Mining – India 1
1. Church under pressure over revelations that Vedanta supplies nuclear programme 1
2. Cong, NCP split over Adani mines 3
3. Bhati, Viliena locals oppose renewal of mining lease 4
4. Workshop to boost mining sector 5
5. tate may move Centre against ban on asbestos mines 7
6. Diamond mining at Panna likely to resume – NMDC 8
7. Mining life for brand opportunities 8
8. Tata Steel to produce half of Corus' raw materials by 2012 9
Mining – International 10
9. Local mining and construction machinery inputs fall $351m 10
10. De-mining process given priority in resettlement 11
11. West Lombok ready to introduce private and community-based gold mining 11
12. Downsizing deals - 100 workers called back at Pinnacle Mining 12
13. First Pac keen on Manila Mining 13
14. New Utah uranium mine controversial 14
15. Nickel price too volatile for mine restart-Mincor 14
Other News 15
16. Rs 260cr gone with the wind 15
17. United States in Error About Wild Western Horses 16
18. They are not familiar with NREGS 19
19. What RBI is telling us 19
20. India to enforce energy efficiency in climate fight 21
21. Sydney Opera House Under Threat From Climate Change 23
22. Rio’s plea to villages for donating water 24
Mining – India
Church under pressure over revelations that Vedanta supplies nuclear programme
• Sacred mountain bauxite will be used for missiles
• Campaigners press for ethical rethink on share stake
• Buzz up!
• Digg it
• Gethin Chamberlain in Delhi
• guardian.co.uk, Sunday 2 August 2009 20.03 BST
An Agni III nuclear capable missile is paraded during the Republic Day Parade in January in New Delhi, India. Vedanta supplies alumina for the weapon. Photograph: Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images
The Church of England will come under more pressure to give up its stake in a controversial mining group after it emerged that the firm supplies materials to India's nuclear missile programme.
Bauxite mined by Vedanta Resources from a sacred Indian mountain will be used to produce components for the country's military, the Guardian has learned, bringing a potential conflict between the church's ethical investment policy and £2.5m stake in the company. Several local councils also have stakes in the firm.
A spokesman for Vedanta confirmed that bauxite from the mine would be supplied to its Balco subsidiary but insisted that the company was only involved in the production of metals for the weapons, rather than the weapons themselves.
"What these guys sell is the refined aluminium which can then be used for all sorts of things, they are not actually involved in manufacturing weapons," he said. Balco supplies 90% of the aluminium used in India's nuclear-capable Agni, Prithvi and Akaash missiles.
Vedanta's plan to mine at Niyamgiri in the eastern state of Orissa has prompted a barrage of criticism from environmental activists, who claim it will displace the 8,000 strong Dongria Kondh tribe and wreck the delicate ecosystem of the area. The hill is regarded as sacred by the tribe.
Last week activists including Bianca Jagger targeted the British company's annual meeting, hoping to persuade shareholders to force the company to abandon plans for the mine.
Those shareholders include the Church of England, which has a £2.5m holding in Vedanta. It has already promised that its Ethical Investment Advisory Group [EIAG] will hold talks with the company's management over the mining plans.
But today's revelation will heap further pressure on the church, which has a policy of not investing in companies that supply or manufacture armaments.
In a policy document entitled Church Investments and Armaments, the EIAG states that "the church has historically avoided armaments where these constituted the main business or focus of any company. However a policy review resulted in new criteria being adopted that provides for the complete exclusion of armaments."
A spokesman for the EIAG said: "We are taking the allegations about Vedanta's Niyamgiri operations and plans very seriously and we will make our assessment as quickly as possible."
He said the company had responded promptly to a request for a meeting but because of the holiday season a video conference was not likely to take place before September. The EIAG is also planning to take up an offer from Vedanta to visit Lanjigarh in Orissa, where the firm has a bauxite refinery, to look at its operations.
Campaigners opposed to the mine said the company's involvement in the production of nuclear missiles was further reason to oppose the project.
Meredith Alexander, head of trade and corporates at ActionAid said: "Vedanta's commitment to sustainable development becomes ever more laughable. The news that Vedanta provides raw materials for weapons systems is outrageous.
"This is just another reason why investors should take a hard look at their holdings in Vedanta. The Church of England, for example, state that they will not invest in defence companies. Vedanta's involvement in missile production surely makes their investment even more controversial."
Campaigners also want other high profile investors to rethink their involvement. These include the pension funds of three councils – Hertfordshire and Suffolk county councils and Havering district council. The list also includes leading fund managers such as Norwich Union Life and Pensions Ltd, Halifax pension fund and Axa Sun Life Assurance Society.
The aluminium alloys needed for India's Agni, Prithvi and Akaash missiles were developed by Balco, purchased from the Indian government in 2001 by Sterlite Industries – which is owned by Vedanta Resources. Vedanta has an alumina refinery at Lanjigarh, where from next year bauxite mined at Niyamgiri will be processed, according to its most recent company report.
Once that happens, the company plans to continue to supply part of Lanjigarh's output to Balco, which states on its website that one of the key clients is the Indian missile programme.
Vedanta was allowed by the supreme court to go ahead with the mine at Niyamgiri despite advice from the court's central committee that the use of the forest land in an ecologically sensitive area should not be permitted. In its findings, the committee observed that "the casual approach, the lackadaisical manner and the haste with which the entire issue of forests and environmental clearance for the alumina refinery project has been dealt with smacks of undue favour/leniency".
Campaigners still believe that they have a chance of overturning the decision, with ActionAid citing a 1989 protest which stopped a Balco mine in the Gandhamardan hill in neighbouring Bargarh district. Last year the company made a renewed application to mine there too.
"Despite the supreme court ruling, the legal struggle against Vedanta's proposed mine in Niyamgiri continues," said Meredith Alexander. "The Kondh people have now launched a fresh challenge which highlights Vedanta's environmental record and its dogged refusal to listen to the local community.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/aug/02/vedanta-mining-environment-development
Cong, NCP split over Adani mines
Ramu Bhagwat 3 August 2009, 12:55am IST
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NAGPUR: The Adani Power Ltd.'s plans for mining of coal close to Tadoba tiger reserve, one of the last remaining havens of tiger in the country
has run into a political storm. It seems to have split Nationalist Congress Party, a constituent of the UPA government and partner of DF government in Maharashtra, and Congress. NCP is quietly backing it while Congress is bent upon scuttling it citing potential damage to tiger habitat.
This became evident with Congress president Sonia Gandhi taking a grim view of the project. Replying to the letter written to her by city MP Vilas Muttemwar, Gandhi last week wrote: "®arding the concerns expressed over the proposed diversion of forest land in Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Chandrapur district for opencast coal mining. I am having the matter looked into."
According to party sources, Sonia Gandhi immediately referred the matter raised by Muttemwar to environment minister Jairam Ramesh and coal minister Sriprakash Jaiswal to resolve.
Prime minister Manmohan Singh is also seized of the issue after seven members of parliament from Vidarbha, cutting across party lines wrote to him seeking withdrawal allocation of the mine blocks at the doorsteps of TATR. With all parties opposing it and the NCP maintaining a studied silence, the Sharad Pawar-led party is isolated on Adani mines issue.
The NCP has huge stakes in the project as Adani is setting up a thermal power plant at Tiroda in Gondia district, the home turf of NCP strongman Praful Patel.
With pressure from the top party bosses, state forest minister Babanrao Pachpute has till date succeeded in reining in his officials, who privately agree that allowing mining would be disastrous for tiger habitat and forest.
The mine falls in the buffer zone of the reserve and will affect the highly endangered tigers' movement by cutting the corridor connecting central India with tiger habitats in south.
The mines will directly occupy about 1600 hectares of prime forest land. The area not only has rich vegetation but also has presence of wildlife including big cats like tigers and leopards. For this reason, the project has evoked strong protests from local villagers as well as environmental activists.
With the PM and the Congress president now lending support to opponents of Adani mines, the issue may turn into a political battle between Congress and NCP.
With the state assembly elections barely two months away, the tussle between the two parties assumes greater significance.
It is also being seen as another move by Congress to corner Pawar to wrest more concessions from its alliance partner during seat-sharing negotiations.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/NEWS/City/Nagpur/Cong-NCP-split-over-Adani-mines/articleshow/4849893.cms
Bhati, Viliena locals oppose renewal of mining lease
TNN 2 August 2009, 04:32am IST
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PANAJI: The proposed renewal of a mining lease to work iron ore and ferro manganese mines in Bhati and Viliena admeasuring about 200-odd hectares
within the catchment area of south Goa's lifeline, Selaulim dam has raised protests from residents, as they fear large-scale destruction of forest, water resources and agriculture.
Villagers pointed out that the mines are sought to be operated in the sensitive buffer zone of the dam, which supplies water to four talukas. The Kumari river, a tributary which flows into Selaulim dam is likely to be silted by the run offs from the rejection, and agriculture being the mainstay of their livelihood will be wiped off, they alleged.
The Cajucodil Molla iron ore mine is located in Viliena, the second one Nuilitembo Fatratembo iron ore at Bhati, Viliena and Paicatembo ferro manganese mine at Viliena.
The environmental public hearing conducted on Thursday at Laxmi temple, Viliena, Sanguem was a noisy one as enraged villagers opposing mining activities almost clashed with supporters of the lease renewal, including the village sarpanch.
At the outset, Mahadev Bhatikar, a villager, raised a preliminary objection alleging that the public hearing was being held though the lease had lapsed. However, a company official explained that his firm had applied to the directorate of mines and geology for renewal of the lease within the stipulated time, as required under the law. On the basis of this explanation, the additional collector overuled the objection.
Manohar Palyekar, a panch and Sanjay Kundaikar pointed out that the sites of the mines were in the proximity of the dam's storage area, which increased during peak rainy season. Suresh Kakodkar, Santosh Bhandari and Sanjay Bhandari, who also presented a memorandum on behalf of Gram Bachav Samiti signed by 161 residents, said that mining activities in an area already suffering from mining problems will not only destroy the flora and fauna, but also people's livelihood. Chanda Rama Velip supported the renewal of the mining lease if various assurances given by the company officials were adhered to.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4846692.cms
Workshop to boost mining sector
TNN 2 August 2009, 10:57pm IST
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MANGALORE: The department of mining engineering, National Institute of Technology __ Karnataka will organize a two-day international workshop on
`winning strategies for revitalizing the mining sector' from August 8. The workshop is being organized on the occasion of silver jubilee celebrations of the department and the golden jubilee of the institute, Harsha Vardhan, organizing secretary of the workshop stated here on Saturday.
Harsha said the department is expecting active participation from nearly 200 delegates including senior executives in the mining industry, academics, alumni andresearchers.
Key issues likely to be deliberated during the workshop include sustainable development of mineral sector, international competitiveness of Indian mining sector, international competitiveness of Indian mining industry, absorption and adaptation of new technology to Indian geo-mining conditions. The main objective of the workshop is to provide a forum for discussing recent advances in the area of mine safety and mineral trading.
S J Sibal, director general of mines safety, ministry of labour and employment will be the chief guest for the inaugural function.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/NEWS/City/Mangalore/Workshop-to-boost-mining-sector/articleshow/4849376.cms
Front Page
Sand mining in Vaigai: violators to be booked under Goondas Act
Special Correspondent
Cancellation of driving licences to be recommended
— File photo: G. Karthikeyan
against the law: Sand being lifted in a lorry from a river in Dindigul district.
MADURAI: Joint teams comprising officials from various departments, including the police, will be formed to check sand mining from the Vaigairiver bed.
Following complaints of smuggling of sand using bullock carts at locations such as Melakkal, Mannadimangalam, Sholavandan and Vadipatti in Madurai district, officials swung into action and seized some bullock carts recently.
Collector N. Mathivanan reviewed the action taken by the officials and asked them to be vigiliant and pro-active.
In a bid to step up action, it had been decided to form micro-level teams from Geology and Mines Department, Revenue, TWAD Board, PWD and the Police. In coordination with the RDO (Revenue Divisional Officer) at Madurai and Usilampatti, the Tahsildars at the respective divisions would monitor the progress.
According to the officials who attended the meeting, the Collector has approved the detention of violators under the Goondas Act. “We have been told to seize vehicles and recommend cancellation of the driving licences to the RTO concerned,” a revenue officer said.
Obstruction
A tahsildar said that the smugglers had obstructed the approach way to the river bed by erecting stone pillars in the middle. In some other locations, they had even dug up the approach way. At night, it would be risky to leave the vehicle and walk into the river bed, he said.
A senior officer in the Mines Department said that the drive would be stepped up soon and public could inform the police and revenue officers if they have specific information which would be kept confidential.
http://www.hindu.com/2009/08/03/stories/2009080356320100.htm
tate may move Centre against ban on asbestos mines
Anindo Dey, TNN 3 August 2009, 04:27am IST
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JAIPUR: At a time when the world is realising about the hazardous effects of mining asbestos, the state government is contemplating to approach
the Centre against the ban on granting lease to asbestos mines in the state.
This was revealed in a reply to an RTI application filed by one Bhanwar Singh, a resident of Pratap Nagar and an activist of the Mines Labour Protection Campaign (MLPC) in Udaipur. The state's plea for granting lease to mining of asbestos is based on a study underaken by Indian Bureau of Mines that recommends lifting of the ban on mining of chrysotile asbestos.
Asbestos is currently found in three states only -- Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and Rajasthan. While Andhra Pradesh has the Chrysolite variety of asbestos, Rajasthan produces the Amphibolite variety.
In a proposal, the directorate of mines argues that on May 26, 1997, nine years after ministry of steel, mines and coal had issued directives for a ban on renewal or granting of new leases for mining asbestos, a fresh study was conducted on the impact of environment due to asbestos mining.
The mines department, quoting the Indian Bureau of Mines, which conducted the study, said that there was no adverse effect on environment or on the health of workers due to asbestos mining in Rajasthan.
The report also mentions that all safety measures like sprinkling of water, wet drilling, use of dust masks along with a periodic health check up of workers are done in the state. The report adds that despite the fact that asbestos is being mined in Rajasthan since the past 40 years, no report of illness has been reported from any of its workers.
Moreover, the proposal says that in a meeting held on January 22, 2007, the joint secretary, mines had advocated the lifting of ban on the Chrysolite variety of asbestos found in Andhra following which the additional director had opined on lifting of the ban on the Amphibolite variety too.
The state has also argued that the lifting of the ban would not only generate employment but will also bring in revenue for the state government.
Studies have shown that asbestos mining has deleterious effect on the health of workers and exposes them to diseases like asbestosis which can cause death.
In fact, it was in view of the adverse effects of asbestos mining on the health of the workers that the Central government directed the state governments in 1986 not to grant any new mining lease for asbestos (including chrysotile variety) in the country. In June 1993, the central government stopped the renewal of existing mining leases of asbestos.
The ban was imposed in phases in 1986 and 1993 but not on its use, manufacture, export and import. But despite the ban on mining, illegal mines are operating in Jharkhand, Rajasthan and
Andhra Pradesh. Most asbestos-cement is using imported asbestos, but some of it is being sourced from the illegal mining though that is a relatively small proportion.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4850016.cms
Diamond mining at Panna likely to resume – NMDC
Monday, 03 Aug 2009
PTI reported that NMDC is likely to restart mining operations at the Panna diamond reserves in Madhya Pradesh by August 15th and is currently undertaking trial runs at the site.
Mr Rana Som chairman of NMDC said "Right now the trial run is going on. I am going only for that. It will take a maximum a month, I wish the mining operations can be resumed before August 15th."
Unable to obtain environment clearance and a nod from the adjoining wildlife sanctuary, the Panna diamond mines was shut in 2005.
However, with a recent conditional nod from the SC which asked the miner to pay INR 10.69 crore as net present value to the state government, the ministry said it was working to reopen the mines within the 100 days of the current government's coming to power in June.
(Sourced from Press Trust of India)
http://steelguru.com/news/index/2009/08/03/MTA1MzE3/Diamond_mining_at_Panna_likely_to_resume_-_NMDC.html
Mining life for brand opportunities
K V Sridhar (Pops) / August 03, 2009, 0:28 IST
Not very long ago, when joint families were still the norm, elders would insist we have a spoonful of curd with sugar before we step out of the house. The auspicious ritual of combining sugar with a little bit of sour was meant to prepare you for experiences, both sweet and bitter, through the day. Or when your grandmother’s home made sweets and confectionary was the centre piece of every family celebration. As families become nuclear and grandchildren’s easy access to grandmother’s goodies become rare, the winds of cultural change bring opportunities for brands to seize! Cadbury, chose to compete with life, instead of playing within the confines its category and was positioned in place of traditional sweets, with the tagline of “kuch meetha ho jaye”. For nuclear families, it meant that while Dadima’s pedas would be missed; the celebration would no longer be incomplete.
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Brands have shown time and again, real ambition means growing out of the narrow definition of “categories” and pitting against real life. So a Sprite competes with water and talks about ‘Pyaas Bhujaye’, Glucon D takes on Nimbu Paani and Kellogg’s endeavors to bring nutrition and health to the breakfast table, otherwise used to a traditional, heavy spread of parathas and dosas. Tata Nano speaks to two-wheeler owners, public transport users, even pedestrians and simultaneously cycle brands have the opportunity to address concerns for pollution and traffic, by kicking off a cycling revolution. B Cycle, a bike sharing program, created by the agency Crispin Porter, Trek Cycles and Humana, in the United States, worked on the same principle.
The advantage for brands is amply evident if we marry our strength in numbers to several opportunities that real life presents. Imagine if every single Indian of the 1.2 billion population were to grab a cola, even once every year, Cola consumption would significantly gain. And it is this potential that our current budget recognizes. By looking beyond the urban middle class, the government is doing its share by making life better for more people, allowing us the opportunity to churn out creativity that impacts human behaviour.
(The author is National Creative Director, Leo Burnett)
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/mining-life-for-brand-opportunities/365699/
Tata Steel to produce half of Corus' raw materials by 2012
Nevin John / Mumbai August 03, 2009, 0:15 IST
Ore and coking coal to come from Tata mines in Canada, Africa.
BSE | NSE
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Tata Steel, the world’s sixth largest steelmaker, has prepared a plan to produce half the iron ore and coking coal — the raw materials used to make steel — for Corus, its European subsidiary, by 2012. The move will help downturn-hit Corus, which Tata Steel acquired for $12 billion in 2007, to cut input costs and operate on higher profit margins like its Indian parent.
“The raw materials would come from our mines in Mozambique, Canada, South Africa and Cote d’Ivoire,” said Tata Steel’s managing director, B Muthuraman.
“The mine in South Africa will start production by end of 2010, while the mines in Mozambique and Canada will be operational by 2011. From Cote d’Ivoire (also called Ivory Coast), we require five to eight years for production to begin,” Muthuraman recently said.
Industry analysts estimated that Corus could save up to 60 per cent of input costs, translating into a cost reduction of about $120 a tonne of steel, if it could achieve full self-sufficiency in raw materials. “Since the company is looking for only 50 per cent raw material security, the overall input cost reduction will be 30 per cent, or $60 a tonne of steel,” said Prasad Baji, senior vice-president, Edelweiss.
Corus, which has an annual production capacity of 20 million tonnes, has its major plants located in the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Belgium. Current capacity utilisation at these plants, however, is only 53 per cent. It will be increased to 65 per cent by the September quarter and then to 75 per cent in the December quarter, said Muthuraman. Full self-sufficiency would help the European steelmaker save about $2.4 billion annually when it runs in full capacity.
The Tata Steel group, including Indian and European operations, had spent over $8 billion (about Rs 40,000 crore) on raw material purchase in the previous fiscal year. The current landing price of iron ore from the contract market, at $80-90 a tonne, is three times that of the ore from captive mines. The cost will be halved in coking coal.
For the Indian operation, Tata Steel sources its entire iron ore and 65 per cent of coking coal from its captive mines.
Corus, which has been hit by the global financial crisis and the collapse of steel prices, has cut manpower and is in the process of selling assets to weather the downturn. In October-November, the firm launched two restructuring programmes. The first of these — labelled ‘Weathering the Storm’ — yielded $1.02 billion in the second half of the past financial year. The second initiative — ‘Fit For Future’ — has led to annual enhancement of $286 million in Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation).
In April, Tata Steel had secured an equity interest in an iron ore deposit in South Africa from which it expects to mine two million tonnes a year. The Sedibang mine has a reserve of about 50 mt. The company also expects to mine four mt of iron ore in Canada and five to six mt of coal in Mozambique.
In 2007, Tata Steel bought 35 per cent in two coal tenements of Riversdale Mining in Mozambique. It also signed a $100 million offtake agreement with the Australian miner that gives the Tatas the right to buy 40 per cent of coal produced from the two fields. The steelmaker also bought a 19.38 per cent stake in Riversdale in four open market share purchases.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/tata-steel-to-produce-halfcorus\-raw-materials-by-2012/365712/
Mining – International
Local mining and construction machinery inputs fall $351m
3 August 2009
Australian mining and construction machinery imports have fallen $351m per month since the December 2008 high of $456m to June 2009, according to the Skelton Sherborne Shipping Index.
Compiled every month, the Skelton Sherborne Shipping Index every month indicates the state of the mining and construction industries by way of the import activity into Australia.
According to the Index, there is virtually no Australian manufacturing of this equipment any longer.
“I don’t think the industry has ever seen such a drastic downturn in such a short space of time. Opinions are differing between our customers as to whether or not the market has bottomed however increasing commodity prices suggest demand should soon follow in the mining sector and with it increased need for equipment,” said Skelton Sherborne director, Brad Skelton.
“Construction equipment volumes look much more doubtful as many of our customers already large inventories on hand or idle equipment. Federal Government infrastructure funding seems to have had no discernable positive impact.”
The equipment types included in the index are new and used. These include: bulldozers, dump trucks, graders, mobile cranes, tracked cranes, excavators and draglines >12t, excavators < 12t, scrapers, wheeled dozers, wheel loaders, tracked loaders, crushers, screeners, compactors, tree fellers and harvesters, bitumen mixing plants/machines, road making/paving and other public works equipment, other earthmoving machines.
http://www.pacetoday.com.au/Article/Local-mining-and-construction-machinery-inputs-fall-351m/492792.aspx
De-mining process given priority in resettlement
As the government much concern on the maximum security of the civilians to be resettled, the de-mining process underway in the liberated areas are been given the priority in the resettlement agenda of the "Uthuru Wasanthaya " program.
The LTTE terrorists, once called themselves as the "sole representative" of the Tamil community, have heavily laid land mines in these areas to obstruct the humanitarian mission launched by the Sri Lankan security forces to liberate over 300,000 Tamil civilians from LTTE clutches.
Indian government has already extended their fullest corporation to the de-mining process sending logistical and manpower assistance.
Several foreign governments have also financially assisted the de-mining process launched by the Sri Lankan government over the past few months.
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20090803_05
West Lombok ready to introduce private and community-based gold mining
Panca Nugraha , The Jakarta Post , West Lombok | Mon, 08/03/2009 2:03 PM | The Archipelago
The West Lombok regency administration is set to open gold mines in Seketong district that will have a community focus.
The new policy is intended to curb illegal gold mining activities in the area and help to append the regency's income in the future.
"We have requested a fixed mining zone from the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry. A team from the ministry is currently conducting a field survey in Sepotong district," West Lombok Regent Zaini Arony told The Jakarta Post at his office on Friday.
Based on analysis by the provincial mining, energy and mineral resource office, there is an estimated 1,395 tons of gold spread over a 20 hectare-area in Sekotong.
The amount is much bigger than the gold potential in West Sumbawa regency, which is estimated to be around 390 tons, a part of which is currently being exploited by PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara on Sumbawa Island.
Zaini said his administration had drafted a local ordinance on mining regulating the zone division system to develop the potential.
If the plan goes ahead, part of the mines will be managed by the public sector. The first zone, the community mining zone will involve the local community in mining management, while the second zone, the public mining zone will be managed between the private sector and regency-owned companies.
To preserve the tourism potential of Sekotong, the regency administration has also designed a third zone, also known as the tourism zone.
"The draft ordinance is being deliberated. Besides developing gold mining potential there, we will also preserve tourism resources, such as protecting a 1 km radius of the coast from mining activities, despite the presence of gold reserves," said Zaini.
According to him, the size of the mining zones would be based on analysis by the team from the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry currently conducting a survey. Results from the survey will form the basis of the central government's plans to divide the mining zones.
The West Lombok regency administration has been prompted to open the zoning system due to widespread illegal gold mining in Sekotong. Apart from not contributing anything to the regional income, the practice has damaged the environment and put the lives of illegal miners at risk.
Illegal miners have been operating in Sekotong since the middle of last year. The regency administration recorded at least 4,000 illegal miners were operating there as of March this year.
They also use dangerous substances, such as mercury, which is harmful to the environment.
The local administration banned any type of mining activity through a regency decree in April this year. However, there are still people engaged in the activity in a clandestine manner.
Zaini said the opening of gold mining coupled with a zoning system would contribute to the regency's income as well as preserve the environment.
He said the ministry had promised to provide training, such as mining techniques, to traditional miners in Sekotong.
"For the public mining zone, we will select private investors who intend to do business here," Zaini said. He also said that so far three investors had expressed their interests in developing gold mining in Sekotong.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/08/03/west-lombok-ready-introduce-private-and-communitybased-gold-mining.html
Downsizing deals - 100 workers called back at Pinnacle Mining
Monday, 03 Aug 2009
Cliffs Natural Resources Inc said that Pinnacle Mining Co LLC is calling about 100 employees back to work at the Pinnacle and Green Ridge number 1 mines in Wyoming County near the McDowell County line. Pinnacle Mining is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cliffs Natural Resources.
Mr Jim Kosowski district manager public affairs of Cliffs said that "We have shown some business improvement that warrants this announcement." He added that when the mine is operating at full capacity, there are close to 500 coal miners at the two mines.
Cliffs said that in addition to the modest improvement in current orders, the call back was also based on market expectations going forward. Pinnacle and Green Ridge mine the famed Pocahontas number 3 seam coal, one of the world’s best metallurgical coals. It added that "Metallurgical coal demand has been reduced as the steel industry has cut back production in the face of the global economic slowdown."
Cliffs announced on April 10th 2009 that the mines would be idled due to reduced demand for metallurgical coal worldwide. Cliffs announced in early December 2008, that it planned to reduce production levels at the Pinnacle Mine, and enacted staff reductions. On March 1, Pinnacle and Green Ridge were back up to the same level of production as the mine was producing at the start of the year, but six weeks later, both mines were idled.
(Sourced from www.bdtonline.com)
http://steelguru.com/news/index/2009/08/03/MTA1MzA4/Downsizing_deals_-_100_workers_called_back_at_Pinnacle_Mining.html
First Pac keen on Manila Mining
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:32:00 08/02/2009
Filed Under: Economy and Business and Finance, Mining and quarrying, Company Information
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FIRST PACIFIC CO. Ltd. of Hong Kong is considering to invest not just in Lepanto Consolidated Mining Co. but also in the Surigao del Norte mining operations of the latter’s affiliate Manila Mining Corp.
Already the single biggest stockholder in the country’s largest mining firm Philex Mining Corp., First Pacific is looking at the entire spectrum of the local mining group’s assets, First Pacific executive chair Manuel V. Pangilinan told reporters on Friday.
“We just have to wait for the result of the due diligence because it has many components—Lepanto itself as a company, Manila Mining, which has [operations] in Surigao beside [Philex Mining’s] Boyongan [site],” Pangilinan said at the sidelines of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp.’s annual stockholders’ meeting.
Asked what it was about businessman Felipe Yap’s mining interests that his group wanted, Pangilinan said: “If you put your Philex hat on, it’s the Manila Mining [site] in Surigao beside the Boyongan tenement of Philex, so we’ll be interested in exploring that.”
“There are many options. We can invest in Lepanto or just the mine in Surigao,” he said. Pangilinan also mentioned Lepanto’s subsidiary, Far Southeast Gold Resources Inc.
Asked how big a stake the First Pacific group would like to acquire, Pangilinan said nothing has been finalized. “What we want and what Felipe Yap wants must meet,” he said.
Pangilinan said First Pacific was still awaiting the results of a due-diligence audit, which would likely be finished in two week’s time.
“But I don’t know whether we need more time for more due diligence, so I can’t say that after two weeks we’ll make a decision. It depends on how good the due diligence process was,” he said.
Asked whether First Pacific was interested in other local mining companies in the Philippines, Pangilinan said he could not talk about it because First Pacific is a publicly listed company.
Shares of both Lepanto and Manila Mining have been going up in the past few months on talks of a potential buy-in by Pangilinan’s group.
Doris C. Dumlao
http://business.inquirer.net/money/topstories/view/20090802-218441/First-Pac-keen-on-Manila-Mining
New Utah uranium mine controversial
SALT LAKE CITY, Aug. 2 (UPI) --
Two U.S. environmental groups said Sunday they want the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to prohibit mining in the Daneros uranium mine.
The Salt Lake Tribune said the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and Uranium Watch want to block Utah's first new uranium mine in 30 years.
The groups said they also want to prevent White Canyon Uranium, an Australia-based company, from mining until Selma Sierra, the federal agency's Utah director, decides whether the BLM has examined the environmental ramifications sufficiently.
"There are a lot of issues associated with uranium mining that were not adequately assessed before the permits were issued," said SUWA attorney Liz Thomas.
"The project needs more thorough reviews of its potential impacts on water and air," said Sarah Fields, Director of Moab-based Uranium Watch. "For instance, the BLM did not look at the possible emissions of radon."
http://www.timesoftheinternet.com/97638.html
Nickel price too volatile for mine restart-Mincor
Mon Aug 3, 2009 1:45am EDT
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* Mincor's Miitel mine seen unlikely to restart in 2009 * Mine still profitable, but fears over nickel price volatility (Adds details, quotes)
By James Regan
KALGOORLIE, Australia, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Nickel prices remain too volatile to reactivate one of Australia's largest nickel mines this year, owner Mincor Resources Ltd (MCR.AX) said on Monday.
Mincor idled its Miitel mine in west Australia in late December, halting production of between 4,000 and 5,000 tonnes of nickel per year indefinitely as world prices for the stainless steel alloying metal plummeted.
"It's not in our plans to restart it this calendar year," Mincor Managing Director David Moore said on the side of the Diggers and Dealers mining conference.
Mincor is one of several nickel miners to shutter operations in the face of uncertain commodities markets.
Nickel sells for around $18,300 a tonne, down from record highs above $51,000 a tonne two years ago, though above this year's lows of less than $10,000.
Ore from the Miitel mine was being shipped to the Kalgoorlie nickel smelter owned by BHP Billiton (BHP.AX)(BLT.L) at the time of its closure.
BHP Billiton (BHP.AX) (BLT.L) in January closed its giant Ravensthorpe nickel mine, which was earmarked to yield 55,000 tonnes of nickel, saying it would cost more to produce each tonne than it could be sold for on the London Metal Exchange MNI3 In July, BHP retreated further from high-cost nickel operations, announcing the sale of its Yabulu nickel refinery in eastern Australia to a local mining magnate.
Moore said at current nickel prices, the Miitel mine could make money given the richness of its ore, though too many uncertainties surrounded the metal's outlook.
"We could put it in production tomorrow and be making good money at these prices," Moore said.
"It's more the sustainability of the prices that I want to feel more comfortable about before I put it back into production," he said. (Additional reporting by Joseph Chaney) (Editing by James Thornhill)
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUSSYD23622420090803
Other News
Rs 260cr gone with the wind
Chittaranjan Tembhekar, TNN 3 August 2009, 04:27am IST
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MUMBAI: Dairy-rich Dhule, off the Mumbai-Agra highway bordering Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, is suddenly in focus. And sadly, it's for the wrong
reasons. Over the past two and a half years, thieves from nearby backward areas, where opposition to new local projects is high, have stolen copper from windmills coming up in the world's most ambitious wind energy park. The loss has been pegged at Rs 260 crore, making it the biggest ever theft recorded in the state's industrial sector.
The problem is taking the wind out of the power-starved state's sails. Besides depriving the state of energy, it has caused huge losses to Suzlon, the world's fifth largest wind energy company. The incident was brought to light by the state's own agency, the Maharashtra Economic Development Council (MEDC), in its resource mapping study, completed on March 2009, for districts with a low human development index.
MEDC now wants the state to act urgently to save its image. It warns that it may lose the project to Gujarat or Tamil Nadu.
Touted as the world's largest wind energy farm, with its 1,000 MW capacity set to be expanded to 2,000 MW in eight months, the project is located in the district that currently has the country's highest wind power output (592 MW).
The report says "the value of theft of copper parts of the materials brought in for this project is a phenomenal Rs 260 crore and so organised is the network (of local thieves) that little can be done". It's feared that company may wind up its project, as the theft problem is compounded by opposition from local farmers and adivasis.
The study notes that there's fierce agitation over the 127 hectares of forest land whose ownership, local adivasis say, was to be transferred to them by the state, but which the state gave to Suzlon on a 30-year lease to put up wind towers. An additional 212 hectares were also leased to the company, triggering resentment among locals. The Scheduled Tribes and Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, passed in December 2006, gives ownership rights to those who have been cultivating forest land up to December 2005. The Act is yet to be enforced. "The tribals feel cheated by the state and are resisting any further expansion of Suzlon, as this land was to be legally transferred to their name underforestry legislation," the study notes.
"Suzlon has confirmed that tribals can coexist on the land with windmills if granted legal ownership. But the adivasis want ownership first. Though local sympathy is with tribals, the issue must not be allowed to fester as it has attracted global attention...It is now important for state to transfer the compensatory land to tribals," the study says.
The study points out that part of the 592 MW currently generated in Dhule goes out of the state, and there is little benefit to the district's own economy, which suffers up to eight hours of load-shedding a day.
Dhule can be a global leader in wind power generation, and even a manufacturing hub for it, if local resistance is resolved, the report notes. If one-tenth of the wind power generated were allocated to the district as a privilege, it would help ease tensions, the report suggests.
The report claims farmers are being instigated to demand a stake in Suzlon's profits. A similar campaign had forced Raymonds to drop plans for a merino wool project a few years ago, it points out. "Industry is worried that if Suzlon packs up, not only will Dhule cease to be visible on the world map, but will suffer irreparably in its image," warns MEDC
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4849690.cms
United States in Error About Wild Western Horses
Favor Instead Given to Ranchers, Wild Horses May Die at Government Hands
________________________________________
By JOE CAMP
Released to The Desert Independent
Contrary to What Some Are Saying Wild Horses Are Absolutely Indigenous to the Western United States!
Joe Camp was astonished when he learned that America's wild horses are at risk. "How could that be?" he asked over and over again. "The wild horses of the western U.S. are not only a living laboratory, as a group they are a legendary icon of the American west; sentient beings that are part of our national soul." Camp is the author of the recent best seller The Soul of a Horse: Life Lessons from the Herd and creator of the canine superstar Benji. The following is his journal of discovery while researching his next book.
There's a modern day range war raging across the high deserts of the American west with the demise of the wild mustang as the ultimate goal. It all has to do with control of public lands across the western states. The Bureau of Land Management and the National Forest Service administer 55 million acres that has been designated by law to be devoted principally to the welfare of wild horses and burros. According to Craig Downer, Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology, these two government agencies have disregarded the law and reduced that 55 million acres by approximately 36% and then leased more than 95% of that to cattle and sheep ranchers.
The ranchers are able to lease the grazing rights on these lands for well under the market value of comparable privately held property. The wild horses compete for grazing with their livestock so the ranchers want them off the land entirely. Many of these ranchers are actively campaigning to get the 1971 Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act repealed by trying to convince the government, the media, and the lay public that the horses don't belong on these lands because they are not native. Not indigenous. The federal government is only obligated to protect native wildlife. The rancher claim is that the mustang is merely feral. Domesticated horses that escaped from the Spanish, the Indians, and the cavalry. Feral like the cats who leave home to live in the back alleys of New York.
Their claim simply ignores the historic and scientific truth in pursuit of financial gain.
The wild horse is as native and indigenous to North America as the Bengal tiger is to India or the lion is to Africa. The wild horse was born here in the region that was to be-come Idaho, Utah and Wyoming and fully evolved over a period of 52 million years. Approximately 10,000 years ago an unknown cataclysm wiped out the horse in North America along with numerous other species apparently including the saber-toothed tiger. But not before the horse had migrated across the Bering Strait Land Bridge and spread to the rest of the world. Then in the early sixteenth century the horse was re-introduced to his homeland by the Spanish Conquistadores.
He became what is termed reintroduced native wildlife.
The horse, therefore, by definition, is indigenous. And native.
The cattle and sheep ranchers have convinced the government to allow them to hunt and eliminate the cougar and the wolf because these two predators are killing and eating their cattle and sheep. The cougar and the wolf, like the wild horse, are historically indigenous species that are supposed to be living under the protection of the government on federal lands. The cougar and the wolf are also the natural predators of the wild horse, so without these predators in place, the herds multiply much faster than they would otherwise. Multiply much faster into a world where their forage and water is being consumed by cattle and sheep that effectively outnumber them by more than 150 to one. On land that by law is to be devoted principally to the welfare of wild horses and burros.
So rather than removing the cattle and sheep which would allow the horse to once again be the principle presence on the land and allow the cougar and wolf to flourish and allow natural balance to return, the BLM has stated to the media that the land will not support the number of wild horses and burros living on it so their numbers must be reduced. At this writing more than 33,000 mustangs have been captured and put in holding pens around the country. Not because the land will not support 60,000 horses but because it will not support that many horses plus at least a million for-profit cattle and sheep.
I was astounded at these discoveries and at first was certain I was missing something. If all this were true wouldn't people know about it? Wouldn't they act on the knowledge? Was I crazy? Stark raving nuts?
No I wasn't. At least not in the clinical sense.
Remains of the earliest animal anywhere in the world to bear recognizably horse-like anatomy were found in the Idaho/Utah/Wyoming area dating 52 million years ago.
Three-and-a-half million years ago the now famous fossils found near Hageman, Idaho represent the oldest remains of the fully evolved genus Equus, roughly the size and weight of today's Arabian horse. At this time the horse had not yet migrated across the Bering Strait Bridge.
Bones found in South America from horses that had migrated from North America dated one million years ago appear indistinguishable from Equus caballus (the modern day domestic horse).
DNA sequences taken from long bone remains of horses found preserved in the Alaskan permafrost deposits dated 12,000 to 28,000 years ago differ by as little as 1.2% from modern counterparts.
When the Spanish brought the horse to America they were bringing him home. Back to his native land. Wearing the same genetics, the same DNA sequencing he was wearing when he left and when those left behind were wiped out.
Some wildlife groups consider the bighorn sheep and the American bison "native" to North America. However, both species actually evolved in Asia and came into North America via the Bering Strait Land Bridge. The horse, Equus caballus, conversely, evolved exclusively in North America and crossed the Bering Strait bridge into Siberia, traveling in the other direction. Equus caballus was fully evolved on the North American continent and was migrating west well before the cataclysm of 10,000 years ago.
So conversation that leads anyone to believe that the wild horse is anything other than reintroduced native wildlife is folly. Or worse yet malevolent.
As I write this the 33,000 wild mustangs residing in government holding pens and facilities around the country amount to more than half of all the remaining wild mustangs in existence.
And those remaining in the wild are living below viable levels. Which simply put means below the number that must be available for breeding to keep the horse from not being forced into incest for the species to attempt to survive.
All because of those cattle and sheep. Illegal cattle and sheep. To allow all this to happen someone has to knowingly be breaking the 1971 law.
I remain astounded. And embarrassed that I didn't know any of this before.
And sad.
Made sadder when I learned that just a few months ago the Government Accountability Office recommended death for the 33,000 wild mustangs in government custody because it was costing too much to feed and care for them.
Our research for the next book not only proves beyond any doubt that the wild horse is absolutely native to this land, it also proves that the so called "domestic" horse of today is genetically the same as the wild horse and retains the genetic ability to revert to living in the wild successfully. At one point I looked up The Oxford English Dictionary definition of domestication. It is: To tame or bring under control; to civilize.
To civilize.
That brought a smile. If ever there was a subjective definition of a word "to civilize" would have to be it. What pray tell is not civilized about horses living in the wild? Do they kill living beings? Do they destroy things? Are they mean? Are they to be feared? The answer, of course, is no to all of the above. And every day someone new is proving that the mustang who has lived his entire life in the wild will say yes to a relationship with humans when given the opportunity and treated with patience, respect, and compassion.
Yet our federal Government Accountability Office recommends that 33,000 mustangs should be killed.
OED's definition to civilize of course assumes that humans would be doing the civilizing.
Perhaps humans are the ones needing it.
http://www.thedesertinde.com/United%20States%20in%20Error_0802.html
They are not familiar with NREGS
The dried up SRSP sub canal (Below) Farmers of both the villages.
Naveen Kumar Tallam
First Published : 03 Aug 2009 10:19:36 AM IST
KARIMNAGAR: People in two villages -- Pedda Banjerupalli and Chinna Banjerupalli of Manakondur mandal, about 20 km from the district headquarters, have not been as fortunate as the rest of the villagers in the district.
Though the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme being implemented with the help of Central Government has become a hit among villagers, people in the two villages are still left seeking job cards for the last five years.
Officials concerned didn’t bother to turn up in the villages to extend them the facility.
Comprising 25 per cent of youth, the villages have 500 population.
Had there been timely rains they wouldn’t have bothered about work. Due to the prevailing dry spell, they are left with no work. They are worried that their 300- acre paddy would be dried upo n account of lack of water.
Had we have sufficient water we would have engaged in watering our fields. Now, we badly need work, said Mallaiah, a farmer of Pedda Banjerupalli. Srinivas, a farmer lamented that their main source of water, SRSP sub canal had dried up.
Speaking to Experss, they said though the government set up 40,000 litre-capacity water tank under the comprehensive protective drinking water scheme now it is empty.
Though insufficient people in both the villages are adjusting with one borewell for their drinking water needs for the time being. ``If officials concerned ensured us works under NREGS works we would clear silt from our local pond so that it receives sufficient rain water in the coming days,’’ a youth from Chinna Banjerupalli hoped.
http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=They+are+not+familiar+with+NREGS&artid=HUK2y|omNIA=&SectionID=e7uPP4|pSiw=&MainSectionID=fyV9T2jIa4A=&SectionName=EH8HilNJ2uYAot5nzqumeA==&SEO=
What RBI is telling us
Equity market rallies are unlikely to be sustained if there is a threat of high inflation and monetary contraction
Policy Track | S. Narayan
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Last week’s policy statement of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) signifies a departure from the stance it has been adopting in the last three quarters.
There are three elements that are different. First, in leaving key policy rates unchanged it has acknowledged that liquidity is not an obstacle to growth at present, but banks are reluctant to lend. Second, by acknowledging that the growth of money supply at 20% is high and needs to be brought down (“a projection, not a target, of 18%”, as governor D. Subbarao said in the press interview), RBI has shown that it is concerned about money growth. Third, in cautioning about inflationary pressures, it is setting its sights on a tightening of monetary policy in the near term. All these have significant indications for the economy.
The estimates for growth have been increased to 6.5%, and despite the shortfall in the monsoon, RBI expects that growth will pick up. The first quarter results of most of the manufacturing companies have been good, and many companies have registered a healthy growth over the previous quarter. This is due, in part, to the fact that input costs have come down as commodity prices internationally are ruling at levels far below the peaks of 2007. At the same time, RBI is not able to pitch for a growth rate that is higher, for it considers India a supply-constrained economy and does not see adequate growth in investment portfolios that will ease these constraints.
The consequence of these numbers is that if growth is 6.5-7%, and money supply growth is close to 20%, RBI appears to be getting worried about inflation. While RBI’s rhetoric can be interpreted in many ways, its higher inflation, output and money growth forecast can be argued to represent a relatively clearer and more objective signal of its concerns over inflationary pressures ahead. RBI’s inflation forecast implies a sequential rate of rise in prices of around 5% from July 2009 to March 2010. In other words, inflation would already be higher than the “range of 4.0-4.5%” that RBI wants to “condition perceptions” to. The statement reflects a shift in RBI’s stance from supporting growth to watching inflation closely.
RBI’s task of simultaneously managing inflation and the government’s borrowing programme may become a major challenge in the months ahead. In India’s case, RBI’s dual mandate to support growth and control inflation, and the lack of clarity on whether output is running above or below potential at any point, has meant that RBI tends to move rates only after it sees inflation rising. This is what happened in 2008, and will probably be what happens later in 2009 or early 2010.
There is another factor that is likely to exacerbate inflationary pressures. Additional allocations for the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) this year are substantially higher than last year. Several good monitoring systems have been put in place that ensure leakages are getting reduced. There is secondary evidence that the money is reaching those who need it; though there is an outcry in the media that the programme is artificially increasing wage rates and thus putting pressure on manufacturing costs. More importantly, as a columnist in the Business Line pointed out recently, more money in the hands of the poor means that where they had been having one meal a day, they are able to have two or at least a meal and a half.
However, NREGS does not focus on agriculture or food production and, hence, there is little or no impact of the scheme on agricultural output. This has had an effect on food prices. While there are adequate stocks of rice and wheat in the public distribution system as well as in the open market, there is pressure on other food articles—most importantly, on pulses (these are an important ingredient in the Indian food basket), meat, sugar and vegetables. The Consumer Price Index increases hover around 10% on a year-on-year basis, and there is likely to be greater pressure on the food articles component of this index. The poor monsoon is also likely to exacerbate this impact. The next few months will see a sharp increase in the prices of food articles. Coupled with the inflationary pressures already mentioned, it is likely that there may be a fresh bout of high inflation, forcing the government to rein in monetary expansion. This is likely to constrain expectation of growth in the coming year.
Finally, the buoyancy in the financial markets appears to be due to the good first quarter results companies have just published, coupled with the considerable liquidity available in the economy. The Asian stock markets have recovered to some extent, and there is a flow of foreign funds into the Indian markets. It is unlikely that this buoyancy will be sustained if there is a threat of high inflation and monetary contraction leading to a contraction in growth. In short, the increases in the equity markets are unlikely to be sustained.
The country will be going through some pains in the next few months, a fact that RBI has already discovered. We can only hope that these pains are not exacerbated by increases in commodity prices as well.
S. Narayan is a former finance secretary and economic adviser to the prime minister. We welcome your comments at policytrack@livemint.com
http://www.livemint.com/2009/08/02205830/What-RBI-is-telling-us.html?h=B
India to enforce energy efficiency in climate fight
Mon Aug 3, 2009 5:50am EDT
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By Krittivas Mukherjee
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India will make energy efficiency ratings a must for electric appliances, including airconditioners and refrigerators, from January, stepping up domestic efforts to fight climate change, officials said.
Power distribution transformers and fluorescent lights will also carry labels that provide information about the energy consumption of a product and enable customers to make an informed choice.
Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said the efficiency ratings system will extend to all electric motors, color televisions and LPG stoves by June, 2010. Labeling is currently voluntary.
"This will include all appliances in these categories to be sold in India or for export," Ramesh said.
Energy efficiency is a key focus in India's national climate change policy, unveiled last year and which lays out a roadmap to a green economy but doesn't fix a target for carbon emissions.
The government hopes to save 10,000 megawatts of power by efficient use of energy by 2012.
A top climate official said India would unveil a trading scheme centered on energy efficiency certificates that could possibly expand to renewable energy.
The plan involves creating a market-based mechanism that would allow businesses using more energy than stipulated to compensate by buying energy certificates from those using less energy or using renewable energy.
The government is setting up energy benchmarks for each industry sector. Companies that do not meet the benchmarks would have to buy these certificates under a reward and penalty system. "The broad outlines are ready and we should be able to finalize it within a few months," the official, who asked to remain anonymous, said.
Most firms in India, which is Asia's third-largest economy and the fourth-largest emitter of planet-warming carbon dioxide, have yet to plan for the impact of climate change and do not measure emissions or have deadlines to curb them, according to studies.
India's top firms also face little stakeholder pressure to combat climate change with only about 40 percent of major companies setting voluntary carbon emission reduction goals, according to a survey of CEOs by KPMG consultants last year.
(Editing by Alistair Scrutton and David Fogarty)
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE56U2TV20090803
Sydney Opera House Under Threat From Climate Change
By Gemma Daley
Aug. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Climate change threatens World Heritage sites in Australia including the Sydney Opera House and Great Barrier Reef, a report said today as lawmakers prepare to vote on a government plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The sites are at risk from lower rainfall, higher sea and land temperatures, severe storms, increased acidity in the ocean or rising sea levels, according to the Australian National University report released in the capital, Canberra.
Environment Minister Peter Garrett used the study to press the government’s case for an agreement on emissions cuts before an international conference on the issue in December. “The disintegration of our World Heritage areas would be an irreparable loss,” he said in a statement. “We must act now.”
The government is trying to win the votes of seven opposition or minority party lawmakers in the Senate, or upper house of Parliament, to pass its Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme in a vote scheduled for Aug. 13.
The Sydney Opera House, designed by Danish architect Joern Utzon and inaugurated in 1973, was described by the United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as a “great architectural work of the 20th century” that has had an “enduring influence” on architecture.
It is threatened by rising sea levels and flooding due to storms, according to the ANU report. The Great Barrier Reef, spanning 344,000 square kilometers (133,000 square miles) off the northeastern coast, faces further coral bleaching and reduced coral growth, it said. Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory is also under threat.
Vote Defeat
The government legislation faces likely defeat in the Senate vote because the minority Greens say it is too weak. Opposition lawmakers say it will drive up costs for business while failing to stem climate change because major international polluters don’t have similar plans in place.
The legislation would see carbon trading begin in 2011 to help cut greenhouse gases by between 5 percent and 15 percent of their 2000 level within 10 years. That target may rise to 25 percent in the event of a global agreement on climate change.
China and the U.S., the world’s largest polluters, have yet to commit to targets for cutting greenhouse gases ahead of a December meeting of 200 countries in Copenhagen. Participants disagree on how much financial and technological aid developed nations, which have been polluting longer, should provide to emerging economies.
To contact the reporter on this story: Gemma Daley in Canberra atgdaley@bloomberg.net
http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=They+are+not+familiar+with+NREGS&artid=HUK2y|omNIA=&SectionID=e7uPP4|pSiw=&MainSectionID=fyV9T2jIa4A=&SectionName=EH8HilNJ2uYAot5nzqumeA==&SEO=
Rio’s plea to villages for donating water
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Kohima | August 2: The water scarcity problem in the state capital apparently has the government frustrated as clearly displayed by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio in the recent meeting on law and order here, where the Chief Minister got emotional when he made an appeal to the neighbouring villages to donate water to the citizens of Kohima – emphasising that Kohima belongs to the Nagas as a whole and not to one particular tribe.
The Chief Minister was visibly frustrated when he mentioned that the neighbouring villages have not come out to offer water to the capital despite repeated appeals and made an emotional appeal to the villages to donate water for the parched capital town. Acknowledging that Kohima Village and some other neighbouring villages have generously donated land for establishment of the state capital, he urged the villages having surplus water to come forward and show a similar gesture, stressing that people from all walks of life are converged in Kohima.
Obviously frustrated, he regretted that whereas the government had received sanction for drinking water in Kohima and works to tap water had started in 2005, talks with the villages had yielded no results, stalling the project. Reminding the gathering that no civilization can survive without proper drinking water supply, he urged the owners of lands having water sources to be open-minded and willingly donate water and solve the water scarcity problem in the state capital.
http://www.morungexpress.com/local/30075.html
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