fixed price budget. Rather, it would depend on the market price prevailing at the time of the acquisition.”

Incidentally, the global economic downturn has led to a situation where sellers are using every opportunity to delay finalisation of potential deals in the hope of an improvement in asset valuations. ICVL has shortlisted some ten merchant bankers who are advising the company on potential acquisition targets. “Depending on their interests, offer and expertise, we are in talks with them on potential target assets,” the source added.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/Economy/ICVL-to-buy-coal-property-abroad-by-2011-12/articleshow/4713824.cms

Illegal miners run riot in Allahabad outskirts
Vijay Pratap Singh Posted: Monday , Jun 29, 2009 at 0212 hrs IST
Allahabad:
Just 40 km from Allahabad city in the Meja hillocks, illegal mining is rampant. Nearly a dozen gigantic stone crusher plants have destroyed thousand of acres of agricultural land, besides choking the lives of the people in nearly 30 villages in Trans Yamuna area.
While five of the 11 plants do not have permission from the Pollution Control Board, three do not have the lease to carry out quarrying work in the area, sources said.
With the complaints falling on deaf ears of the local administration, the villagers were forced to hold a 60-hour chakka jam a few months ago to protest against illegal mining. The mining has not only damaged local ecology but also allegedly increased the asthma and breathing-related problems.
Recently, a team from CB-CID visited the affected villages and sought reports from the local administration, Mining department, Forest department and Pollution Control Board, sources said.
Forest authorities, the locals allege, are hand-in-glove with the contractors.
“Around 30 villages, including Bhatauti, Singhpur, Dharawal, Bhasunder, Basaita, Bhaiyan, Dari, Lachan Ka Pura, Tijga, Madraha, Kona, Bandhwa, Rampur and Mamauli are severely affected with health-related problems due to stone dust in the air. Besides, the thundering sounds of the crusher plants, blasts in the mountains and movement of heavy vehicles do not allow us to sleep,” said Rajnish, who led the chakka jam agitation.
As one heads towards Bhatauti village, all that could be heard are sounds of blasts and roars of crusher plants. The plant owners take the hillocks on lease and run the stone quarries to supply boulders to companies involved in construction of roads.
Even during the day, one can witness clouds of dust emerging from the mines as armed men patrol the area.
Locals say around 1,500 people, including 500 children, 350 women and 700 men in the area suffer from breathing problems. Nearly 50 cases of acute tuberculosis have been reported from the villages, said Rajnish — a resident of Bhatauti village.
“We are forced to eat dust particles, which settle on the food,” said Ram Naresh Nishad, a villager suffering from tuberculosis. He used to work at a crusher plant.
Many children have also lost their lives after being hit by heavy trucks. According to villagers, nearly 105 people have fallen victim to these trucks in the last eight years.
Earlier, the villagers had to sell their land to the mining mafias. Now, they are leaving the place because of severe air and noise pollutions.
“The government should stop mining in the area immediately as it is harming the people, the environment and the wildlife,” said Rajaram, the village pradhan of Masundh Majhali.
A doctor at a community health centre in Meja compared the situation in the area to Shankargarh where silicosis has claimed many lives.
“No doubt the cases related to breathing problems and road accidents have increased manifold in the area. The situation is really alarming,” the doctor added.
But state departments like mining, forest, pollution and the district administration continue to pass the buck. Mining officer Dr Bajrangi said he had reports of two to three illegal miners and that he would look into the matter. For the rest of the problems, the department is not bothered, he added.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Illegal-miners-run-riot-in-Allahabad-outskirts/482532

Mining – International

China's iron ore discovery may hit India's exports
29 Jun 2009, 0118 hrs IST, Saibal Dasgupta, TNN

Print
Email
Discuss Share
Save
Comment
Text:




BEIJING: More than half of India's exports to China are iron ore. Beijing is also heavily dependent on supplies from Australia, Japan and South

Korea to feed its high speed industrial growth. But the situation may change dramatically in future with Chinese geologists discovering Asia's largest iron ore deposit in northwest China.

The Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources Exploration in Liaoning Province has announced it has found an iron ore deposit with an estimated reserve of more than 3 billion tonnes. It will take some time before any of the ores is actually mined but it is good news for the planners in the National Development and Reform Commission in Beijing, who maps the long-term trajectory of development.

The iron content in the ores, which is an important aspect for the steel industry, ranges between 25% and 62%, the local government said. Apparently, the quantum of low-grade iron ore is higher than the high grade ones at 60-62% per cent. But China has already impressed upon the world with its capacity to upgrade low-grade iron ore through certain industrial processes.

"The deposit can be exploited for more than 50 years," Yu Wenli, head of the bureau in Liaoning was quoted as saying in the official media. "We found high-grade iron ore even at a depth of 2,015 metres," he said. But most of deposit is available at depths of 1,200 metres to 1,860 metres and spanning an area of 4 km by 3 km, The iron ore deposit is a mixture of magnetite and hematite.

The Benxi municipal government hailed it as "Asia's largest deposit". China's minister of land and resources Xu Shaoshi has urged the local authorities to start exploitation "as quickly as possible". News of the discovery has given a boost to share prices of steel makers like Baosteel, Angang Steel and Hunan Valin Iron and Steel Group.

Going by its current level of usage, the deposit is enough to satisfy China's requirement of iron ore for 25 years, sources said. The province has yielded good quantities of iron ore in the past.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Business/India-Business/Chinas-iron-ore-discovery-may-hit-Indias-exports/articleshow/4713463.cms
Stories you might have missed
• Font Size:DecreaseIncrease
• Print Page:Print
Robin Bromby | June 29, 2009
Article from: The Australian
SO many announcements, so little media space and attention.
Each week, hundreds of news items slip through the cracks in the media. There are simply not enough hours in the day or journalistic hands on deck to make sure that more than a fragment of this information flow gets proper attention. Occasionally, here at The Dirt, we like to clear out the in-box.

So here are some items that might have escaped your attention in the past few days.

1 . Manganese momentum

This metal is out of favour at the moment due to the global downturn in steel production. But there is no substitute in that process for manganese, and steel mills have been using increasing amounts of manganese per tonne of steel to lift the quality of the finished product. So manganese will have its day in the sun at some stage. So watch Spitfire Resources which this morning reported that, of 51 holes drilled at its Tally-Ho deposit, 40 had intercepted near-surface mineralisation with grades up to 27.9 per cent manganese. A few days ago, meanwhile, Hartleys filed a broker note on Shaw River Resources with a “speculative buy” tag. It notes that SRR tested four areas at its Baramine project, identifying wide zones of manganese in each. Hartleys said this will require a good deal of follow-up drilling, but it saw good potential for SRR to identify significant manganese mineralisation over time.

2. Copper tip

There has been a good deal of excitement recently about the Cloncurry copper explorer Exco Resources ). BGF Equities has looked into its crystal ball and sees the prospect of a deal with Xstrata that could make EXS a cash cow. This would depend on the junior getting a deal to process its ore through Xstrata’s Ernest Henry plant, which is greatly underutilised at present. Such a deal would shave $250 million of Exco’s project development cost. BGF can see EXS shares doubling in price from present levels if such a deal was done.

3. Bauxite is go

It is only two years ago that Bauxite Resources launched an IPO for a very modest $7.5m to get itself into the bauxite and alumina industries. It seemed a giant leap at the time. But earlier this year the junior pulled in Shandong Provincial Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources as a 15 per cent shareholder, meaning a cash injection of $9.87m. Now BAU is looking at establishing an alumina processing plant in Western Australia, having signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Yankuang Group, another Shandong province outfit with interests in coal mining, electricity generation and aluminium smelting. Watch this space!

4. Coal in the works

One company we have been keeping an eye on for a while is Coalworks because of its large (760 million tonnes) thermal coal deposit at Oaklands in southern NSW and, importantly, the decision by the Victorian government to convert its rail line that runs near the deposit to standard gauge, thus ensuring that CWK has the option of railing coal to port at Geelong. (Even though it’s in NSW, for historical reasons connected with inter-colonial rivalry in the 19th century, several Victorian broad gauge lines were built into the Riverina - and CWK is lucky they did. There is also a disused NSW line running north from Oaklands, but there would be no show of Sydney coming up with the inclination or the money to rebuild it.) It was a busy week for the company. First they reported that the latest seismic confirms the coal seam at Oaklands are continuous. Then, in another piece of news, the company was selected by the NSW government for an exploration licence for ground in the Gunnedah Basin which is prospective for semi-soft coking and thermal coals.

The writer implies no investment recommendation and this report contains material that is speculative in nature. Investors should seek professional investment advice.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,25706088-15023,00.html


Utah coal operators back away from deep mining 2 years after deadly Crandall Canyon collapse
PAUL FOY, AP Business Writer
12:23 PM PDT, June 28, 2009
HELPER, Utah (AP) — Two years after a Utah mine collapsed, entombing six miners more than 2,000 feet under a mountain and also killing three members of a rescue team, the state's coal operators are backing away from rich coal reserves held deep under the ground.

Coal mines have come under intense scrutiny in every part of the country, with the Mine Safety and Health Administration tripling fines against all coal mines last year, to $152.7 million.
But in Utah, where easy access to coal was exhausted more than a decade ago, operators say they have been hit especially hard because of the extreme depths at which they dig for coal.

The risks are compounded by a common method of coal removal called retreat mining, which has operators sometimes flirting with disaster by deliberately inducing cave-ins.

The Crandall Canyon collapse in 2007 shows what can go wrong.
A bounce, a type of seismic jolt, imploded with the force of two million pounds of explosives at Crandall, said Michael McCarter, a professor of mining engineering at the University of Utah.

The tremor flattened a section of the mine roughly the size of 63 football fields, leaving six miners entombed 2,160 feet under mountain cover. Another cave-in 10 days later killed three members of a rescue team, including a federal mining inspector.

Federal regulators, stung by criticism following mine disasters from West Virginia to Utah, quickly clamped down.

"We'll never know if we make the right decision — we'll just know when we make the wrong decision," said Kevin Stricklin, coal-mining boss for the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

But with federal inspectors on site practically every day, executives for several Utah mines grumble that the inspectors are writing up citations mostly for small offenses — a pile of coal dust there, a spill of grease here.

About 30 miles away from Crandall is the Horizon mine, operated by American West Resources Inc.

Horizon was put on a special watch with twice the national average of safety violations.

So to appease regulators, Horizon retreated from a section of its mine that logged 26 roof falls over the previous two years.

The section contained 300,000 tons of high-quality coal and easy access to millions of tons more.

"We're a small company, and we made a hard decision," said Dan Baker, chief executive officer for Salt Lake City-based America West Resources Inc., a public company. "I don't know how many millions of dollars went into developing that section."

Other companies are following suit.

Utah's largest coal operator, St. Louis-based Arch Coal Inc., turned away from a deep coal seam at the Dugout mine in central Utah, leaving behind 4 million tons of coal a year ago.

McCarter and other mining experts question whether regulation has gone too far.

Mining authorities ordered a new method of longwall mining that effectively cuts West Ridge's reserves in half, "and I'm not really sure anybody has proven it any safer," McCarter said.

The cave-ins are part of everyday deep mining, McCarter said. Two common methods of coal removal, longwall and retreat mining, depend on orderly, controlled cave-ins for safety.

But federal officials say the size of the Crandall Canyon disaster showed more scrutiny was needed.

"In the past, anything an operator submitted — if it was a reputable operator — we took their word for it," Stricklin said.
Others agree the tighter regulations are a welcome change, because mining companies for years got a free pass.

"It was a rubber stamp," said Mike Dalpiaz, the mayor of Helper and a United Mine Workers of America vice president. "We had to spill blood before they started paying attention."

Miners are paid well for the dangerous job — around $65,500 a year, double the region's average wage, according to the Utah Department of Workforce Services
About 4,000 feet inside Horizon via a honeycomb of sloping tunnels, Dallen McFarland used a cable-connected joystick to finish boring a tunnel with a 50-ton cutting machine.

He didn't flinch when the walls — miners call them ribs — started making noises like a knuckle cracking, with the weight of 800 feet of mountain cover bearing down.

"When your ribs are popping, that's good because it means they aren't storing energy," McFarland said.

___

On the Net:

Mine Safety and Health Administration: www.msha.gov

America West Resources Inc.: www.americacoal.com

Arch Coal Inc.: www.archcoal.com

Murray Energy Corp.: www.murrayenergy.net

United Mine Workers of America: www.umwa.org


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-us-deep-coal-mining,1,2954085.story


Mining giant re-opens mines in Zimbabwe
by Sunday Standard reporter in Bulawayo
28.06.2009 2:31:49 P
One of Zimbabwe’s biggest mining companies, Metallon Gold Zimbabwe, has announced this week that it has re-opened its two closed mines.

Two years ago, Metallon Gold Zimbabwe, a conglomerate owned by South African mining magnate Mzi Khumalo, closed Shamva Gold Mine and Howe Mine, two of the country’s largest gold producers, throwing more than 5000 workers out of employment. The Johannesburg-based company closed the mines saying it had not been paid for metal sold to Zimbabwe’s central bank headed by controversial governor Gideon Gono.

The Zimbabwe Chamber of Mines says the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) owes gold producers US$30 million dollars in unpaid fees, dating back to the end of 2007.

However, Metallon Gold Zimbabwe Chief Executive, Collin Gura, this week announced that the closed mines were being re-opened after the company secured a US$15 million line of credit from local and foreign banks.

The African Export-Import Bank had agreed to lend the company US$10 million, while an unnamed local bank would provide US$5 million.

"The money will basically go towards working capital and then refurbishment of plant and equipment," said Gura.

"Howe Mine is running and they will be pouring their first gold. Shamva Mine started operations at the end of last week," Gura added.

The mining sector, alongside the agricultural sector, has been the backbone of the Zimbabwean economy but both have been devastated by government policies adopted over the past decade that have stifled investors efforts to expand.

A haphazard land reform programme initiated by Zanu-PF in 2000 triggered the collapse of both sectors that provided primary raw materials to manufacturers spawning a severe foreign currency shortage.

Mining laws and regulatory controls instituted by the Reserve Bank have combined to restrict expansion of the sector, further worsening foreign currency shortages.

Last week, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said Zimbabwe could attract up to US$16 billion in exploration and mining investment if it corrects policies that have scared away foreign investors.

"Government has a window of opportunity to prepare a conducive policy environment by mid 2010 that could see Zimbabwe's mineral sector attracting between $6 billion and $16 billion in exploration and mine development during the 2011-2018 period," Tsvangirai said.

Tsvangirai said that while it was necessary to allow locals to participate in the mining industry, this should be done with a view to grow the country's economy.
http://sundaystandard.info/news/news_item.php?NewsID=5254&GroupID=3


Destroying Indigenous Populations
26 06 2009
Destroying Indigenous Populations Atlantic free Press Dahr Jamail Wednesday, 24 June 2009 “……………………….. Most of the Sioux’s land has been taken, and what remains has been laid waste by radioactive pollution.
“Nothing grows in these areas – nothing can grow. They are too radioactive,” White Face said.
Although the Black Hills and adjoining areas are sacred to the indigenous peoples and nations of the region, their attempts at reclamation are not based on religious claims but on the provisions of the Constitution. The occupation of indigenous land by the US government is in direct violation of its own law, according to White Face…………………………………The Ogala Sioux are engaged in ongoing legal battles with the pro-uranium state of South Dakota. They are aware of the unequal nature of their battle, but they cannot afford to give up. White Face explains how “… Our last court case was lost before learning that the judge was a former lawyer for one of the mining companies. Also, the governor’s sister and brother-in-law work for mining companies [Powertech] and a professor, hired by the Forest Service to test water run-off for contamination, is on contract with a company that works for the mining company. When I found out the judge was a lawyer for the mining company I knew we would lose, but we went ahead with the case for the publicity, because we have to keep waking people up.”
Other tribes, such as the Navajo and Hopi in New Mexico, have been exposed to radioactive material as well. Furthermore, the July 16, 1979, spill of 100 million gallons of radioactive water containing uranium tailings from a tailing pond into the north arm of the Rio Puerco, near the small town of Church Rock, New Mexico, also affected indigenous peoples in Arizona.
http://nuclear-news.net/2009/06/26/destroying-indigenous-populations/


Mr. President, go and see for yourself
by Devilstower
Sun Jun 28, 2009 at 08:00:10 AM PDT
President Obama,
You don't have to travel to the far side of the world to see protesters being arrested as they attempt to save their families, communities, and future. You don't have to travel to the far side of the world to find a place where the powerful oppress the poor, and where corruption breeds poverty. You don't have to travel to the far side of the world to find tragedy being written in people's lives and in the land. You can get in your car and drive there in less than six hours.
Thirty Americans were arrested in West Virginia this week, while protesting a mountaintop removal mine that leaves millions of gallons of sludge hanging above an elementary school. Last week, fourteen others were arrested protesting at another mine. Both mines were owned by a company whose CEO took one state supreme court judge to the Rivera, and who spent more than three million dollars on another hand-picked "justice."
Some may find it audacious, if not outrageous, to compare what is happening in West Virginia to what is going on in places where people are dying in the streets. It's true that the recent arrests have been, with a few exceptions, as close to peaceful as such events can be. But while there have been no tragic images recorded on camera phones in West Virginia this past week, people have died because of mountaintop removal. Miners have died, but we take that as a matter of course. We accept that flipping on the light switch comes at the price of blood. However, mountaintop removal mining has killed far more than miners. Dozens of people in surrounding communities have died when walls of black sludge plunged down on their homes. Whole families have died, Mr. President, whole towns... so that other Americans can buy their electricity some fraction of a cent more cheaply. And that's not even considering the lives cut short from contaminated water and fouled air.
It's evident that you're a very intelligent man, Mr. President. That's a big part of why so many of us supported you in the last election. And you may believe that by looking at the horrifying pictures and by reading the staggering numbers, you understand what mountaintop removal is about. Sir, you don't. You can't. The scale of this tragedy can't be expressed in a table of statistics, no matter how frightening.
President Obama, I know that there are some in the Senate and elsewhere who have attacked you over the past few weeks for not inserting yourself more fully into the unrest in Iran. I believe those people are wrong. You've wisely chosen to take a path that's less vainglorious, but more effective.
However there are those in your own administration who are telling you that you should not insert yourself more powerfully into the issue of mountaintop removal. That you should step back, wait for Congress, and use the power of your office to constrain, rather than end, this practice. Mr. President, those people are wrong. You cannot bargain with mountaintop removal, any more than you can make a deal with a disease. Mountaintop removal mining is unsupportable -- and unconscionable. It's not needed to meet America's energy needs. It's not needed to provide jobs in Appalachia. It's simply not needed.
Come and see for yourself, Mr. President. When you've seen it, you'll know what to do.
For those of you who aren't President Obama, I'd like to ask a favor this morning. Go to Twitter and send this message:
President Obama. Go to West Virginia. See for yourself what Mountaintop Removal is doing to the land, water, and people. #mtr
If you don't use Twitter, put it on your Facebook wall. If you don't use Facebook, use your blog site, or a diary on another site, or send it in email. Do all of the above. Get the message out there. Want a quick solution? Try the Help President Obama See the Truth About Mountaintop Removal page from the Rainforest Action Network.
This isn't about getting help to an area of America that can't help itself. The mountaineers of West Virginia are strong. They don't need outsiders to solve their problems. But they do need the rest of us, those taking advantage of their misery and those charged with caring for the whole nation, too understand what is happening.
(UPDATE) Jeff Biggers has another call to bring Obama to the mountaintops over at Huffington Post.
Here's the beyond-the-Beltway truth: With millions of pounds of explosives ripping across the Appalachian mountains every day, and the Office of Surface Mining (OMSRE) still operating without a director, it is almost beyond belief that President Obama, CEQ chief Nancy Sutley and EPA head Lisa Jackson have made no attempt to visit actual mining sites under their jurisdiction.
Please read his post, and if you've made a post about this on your blog, let me know.
West Virginia Blue has also joined the call.
Public opinion in West Virginia is against mountain top removal. I think even most people who mine coal know that mountain top removal is a horrible way to make a living. It is a Faustian bargain.
These kossacks have already sent a Twitter or email or post in support of this effort. Please join them.
Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse vito619
Cassiodorus hockeyrules
peace voter Plutonium Page
Sue Stone Darksyde
Mcjoan Asinus Asinum Fricat
wv voice of reason klamothe
Laura Clawson LaughingPlanet
PLCOT Angie in WA State
Bill in MD derekmaune

This week the Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works held the first hearings on Moutaintop Removal in a generation. This hearing will help to raise the importance of the Appalachia Restoration Act (S 696) and the Clean Water Protection Act (H.R. 1310), twin bills that are hoping to finally put an end to this practice.
But even if the bills get passed, that's no guarantee. After all, those who passed the Clean Water Act thought they had stopped Mountaintop Removal. They didn't know that administrations from Reagan to Obama would spend their time debating the meaning of "waste" vs "debris" vs "fill," all the while allowing the mountains to fall. It will take both good legislation, and good administration to make this procedure stop.
Worried that stopping mountatintop removal would threaten our electricity supply? MTR is a small part of the coal used in the United States and provides less than 3% of our electricity. It can easily be replaced by other sources. If it stopped tomorrow, nobody's lights would go out.
Worried that stopping mountaintop removal would cost jobs in Appalachia? MTR actually competes with other forms of coal mining that require more people. The first thing that would happen if MTR were ended is that there would be more jobs in mining. Besides, there are already three times as many people in the area working on tourism rather than mining. MTR threatens to take those jobs away forever. If you think that MTR jobs are the "only good jobs in the state," you simply don't know the area. Not only that, but studies have shown that many MTR sites are well suited for renewable energy projects that would generate more jobs, more revenue, and save the mountains.
In 2007 a wind potential study was commissioned to see if there was the potential to place wind turbines on Coal River Mountain. The wind potential study and the following economic study found that it is possible to place 328 MW of wind energy on Coal River Mountain. That’s enough to power 70,000 West Virginia Homes and provide permanent jobs and $1.7 million in taxes to the county every year.
Unfortunately, Massey Energy is applying for permits to mountaintop removal mine the mountain which would destroy the wind potential. This is the last mountain left standing in the area. Please help save it.
Worried that people in the area don't want MTR to end? Surveys show that 2 out of 3 West Virginia voters oppose mountaintop removal. And the more knowledge or experience with MTR they have, the more likely they are to oppose it.
Appalachian Voices has great materials, links, and images (including those seen below). If you're looking for more information, they're a great resources.



Sierra Club has a permit tracker that looks as MTR sites, as well as a good collection of information on the issue.
Also check out the I Love Mountains site focused on this issue and West Virginia Blue which focuses on this issue among others in West Virginia politics.

This is a shot of the Buffalo Creek area on the day after a slurry containment dam failed, killing 125 people and leaving 4,000 homeless. These slurry dams in MTR areas are rarely inspected and fail regularly, releasing millions of gallons of sludge. If we don't stop these practices, it's only a matter of time before another disaster like Buffalo Creek.
If you have a site with additional information, or a post on this subject, please point it out in the comments.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/6/23/746023/-Mr.-President,-go-and-see-for-yourself

Other News – India

The story of our civil disobedience against mountaintop-removal coal mining
Several people asked for more information about the 23 June civil disobedience near Coal River Mountain. We need Dickens to describe the local situation, but you can glean something from a statement I was reading at the time we were arrested (reprinted below). Local pollution effects and regional environmental destruction should be enough to stop the practice of mountaintop removal. Vernon Haltom, head of Coal River Mountain Watch, provided the details therein. The group can make good use of any support.
The bigger picture, including climate change, makes it clear that mountaintop removal, providing only 7 percent of United States coal, makes no strategic sense whatever. Better leave the coal holding up the mountains. There has to be some leadership from the top. We cannot continue to give President Obama a pass on this much longer. On the other hand, he needs broad support in order to do what is right.
As for the local people, we found them to be very friendly, and the state police were courteous and professional. Massey employees were out in force making as much noise as possible to try to drown out the speakers at the protest. If Gandhi had the sequence right (first they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win), we are already three-quarters of the way there. I noticed that it was only a handful of Massey people who were really vocal.
But that’s not to say that it isn’t a dangerous situation for the local people who oppose mountaintop removal—they are the courageous ones. Some barrel-chested noise-makers seemed pretty close to going over the edge. One of the Massey wives assaulted (sucker-punched) Julia Bonds, Goldman Prize winner for North America and co-director of Coal River Mountain Watch. I went up the mountain with Larry Gibson, who refuses to sell his property, which includes a 200-year-old cemetery containing scores of his relatives. He has been the target of drive-by shootings as recently as last week, and I saw two bullet holes in the side of his house. The FBI should be investigating. On the way down the mountain some thick-necked Massey employees gave us a vigorous one-finger salute—but others a friendly nod on passing. Larry mentioned that when Bobby Kennedy Jr. looked at the scalped mountain he said, “if any foreign nation had done this to us, we would have declared war on them.” Instead what we have in Washington is (coal-fired) senators who advocate for the abominable practice.
Don Blankenship, Massey CEO and seemingly a role model for a few of his employees, suggested he would like to “debate” me about global warming. I agreed to a discussion in which I could make a presentation (on the order of 40 minutes) of the science, and he would have as much time (before or after), followed by discussion and interaction including audience. Mountain State University eagerly agreed to provide the auditorium. It seemed fool-proof, because if Blankenship failed to show, I could give a bit longer talk and have discussion with the audience. But, after I got a room in Beckley, staying an extra day, Blankenship decided he would only do a debate in a television studio with his favorite moderator. When Mountain State University learned what Blankenship’s wishes were, they withdrew permission to use their auditorium. I turned on the television news and heard: Blankenship offered to have a discussion with me, but “Dr. Hansen was still trying to check his schedule”—this was a television station that knew exactly what had actually happened. It seems that even the media is owned by coal.
When the strategic interest of the nation and the world is so clear, can a few gluttons with a few bucks really drive our policy? Does this great country not have better leadership than that?
Here’s an op-ed by me on mountaintop removal.
And here’s the statement I made at the June 23 rally:
When, in the course of their lives, people find they are being abused by those in a position of power, and their children and their children’s future are being damaged by those in power, it is the right of the people, and their sacred duty, to resist those in position of power and fight for the well-being of the young and the unborn.

First, we believe that no child’s health and safety are expendable for the expediency of a dirty energy source. Marsh Fork Elementary stands as the prime example of just how far this country has gone to support its addiction to coal, and just how far Massey Energy will go to support its profit margin. The West Virginia Supreme Court has joined Governor Manchin in turning their backs on these children, subjecting them to expanded operations within 300 feet of the school, in clear violation of the law’s intent to protect the children. According to Massey’s own documents, the second coal silo and associated operations will add over three tons of coal dust to the air the children breathe every school year during their most formative years. Therefore, we demand that Massey withdraw plans to build the second silo within 300 feet of Marsh Fork.

Second, even without the second silo, the children’s health is still at risk from the coal dust they already breathe. In addition, Massey subjects the children to the daily threat of a 2.8 billion gallon sludge dam only 400 yards upstream. Massey’ 2,000-acre mountaintop removal site, with multiple violations, drains into the sludge dam and also subjects the children to dust. Community members have for years demanded a safe, new school in the children’s own community. The hard-working taxpayers of the community did not create this unhealthy situation-Massey did. Therefore, we demand that Massey fund the building of a new school at a safe location in the children’s own community.

Third, mountaintop removal destroys opportunities for sustainable economic development. On Coal River Mountain, Massey has applied for permits to remove over ten square miles of a ridge that has excellent commercial wind potential. This action would lower the mountain enough to remove this important economic opportunity. Wind energy here would also provide a source of electricity that does not put more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, thereby helping to prevent the worst effects of the global climate crisis. Therefore, we demand that Massey withdraw its permits on Coal River Mountain in order to facilitate the Coal River Wind Project, which would provide a permanent source of clean energy and jobs.

Fourth, mountaintop removal destroys the life-giving water supplies that are essential to viable communities and sustainable livelihoods. As we have been again reminded in recent months, mountaintop removal subjects communities to greater risk of devastating floods. Instead of continuing to destroy mountains, Massey workers could be employed for decades minimizing the damage that has already been done. To begin this important task, Massey must not destroy one more acre of the mountains. Mountaintop removal exacerbates dependence on coal, which is largely responsible for fueling the global climate crisis. We must take immediate steps to transition away from coal as a source of electricity. Therefore, we demand that Massey stop conducting mountaintop removal operations.

We hold it self evident that these demands are just, feasible, and essential. No job or profit margin justifies Massey’s ongoing threats to the community by mountaintop removal.

Mountaintop removal ignites strong passions because local effects are obvious - pollution of air and water, effects on human health, destruction of the environment.

But another effect of coal mining, global climate change, will become important in the next few decades. Climate change will have large consequences for people who are alive today, especially children, and future generations.

President Obama speaks of “a planet in peril” for good reason. If we do not move rapidly to carbon-free energy, we will hand our children a planet that has passed climate tipping points. It will be a more desolate planet, with half or more species committed to extinction.

Burning all fossil fuels would destroy the future of young people and the unborn. Coal is the critical issue. Coal is the main cause of climate change. It is also the dirtiest fossil fuel. Air pollution, arsenic, and mercury from coal have devastating effects on human health and cause birth defects.

The science is clear. We must have a moratorium on new coal plants and phase out existing ones within the next 20 years. We should start with termination of mountaintop removal now. Coal from mountaintop removal provides only 7 percent of United States coal, less than the amount of coal that we export.

Why is the Administration not stopping mountaintop removal? Why do they advocate halfway measures? Because of the political clout of coal in Washington, that’s why.

But coal did not elect Obama. Who helped Obama win the Iowa primary? Not coal, it was young people. Who got out the vote in the general election - it was young people - young people who had hope - hope that we could have leaders who do the right thing, not what is politically expedient.

We must raise the pressure to do what is right - for our children and the planet - not for the wallets of the few. Continued mountaintop removal defeats the purpose of the administration’s effort to fight climate change.

And mountaintop removal poisons water supplies and pollutes the air. Coal ash piles are so toxic and unstable that Homeland Security has declared that the location of the nation’s 44 most hazardous coal ash sites must be kept secret. They fear terrorists will find ways to spill the toxic substances. But storms and heavy rain can do the same.

President Obama remains the best hope, perhaps the only hope, for real change. If the President used his influence, his eloquence, his bully pulpit, he could be the agent of real change. But he needs our help to overcome the political realities of compromise.

Politicians may choose to advocate for halfway measures. But it is our responsibility to make sure our representatives feel the full force of citizens who speak for what is right, not what some judge as “winnable”.

We must make clear to Congress, to EPA, to the Obama administration that we the people want mountaintop removal terminated and we want a move toward rapid phase-out of coal emissions. The time for half measures and caving in to polluting industries is over. It is time for citizens to demand - yes, we can.
http://www.grist.org/article/2009-06-26-hansen-marsh-fork-protest/

TERI chief says Indian Army's biggest enemy is climate change

2009-06-28 13:20:00

Dr. R.K. Pachauri, Director General of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has warned the Indian Army that climate change could prove to be their biggest enemy, as melting snow could open a new passage for terrorists.
"Climate change poses new threats to India. Melting snows in the north open up passages for terrorists, just as melting glaciers affect water supply in the subcontinent's northern part, sharpening possibility of conflict with our neighbours. Changing rainfall patterns affect rain fed agriculture, worsening poverty which can be exploited by others," Dr. Pachauri said while delivering the keynote address at the convocation ceremony at the Military College of Telecommunication Engineering, Mhow.
He cautioned that climate change might force millions of 'climate refugees' across India's border, posing a new challenge to nation's armed forces.
"Our defence forces might find themselves torn between humanitarian relief operations and guarding our borders against climate refugees, as rising sea-levels swamp low-lying areas, forcing millions of 'climate refugees' across India's border," he added.
As the Chief Guest, Pachauri presented the Chief of Army Staff Trophy and other awards to the winners.
In his Valedictory Address, Dr. Pachauri complimented the officers for the exemplary work they have done during various natural calamities across the length and breadth of the country.
He praised the Corps of Signals for their good work in the field of modern communications and computer networks and their remarkable use of advanced systems of Optical Fiber, Satellite Communications, and other networks to conduct its operations, including Low Intensity Conflict Operations and UN missions.
The Commandant, Military College of Telecommunication Engineering in his farewell address, exhorted the passing out officers to apply their knowledge in their units and to keep abreast with the latest in the field of technology. (ANI)





http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?a=jg2nu5ibcgh&title=TERI_chief_says_Indian_Army_s_biggest_enemy_is_climate_change

Violation of Forest Act by Kerala Forest Dept.
Concrete tiling work has been taking place in the middle of the Muthikulam Reserve Forest. Concrete tiling and other construction work is a clear violation of the Forest Act of 1980. We suspect the silent consent of higher officials..

ATTACHED IS a photograph of concrete tiling work at the Pattiyar Bungalow in Siruvani which is located in the middle of the Muthikulam reserve forest which is at the core of the Neelagiri bio reserve. The Kerala forest department directly undertakes construction work in the forest rest house area.

Concrete tiling and other construction work is a clear violation of the Forest Act of 1980. We have already filed a petition with the principal chief conservator of forests, Kerala against such illegal construction that is being carried out within the forest area which comes under the conservator of forests, Palakkad Division.

Also, there is a standing order by the hon. empowered committee of the Supreme Court against constructions in Muthikulam forest area. So such constructions have also been in violation of the said order. It appears that the forest department is attempting to convert this place into a tourism point, which will lead to the destruction of vegetation and wildlife within the forest. The state forest minister Binoy Viswam, had visited the area recently and expressed his concern.

We are of the opinion that these illegal constructions have happened with the silent consent of higher officials.

http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=15774364



Water crisis forces KMC to lift ban on tube wells
29 Jun 2009, 0551 hrs IST, Saikat Ray, TNN

Print
Email
Discuss Share
Save
Comment
Text:




KOLKATA: With filtered water supply from Garden Reach falling drastically, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has withdrawn its ban on

sinking tube wells to tide over the ongoing water scarcity that has compounded the discomfort level this summer.

The ban had been imposed in 2007 to prevent the depletion of groundwater in areas where it is the sole source of water for lakhs of residents. In a major policy shift, the civic authorities now plan to allow residents of these areas to instal hand tube wells.

The decision came in view of the acute water crisis the city is facing. In fact, water scarcity in large parts of south Kolkata deepened from Friday after a motor pump at Garden Reach water treatment plant's intake jetty became defunct. Earlier, water supply from this plant got hampered after a 62-inch main pipe got breached due to digging.

The KMC water supply department has now decided to sanction 200 tube wells in Behala, Tollygunge and Jadavpur. This apart, the civic authorities instructed the water supply department to sink big-diar tube wells in areas where drinking water is scarce.

According to sources in the KMC water supply department, 35 big-diar tube wells would be sunk in added areas such as Wattgunge, Behala and Jadavpur. A KMC estimate revealed that besides 210 million gallon filtered water from Palta waterworks and 95 million gallon from Garden Reach waterworks, KMC supplies 35 million gallon through its big-diar tube wells.

The ban had been imposed after separate findings by the Central Groundwater Board and the KMC water supply department that the groundwater level had depleted to a great extent in areas where water was being regularly drawn by tube wells.

The civic body had earlier promised to increase the supply of filtered water by 2008 to these areas. Accordingly, 98 big-diar tube wells had been sanctioned in these areas, which was later cancelled. Obviously, the KMC had drawn the citizens' flak when it failed to meet its promise of supplying adequate filtered water and yet, continued with the ban on sinking tube wells.

However, KMC announced that no permission would be granted to sink tube wells in areas like Cossipore, Dum Dum, Garden Reach, Behala, Tollygunge and Jadavpur but more filtered water would be supplied to them from Palta and Garden Reach waterworks. The civic body also sanctioned Rs 36 crore to construct a 15 million gallon water treatment plant at Garden Reach and Rs 105 crore to refurbish the main water pipe that carries filtered water from Palta Waterworks to Tallah pumping station. But construction of the 15 mg plant at Garden Reach is way behind schedule while the ambitious pipeline project at Palta is yet to take off.

However, the scene changed drastically this summer as lakhs of residents in Garden Reach, Behala, Bansdroni, Ranikuthi (Tollygunge) and Jadavpur complained of acute shortage of drinking water. Residents along large stretches of Eastern Metropolitan Bypass accused the civic body of sitting on the proposed Rs 100-crore water treatment plant project at Dhapa which would have supplied 45 million gallons a day.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Kolkata-/Water-crisis-forces-KMC-to-lift-ban-on-tube-wells/articleshow/4713747.cms