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  Mining industry: General materials 2001  

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2001:

Eighteen killed in China mine blast: An explosion triggered by a gas build-up tore through a coal mine in China's eastern Jiangxi province at the weekend, killing 18 miners in the latest in a series of deadly accidents...The coal mine explosion was the second disaster to strike Jiangxi province on Sunday, following a string of blasts at a fireworks factory in the morning that killed nine and injured 60. (Reuters, 31 Dec. 2001)

Coal mine blast reported kills 16 in eastern China:...The blast in the eastern province of Shandong was the latest in series of grim accidents in China's mining industry that have killed more than 5,000 people so far this year. (Reuters, 27 Dec. 2001)

Indonesian minister eyes illegal tin, coal miners (Reuters, 24 Dec. 2001) 

Teck Cominco settles Alaska air-quality charges [USA]: Teck Cominco has agreed to pay $300,000 to the state of Alaska and to spend an additional $278,900 on environmental and public-health improvements to settle charges of air pollution at its Red Dog Mine...One environmental activist said the settlement failed to address some broader issues, including the accumulation of heavy metals contamination over the years. (Yereth Rosen, Reuters, 20 Dec. 2001)

Mining giant treads fine line in Madagascar forest: Mining giant Rio Tinto, which won an environmental permit last month for a titanium project on the island, says its scheme has solved a dilemma faced by many poor countries -- reconciling the demands of economic growth with conservation...Environmentalists are not so sure. (Matthew Green, Reuters, 19 Dec. 2001)

CONGO: Security Council Debates Action Against Resource Exploitation - The panel [Expert Panel on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources in the Democratic Republic of the Congo] continues to support a moratorium on the purchase and import of coltan, diamonds, copper, timber, coffee and other products produced in D.R.C. territory occupied by rebels or foreign troops. (UN Wire, 17 Dec. 2001)

Workers' Safety Must Be The Top Priority: Cosatu [South Africa] - The Congress of SA Trade Unions said on Sunday that the safety of workers should be top priority. Reacting to an underground earthquake at the Deelkraal gold mine near Carletonville in which at least three people died, Cosatu said it would recommit itself to a campaign to improve the safety at work. (South African Press Association, 16 Dec. 2001)

Gold Fields, unions in watershed Aids deal [South Africa]: A landmark agreement aimed at curbing the spread of HIV/Aids in the mining industry was signed yesterday by Gold Fields, the country's second-largest gold producer, and three unions (Sherilee Bridge, Business Report [South Africa], 13 Dec. 2001)

Outrage At Png Attempt To Give BHP A Royal Farewell [Papua New Guinea]:...After permitting the company to dump 80,000 tonnes of waste a day into the Fly and Ok Tedi river system since 1984 BHP has now been given a final gift from the PNG National Government - an unrestricted legal indemnity for all the pollution and destruction it has already caused and will occur in the future as result of the continuing operation of its Ok Tedi mine. It has precipitated an unprecedented constitutional challenge by former PNG Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare. (Mineral Policy Institute and PNG NGO Environmental Watch Group, 12 Dec. 2001)

Rio Tinto calls for Blair Athol ruling to be overturned [Australia]: Mining giant Rio Tinto is attempting to overturn a decision that it reinstate 16 retrenched workers at its Blair Athol mine in central Queensland. The company is appealing against a decision of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) in April this year that the workers were unfairly selected for dismissal because of their union membership. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 12 Dec. 2001)

EU [European Union] unveils new law to deter industrial accidents: The law includes measures aimed at improving safety measures for so-called "tailings ponds," which are used to store highly polluted water from mining activities. (Reuters, 11 Dec. 2001)

Undermining Biodiversity: How mines threaten the web of life (Environmental Mining Council of British Columbia, 7 Dec. 2001)

Steelworkers demand public inquiry into fatal explosion at Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting [Canada]: Following last week’s guilty plea by Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Co., Limited (HBM&S) to keeping an unsafe workplace, the United Steelworkers is asking Premier Doer to order a public inquiry into the furnace explosion that killed Steve Ewing and injured 13 others workers on Aug. 8, 2000. (United Steelworkers [Canada], 7 Dec. 2001)

Mining Company Blocks Fiji Film: An Australian mining company [Emperor Goldmines] has successfully blocked the screening of a film in Fiji - critical of its operations and funded by the NSW Labor Council. (LaborNET [Australia], 6 Dec. 2001)

Miners killed at Savuka [South Africa]: Four mineworkers were killed and four others injured following a "seismic event" at Savuka mine near Carletonville on Saturday, according to owners AngloGold. (Lloyd Coutts, Business Report [South Africa], 3 Dec. 2001)

Litigation Update: A Summary of Recent Developments in U.S. Cases Brought Under the Alien Tort Claims Act and Torture Protection Act [includes update on lawsuits against Rio Tinto for conduct in Papua New Guinea and Southern Peru Copper Corporation for conduct in Peru] (Jennifer Green [staff attorney at Center for Constitutional Rights] and Paul Hoffman [civil rights attorney and editor of ACLU International Civil Liberties Report], in ACLU International Civil Liberties Report 2001 [American Civil Liberties Union], Dec. 2001)

South African Miners March For Anti-AIDS Drugs: South African miners will be on the march this afternoon - to demand medicines for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. The marches show how HIV/AIDS has become a major industrial issue in South Africa, which has the world's highest known infection rates. (ICEM - the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions, 28 Nov. 2001)

Landowners shut PNG Ok Tedi copper mine - radio [Australian Broadcasting Corp radio report about events in Papua New Guinea]: The landowners had presented a petition which calls for a share of BHP Billiton's stake in Ok Tedi to be transferred to them and for compensation for environmental damage caused by the mine (Reuters, 27 Nov. 2001)

Union Fears Inquiry Into Mass Poisoning Will Be a Mockery [South Africa]: The US$25 million mine owned by Swiss company Xstrata is accused of overexposing miners to vanadium pentoxide and other dangerous chemicals that have caused asthma, cancer and chemical bronchitis. (Sizwe Samayende, African Eye News Service [South Africa], 26 Nov. 2001)

Ancient mines cause modern pollution: Toxins produced by mines and smelters thousands of years ago may be taking their toll on the health of people living today in the Middle East, according to researchers. (Alan Mozes, Reuters, 26 Nov. 2001)

Landowners blockade BHP's rat run from Ok Tedi [Papua New Guinea]: A group of women and children landowners have shut down operations at BHP Billitons' Ok Tedi Mine in Papua New Guinea. The landowners have staged a sit-down, blocking a bridge leading to the mine site, allowing mine workers to leave but not to enter the site. They have been protesting for two days over legislation apparently designed to absolve BHP of its liability for environmental damage. Damage from the mine is extremely severe and will last for the better part of this century. It is destroying food, fisheries and the forests on which people living along the Fly River (Mineral Policy Institute, 26 Nov. 2001)

More die in China mine disaster: The death toll in the latest of a spate of coal mine explosions in China's northern Shanxi province rose to 26 on Sunday after two miners died in hospital and rescuers found five more bodies, state television said...The disaster is the latest reminder of the appalling safety record of China's mining industry, the world's biggest but also one of its deadliest. (CNN, 25 Nov. 2001)

UN Group Urges Ban On Imports From Congo [Democratic Republic of Congo]: A new U.N. report calls for a temporary ban on the purchase of minerals, timber and coffee from parts of Congo occupied by foreign armies, saying the unabated plundering of resources is prolonging a three-year civil war in the Central African country. (Karl Vick, Washington Post, 24 Nov. 2001)

Asbestos victims widen quest for compensation [South Africa/UK]: THE victims in SA's biggest asbestos claim have shown SA mining company Gefco and insurance firm General Accident SA that they intend to widen their focus in their quest for compensation. Although talks are continuing to settle the matter with Cape plc, the victims are looking to the two companies to acknowledge responsibility for the past and offer compensation. (Business Day [South Africa], 23 Nov. 2001)

New Chile copper plant for rock-eating bacteria: Copper mining giants BHP Billiton and Codelco will begin construction in early 2002 of a plant in Chile for the use of bacterial technology that could revolutionize the industry, a company official said...The technology is more environmentally-friendly and cuts down on infrastructure costs, he said. (Louise Egan, Reuters, 23 Nov. 2001)

DR Congo 'looters' condemned: A number of African countries are perpetuating the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, so they can illegally exploit the country's mineral and other resources, says a UN report...with government influence weak the opportunity to exploit these resources has been readily taken up by what the UN report calls "unscrupulous elements operating under the garb of various governments, businesses, mafias and individuals" (BBC News, 20 Nov. 2001)

CONGO: U.N. Panel Accuses Gov't, Rebels, Neighbors Of Exploitation - Assigning blame to individuals, institutions, rebels and governments for the continued exploitation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's natural resources, the U.N. panel of experts on the illegal exploitation of natural resources and other forms of wealth in the D.R.C. yesterday presented its findings to the U.N. Security Council...To attempt to stem the trade in diamonds, gold, copper, coltan, timber and other resources, the panel is calling for a moratorium on their purchase and import from the D.R.C. (UN Wire, 20 Nov. 2001)

China acts after mine explosions kill 50: Officials in the northern Chinese province of Shanxi have ordered all small coal mines to halt production for safety checks after more than 50 miners were killed in a series of gas explosions in the past week. (BBC News, 20 Nov. 2001)

Boliden says court clears it of Los Frailes crime [Spain]: Swedish mining and metals group Boliden said yesterday an appeals court in Spain had upheld a lower court decision clearing it of any crime in connection with an ecological disaster at its Los Frailes mine. (Reuters, 20 Nov. 2001)

Fresh China coal mine accidents kill at least 14 (Reuters, 19 Nov. 2001)

Unions unite over BHP: A Wollongong trade union leader said yesterday he fully supported a proposed international union campaign against BHP Billiton over its workplace practices, which unions claim are in breach of core labour standards. The International Metalworkers Federation (IMF) congress meeting in Sydney yesterday resolved to embark on the union campaign against BHP Billiton...Yesterday, the congress was briefed on reports that police and dogs were used against workers when BHP Billiton recently sacked 40 trade union activists in Mozambique for starting strike action over better pay. The congress also heard claims that BHP Billiton was disregarding the health of workers employed in Peru who were working 12-hour days in a mine in a mountain more than 4000m above sea level. (Illawarra Mercury [Australia], 15 Nov. 2001)

BHP-Billiton condemned for anti-union action: Congress vows international trade union action against the transnational metals and mining company. (International Metalworkers' Federation, 14 Nov. 2001)

Is the HBM&S corporation above the law? Manitoba mining company thinks health and safety rules shouldn't apply to it (Doug Smith, Straight Goods [Canada], 3 Nov. 2001)

Where giants may tread, rumblings will follow: The destructive - and dangerous - behaviour of Australian mining companies overseas should be controlled by law, writes Geoff Evans. (Geoff Evans, Director of the Mineral Policy Institute, in Sydney Morning Herald, 2 Nov. 2001)

Chile environmentalists combat Noranda aluminum plant: Environmentalists this week launched an official complaint with Chilean authorities to stall plans by Canadian base metals group Noranda Inc. to build an aluminum plant in isolated southern Chile. (Reuters, 1 Nov. 2001)

full report: The Limitations of Corporate Social Responsibility on Zambia’s Copperbelt - Konkola Copper Mines (KCM): Environmental Management Plan (May 2001) - People living on Zambia’s Copperbelt are confronted with a barrage of toxic chemicals and other pollutants all of which undermines their right to health and damages their livelihoods. But the development agreements between the Government of Zambia (GRZ) and the new owners of Zambia’s recently privatised copper mines, the UK-registered Anglo American Corporation and First Quantum (a Canadian company) give a green light to pollution...Anglo American has to do much more to prove that it is serious about corporate social responsibility. (Patricia Feeney, Oxfam, Nov. 2001)

Sand mining destroys community resources [Indonesia]: The mining of coastal sands for export is blighting the livelihoods of small-scale fisherfolk in Riau. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Nov. 2001)

Court orders Freeport to clean up its act [West Papua]: WALHI, Indonesia's leading environmental organisation, has scored a landmark victory in its court case against copper and gold miners PT Freeport Indonesia [Freeport, which denies the charges, will appeal.]  Meanwhile, militarisation is being intensified at the mine, as the Indonesian security forces pledge to protect it from alleged threats from "separatist groups". (Down to Earth Newsletter, Nov. 2001)

National Park left damaged as Boliden Limited pulls out of Doñana [Spain]: The Swedish-Canadian mining company, Boliden Limited is courting environmental disaster and potentially putting more than one million people's drinking water at risk by withdrawing from Spain's Doñana National Park, without properly closing down its mine there (WWF, 31 Oct. 2001)

Indigenous groups seek self-determination: Indigenous groups are organizing to demand control over their lands and resources. (Barbara J. Fraser, Inter Press Service, 30 Oct. 2001) 

MINING: Company warned to observe environmental regulations [Thailand] - Forestry chief Plodprasop Suraswadi warned a gold mining company [Tungkum Co] to observe environmental protection regulations while mining in a forest reserve in Loei province. (Kultida Samabuddhi, Bangkok Post, 30 Oct. 2001)

Protesters urge World Bank to halt oil funding: Environmental group Friends of the Earth held a protest in Brussels yesterday against World Bank funding of oil, gas and mining projects in developing nations. (Reuters, 30 Oct. 2001)

Cyanide Spill Ghana's Worst Environmental Disaster: Villages in the Wassa West District of Ghana's western region have been hit by the spillage of thousands of cubic metres of mine wastewater contaminated with cyanide and heavy metals. The cyanide-laced waste contaminated the River Asuman on October 16 when a tailings dam ruptured at a mine operation owned by the South African company, Goldfields Ltd. (Mike Anane, Environment News Service, 24 Oct. 2001)

Miners to focus on sustainability - Noranda CEO: Mining companies need to work in tandem with governments and NGOs to produce a viable sustainable development model for the industry, David Kerr, president of Canadian miner Noranda, said this week. In a speech prepared for the London Metal Exchange (LME) annual dinner, Kerr said the industry was taking steps to address its unfavourable image. "The fact is, we are perceived negatively, and our freedom to operate is increasingly coming under threat"...The economic requirement for sustainability is that a business should remain profitable, while on the environmental front the mining industry has made significant progress, he said. "When it comes to the social measures, however, our record is more checkered.... It is only recently that issues such as poverty and human rights have begun to bite," Kerr said. He cited the company's Antamina copper-zinc joint venture in Peru as an example of potential social issues facing mining development. (Reuters, 24 Oct. 2001) 

Eastern Europe countries battle legacy of the past: More than 10 years after the 1989 collapse of communism, the rusting remains of smelters and mines are a legacy eastern Europe is finding hard to get rid of. Dilapidated smelting and mining facilities continue to spew toxins into an already befouled environment in these countries, many of which are hoping to join the European Union. The EU is using the lure of enlargement to push candidate states to put clean-up high on their agenda. [Details on Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria] (Adrian Dascalu, Reuters, 24 Oct. 2001)

Giant mining group launches 'citizenship train' [Brazil]:...In a novel public-private partnership with the Maranhao state government, Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (CVRD), the giant mining group, launched what it calls the "citizenship train"...On board the custom-fitted carriages, officials issue identity papers as well as birth and death certificates in 15 minutes, instead of the three months it would normally take. Physicians, including dentists and gynaecologists, perform preventative examinations, offer treatment and counsel, and provide free medication as well as vaccinations for humans and animals. (Raymond Colitt, in Responsible business in the global economy: A Financial Times Guide, 23 Oct. 2001)

Mining world seeks natural remedy for toxic waste: Using materials such as bonemeal or seaweed, scientists hope natural waste will one day serve to combat dangerous mining waste that can cause serious illness in humans and kill plant and animal life. Many of the metals found in the acidic waste from mining operations - or tailings - such as cadmium, arsenic or lead can be lethal if allowed to enter the environment in large amounts...Tailings are usually stored in large pits, but a spate of serious accidents involving toxic spills will force the mining world to review its waste management policy. (Amanda Cooper, Reuters, 23 Oct. 2001)

Mining cleans up, embraces cutting edge technology: In the 21st century, the toolbag has been transformed as mining companies investigate new ways to mine and process metal to tackle rising costs and flak from environmentalist groups. (Martin Hayes, Reuters, 23 Oct. 2001)

Norsk Hydro: Global Compact Violator: In the sixth article in our series on Global Compact companies, Indian journalist Nityanand Jayaraman looks at the Oslo-based corporation Norsk Hydro, a partner in the Utkal bauxite mine and alumina smelter in Orissa State. He provides evidence that the corporation has violated human rights Principles 1 and 2 of the UN Compact. Nor has the company withdrawn plans for a project that would violate Principle 9 which promotes eco-friendly practices. While the company has put the project on hold for the moment, officials indicate that violations of these principles could resume at any time. (Nityanand Jayaraman, special to CorpWatch, 18 Oct. 2001) 

BHP Billiton eyes Ok Tedi environment funds [Papua New Guinea]: BHP Billiton said yesterday it would make sure money was available for mine closure and environmental remediation before it moved its 52 percent stake in Papua New Guinea's Ok Tedi copper mine into a trust. (Reuters, 17 Oct. 2001)

Union takes Anglo to task [South Africa]: The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) this week threatened strike action if the Anglo American corporation does not reverse its policy against providing anti-retroviral drugs to its workers. The multinational corporation earlier this year made headline-grabbing news when it announced that it would provide anti-retroviral treatment for its HIV-positive workers. Now the union says Anglo American is reneging on its promise. The corporation is denying that it made any promise either unconditionally or by implication. (Glenda Daniels, Weekly Mail & Guardian [South Africa], 12 Oct. 2001) 

Anglo American Called Racist After AIDS Drug "Betrayal": Mining giant could face South African strike over anti-retrovirals - Mining giant Anglo American stands accused of reneging on a commitment to make anti-retroviral drugs available to all its South African workers. Instead, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) says, Anglo now plans to give preferential treatment to "senior employees" - apparently because the company thinks that providing anti-retrovirals throughout its workforce would be too expensive. The NUM finds this policy "inherently racist and discriminatory, with beneficiaries of the scheme being, in the main, white workers and the black elite. The foot soldiers who generate wealth in the bowels of the earth are excluded." (ICEM [International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions], 11 Oct. 2001)

New Oxfam America Report Reveals Poverty, Health Problems Worse in Developing Countries Dependent on Oil And Mining: Findings released as World Bank launches major review of extractive resource projects - Developing countries that rely heavily on oil or mineral exports suffer higher rates of poverty and child mortality, and spend more on their militaries than similar countries with more diverse economies, according to a study released today by Oxfam America. (Oxfam America, 10 Oct. 2001)

UNDP Pledges Assistance to Fight Environmental Degradation [Nigeria]:..."The active participation of the private sector in funding thematic issues of the [environmental] conventions has to be encouraged", he [UNDP Resident representative in Nigeria] advised...[T]he Executive Director of the Nigerian conservation foundation (NCF), Dr Muhtari Amini-Kano, bemoaned the continued erosion of the nation's forest resources despite all efforts being taken to guard against the practice. "A combination of factors have been identified for the loss of forest resources in Nigeria. Apart from logging and farming, other direct causes of deforestation in Nigerian have included fuel-wood gathering, livestock grazing, bush burning, conversion of natural forest to plantations of commercial grade trees, mining, oil exploitation and de-reservation of forest reserves by government for non-forest uses, including urbanisation and infrastructural development he observed. (Jude Njoku, Vanguard [Lagos], 9 Oct. 2001)

Spy in the sky to protect rainforest: The Amazon, one of the world's remaining wilderness areas, is about to get a long-awaited aerial monitoring system to help protect the Brazilian rainforest against illegal exploitation. (Alex Bellos, Guardian [UK], 9 Oct. 2001)

Venezuela: Pemón fight power project: The Pemón Indians live in the Gran Sabana, a UNESCO World Heritage area of grasslands and forest in south-east Venezuela. In contravention of international law and Venezuela's own constitution, the government has not recognised the land ownership rights of many Pemón communities. Now the government has built a huge powerline project which the Indians fear is intended to provide electricity for mining companies who are eyeing up the area's rich mineral wealth. The Venezuelan army has been threatening and attacking the Pemón who have resisted the scheme. (Survival International, Oct. 2001)

Company directors must show zero tolerance of pollution [UK]: Pollution is still being treated as an acceptable risk by too many businesses in England and Wales, the Chief Executive of the Environment Agency said today. A culture change is needed across management, Barbara Young said, with zero tolerance for pollution replacing apathy and acceptance of poor environmental performance. (Environment Agency [UK Government], 28 Sep. 2001)

Inmet says Ok Tedi copper investment preserved [Papua New Guinea]: Inmet Mining Corp., an 18 percent stakeholder in the Ok Tedi copper-gold mine in Papua New Guinea, said yesterday it was pleased with an in-principle deal that would allow the project's operator BHP Billiton to exit the environmentally challenged mine. The government of Papua New Guinea said overnight that BHP's 52 percent stake will be put into an arm's length trust which would hold the interest on behalf of the Western Province and the nation. (Lesley Wroughton, Reuters, 28 Sep. 2001)

Water supplies alleged contaminated by Peru gold mine: Hundreds of protesters blocked a major highway in northern Peru this week, alleging local water supplies had been contaminated by toxic mercury from Latin America's largest gold mine Yanacocha, but officials denied the report (Reuters, 28 Sep. 2001) 

Ottawa won't ask EDC to pull insurance for Tanzanian mine: The Canadian government will not ask the Export Development Corporation to withdraw its US$117-million insurance for a Tanzanian gold mine operated by Barrick Gold in light of a video released yesterday that alleges local miners were killed during an eviction at the site...A national coalition made the requests after releasing footage from a police videotape, photographs of corpses, family testimony and eyewitness accounts, alleging that mass killings took place in August, 1996, as part of an operation to remove thousands of local miners from a site owned by Kahama Mining Corporation, a subsidiary of Sutton Resources of Vancouver. Barrick Gold acquired Sutton's assets in March, 1999. As part of its due diligence, the company probed the three-year-old allegations and found they were unfounded, said Patrick Garver, executive vice-president and general counsel. (Sarah Schmidt, National Post [Canada], 28 Sep. 2001)

BHP Walkout Leaves Threat Of Ok Tedi Environmental Refugees [Papua New Guinea]: The BHP Billiton agreement to exit its Ok Tedi mine leaves Australia facing a potential environmental refugee crisis less than one hundred kilometres from mainland Australia. BHP Billiton and the Papua New Guinea (PNG) government have agreed basic conditions for the company to get out of the Ok Tedi copper mine. At the same time damage from the mine is extremely severe and will last for the better part of this century. It is destroying food, fisheries and the forests which people living along the Fly River in PNG just to the north of Australia rely on. (Mineral Policy Institute, 27 Sep. 2001)

Group calls on Canada to study mine murder claims [Tanzania]: A group of international human rights activists called on the Canadian government on Thursday to look into allegations of mass murder and forced relocations at a Tanzanian mine now owned by Barrick Gold Corp. But the Canadian gold miner, which acquired the Bulyanhulu project as part of its 1999 acquisition of Sutton Resources Ltd., said the accusations are nothing more than ``a rehash of old allegations.'' The Lawyers' Environmental Action Team, based in Tanzania, said it has new evidence to support claims that thousands of small-scale miners were cleared from the gold-rich site and another group of 52 were buried alive in August 1996. (Scott Anderson, Reuters, 27 Sep. 2001) 

Unearthing the truth: Disputed video footage allegedly showing evidence of deaths related to an eviction at a Tanzanian gold mine owned by a Canadian company is to be released today, reigniting a long-standing contention that about 50 miners were buried alive in the operation. The footage, shot over a period of a few days in August, 1996, was taken by a member of a police investigating team brought in to probe allegations that dozens of artisanal miners were buried alive days earlier by bulldozers operated by a subsidiary of a Canadian company filling in the pits to clear the land...Yesterday, an Amnesty International spokesman reiterated his organization's call for an "international and impartial investigation into the allegations." (Sarah Schmidt, National Post [Canada], 27 Sep. 2001)

New evidence links Canada to death of Tanzanian miners - Citing dramatic new evidence uncovered by Tanzanian investigators, the Council of Canadians, Mining Watch Canada and the NGO Working Group on the Export Development Corporation joined today with environmental and human rights groups in the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Tanzania to call for an independent investigation into allegations of mass killings and forced relocation of small scale miners at the Bulyanhulu gold mine in Tanzania in 1996. Eyewitness accounts, family testimony, photos and police videotape recently uncovered by the Lawyer's Environmental Action Team (LEAT) of Tanzania corroborate long-standing allegations that employees of the Canadian owned Kahama Mining Corporation, LTD (KMCL) in conjunction with the Tanzanian police, buried over fifty artisanal miners by bulldozing over the entrances to the shafts in which they worked. LEAT has also compiled significant evidence that tens of thousands of small-scale miners and their families were forcibly evicted from the area without any compensation to enable the Canadian mining company to take over the property. (Council of Canadians, 27 Sep. 2001)

Woodstock company charged with 20 environmental offences in the town of Kearney [Ontario, Canada]: International Graphite Inc. has been charged with a total of 20 counts for failing to comply with a certificate of approval and failing to comply with a control order at the Kearney Graphite Mine (Canada NewsWire, 26 Sep. 2001)

Mining and Sustainability: The Case of the Tulsequah Chief Mine [Canada] - This report develops a model for assessing the compatibility of proposed mines with the requirements of sustainability. The model is then applied to the Tulsequah Chief Mine reopening project proposed by Redcorp Ventures Ltd. (Environmental Mining Council of British Columbia, 25 Sep. 2001)

Corporations struggle to answer global protests: Branded villains by anti-globalization protesters, many of the world's largest companies are casting around for a fitting response. But they are finding it tough...Executives tackled the topic at a recent meeting of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) in Malaysia..."We think that the violence is totally crazy, however, we think that the protests are not all irrational," said Al Fry, a World Business Council program manager. "Although there's a wide spectrum of protests, and sometimes internal conflicts within these movements, there are some serious and genuine concerns." Shaun Stewart, international and government affairs advisor at mining giant Rio Tinto, said no company appeared to have built a workable strategy response. [article refers to Shell, BP, ExxonMobil] (Patrick Chalmers, Reuters, 25 Sep. 2001)

Kenya's court stops Tiomin from mining: A Kenyan court issued an injunction last week preventing Canada's Tiomin Resources Inc. from mining titanium on Kenya's coast because of possible environmental damage. (Reuters, 24 Sep. 2001) 

Sustainable development group aims to aid miners: Independent study group Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development (MMSD) aims to help miners to solve the paradox of how to supply the world's demand for minerals while addressing the social, environmental and community impact of mineral extraction. (Andy Blamey, Reuters, 21 Sep. 2001)

The London Declaration: We - twenty four representatives of communities and groups affected by mining from Asia-Pacific, Africa, India, South and North America - met in London from May 18-23rd 2001, to compare the impacts of mining on the lives of communities and ecosystems and to share strategies on how to confront the industry...Invariably mining imposed upon our communities has poisoned our waters, destroyed our livelihoods and our food sources, disrupted our social relationships, created sickness and injury in our families. Often our communities have been divided by 'imported' civil conflicts. (24 signatories from Africa, the Americas & Asia, 20 Sep. 2001)

Why Corporate Bodies Are Turning Green:...Executives today are increasing turning to issues of pollution, global warming and poverty in high-powered meetings, such as the World Trade Organisation, the Group of 7 industrialised nations and Unep conferences. This is with the aim of not only improving their overall image but, also, their gross profits...In Kenya, complaints about companies destroying the environment are numerous. Some of the companies targeted for condemnation are Webuye's Pan Paper Mills, Athi River Mining Factory, Kamiti Tanary, Thika Tanary and Kell Chemicals. (Jeff Otieno, The Nation [Nairobi], 20 Sep. 2001)

Queensland Indigenous People Approve Mineral Exploration [Australia]: Indigenous land use agreements have been signed between the Kalkadoon People, the Queensland Government and a number of mineral exploration companies, the National Native Title Tribunal has announced...Tribunal president Graeme Neate said Thursday that the agreements give indigenous parties economic security and cultural protection while providing certainty to exploration companies. (Environment News Service, 17 Sep. 2001)

An Alternative Look at a Proposed Mine In Tambogrande, Peru:...The town of Tambogrande... sits directly atop a major gold, zinc and copper deposit that Manhattan Minerals, a small Canadian mining multinational, is seeking to develop into an open-pit mine...Concerned by the proposed relocation and by threats to their agriculturally based livelihoods, local populations have mounted significant resistance to the project. (Oxfam America, 15 Sep. 2001)

Global Reporting Initiative Receives Nearly $1 Million from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for HIV Work: Grant Awarded to Develop Corporate HIV/AIDS Reporting Protocol - The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) announced today that it has received a $950,000 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to develop a corporate HIV/AIDS reporting protocol. The grant...will fund research and development of a standardized approach for companies to share information on HIV/AIDS policies, practices, and programs. The extractive and itinerant-worker industries of mining, forestry, agriculture and ground transportation will be the initial focus for the project. (Global Reporting Initiative, 7 Sep. 2001)

Indigenous peoples' rights a focus at anti-racism conference: Some of the root causes of conflict they identified stem from a lack of recognition of indigenous peoples' right to land, identity and culture, as well as indigenous social systems and development perspectives. "Development aggression", such as the construction of dams or mining that threaten indigenous communities, is another cause...Speakers welcomed the new UNDP policy on indigenous peoples, underpinned by a human rights framework, and voiced hope that it will pave the way for a new relationship. (U.N. Development Programme, 5 Sep. 2001)

Mkapa Says Mining Compensation "Unacceptable": Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa has said that the country's natural resources, including precious minerals, belonged to all of its citizens and not to a particular group or tribe in whose region they happened to be found, and therefore the revenues raised by the government from such resources would be used for the benefit of all Tanzanians and not local interest groups. (UN Integrated Regional Information Network, 3 Sep. 2001)

Freeport to appeal Jakarta court ruling soon: Mining giant PT Freeport Indonesia said yesterday it would soon appeal an Indonesian court ruling which found it gave false information to parliament over a fatal accident at a mining site last year. (Reuters, 31 Aug. 2001) 

Moi's Pledge On Titanium: The controversial titanium mining project in Kwale will be renegotiated to satisfy environmental and compensation concerns [Kenya] (Edmund Kwena, The Nation [Nairobi], 30 Aug. 2001)

Sierra Club to launch ads urging Congress to pass meaningful campaign finance reform [USA]: "Elected officials should answer to people in their districts, not to the oil, mining, chemical and timber industries that buy undue influence with campaign dollars" (Sierra Club, 29 Aug. 2001)

Interview With National AIDS Coordinator [Botswana]: "The other thing that's important is our campaign to get the private sector on board in fighting the disease. Within the country we're happy to report that many private sector companies are coming on board. A very good programme exists at Debswana, one of the biggest mining houses and the financial sector is also now putting good programmes into place." (UN Integrated Regional Information Network, 29 Aug. 2001)

It's the Real Thing: Murder - Union activity at...Colombian worksites, including several run by American companies, has been greeted with terror. (Aram Roston, The Nation, 3 Sep. 2001)

Jamaica: Deforestation linked to mining, agriculture and tourism (WRM Bulletin, World Rainforest Movement, Sep. 2001)

Moving Mountains book and order form:...Moving Mountains brings together authors from a wide range of backgrounds, cultures and geographies, to examine the operations of transnational mining companies, and strategies to challenge these activities [description of Moving Mountains: Communities Confront Mining and Globalisation (Geoff Evans, James Goodman & Nina Lansbury, eds. - Mineral Policy Institute, Sep. 2001)]

Victoria court sets path for PNG Ok Tedi lawsuit: The Supreme Court of Victoria [Australia] yesterday gave Papua New Guinea landowners until January 7 to decide if they would participate in a class action surrounding the controversial Ok Tedi copper mine. The court said the class action should be advertised in PNG newspapers, on radio and at public meetings, with the onus on landowners to opt-out if they do not want to participate in the class action. Landowners won a settlement against Ok Ted Mining Ltd in 1996 for environmental damage caused by tailings from the mine. But they launched a new case in April last year arguing that OTML and BHP Ltd, now BHP Billiton Ltd/Plc had not lived up to promises to find a safer way of disposing of mine tailings. (Reuters, 28 Aug. 2001)

Companies Consider Financial Implications of HIV/AIDS: At a conference held in Cape Town on Friday to discuss the financial implications of HIV/AIDS, South Africa's leading mining companies said they were offering treatment packages as an incentive for employees to go for testing. (UN Integrated Regional Information Network, 27 Aug. 2001)

Environmental Racism Shifts the Costs of Industry to the Poor: Environmental racism affects individuals, groups or communities differentially, based on race or colour. It combines with public policies and industry practices to provide benefits for corporations, while shifting the costs to people of colour. It influences local land use, the enforcement of environmental regulations, the siting of industry and the areas where people of colour live, work and play...Environmental racism manifests itself in the sub-standard treatment of workers. Thousands of farm workers and their families are exposed to dangerous pesticides on the job and in labour camps. These workers endure sub-standard wages and working conditions. But environmental racism also extends to the exploitative work environment of garment district sweatshops, the microelectronic industry and extraction industries. A disproportionately large share of the workers who suffer under sub-standard occupational and safety conditions are immigrants, women and people of colour. [article extracted from paper prepared for the World Conference on Racism and Public Policy in Durban from September 3-5, sponsored by United Nations Research Institute for Social Development] (Robert D Bullard [Director of the Environmental Justice Resource Centre at Clark Atlanta University in the USA], Mail & Guardian [Johannesburg], 24 Aug. 2001)

Activists says mining firm menaces Kenyan coast: Plans by Canadian mining firm Tiomin Resources Inc. to build a titanium loading facility off the Kenyan coast threaten to cause irreparable environmental damage, a conservation group said yesterday. (Reuters, 24 Aug. 2001) 

Feds Fall Short on New Regulations to Protect Water from Mine Toxins [Canada] (MiningWatch Canada/Mines Alerte, 24 Aug. 2001)

Two China mine accidents kill 11 people, adding to workplace death toll - Two mine accidents have killed 11 people, officials said Thursday, adding to a series of workplace deaths that have prompted a high-level campaign to improve industrial safety. (Associated Press, in Montreal Gazette, 23 Aug. 2001)

Hope dies for Ukraine miners: The number killed in the Ukraine mine disaster has officially risen to 47 after rescuers abandoned hope that 10 miners still trapped underground would be found alive...Many relatives and miners blamed the disaster on managers' aggressive efforts to accelerate production in recent weeks, although it was known that methane levels in the shaft were high. (BBC News, 22 Aug. 2001)

77 Bodies Found in China Tin Mine: Investigators have pumped out a south China tin mine that flooded and found 77 bodies, but the remains of other miners killed in the accident may still be buried, a government spokeswoman said Tuesday. The July 17 flooding of the mine in the southern Guangxi region was one of the worst disasters this year in China's accident-plagued mining industry. (Associated Press, 21 Aug. 2001)

Ukrainian mine explosion kills 36, traps 14 (New Zealand Herald, 20 Aug. 2001)

Mining Companies Invade Peru's Andean Cloud Forests: The recent discovery of gold deposits in northwestern Peru has split the population between those who support proposed mineral extraction and those who fear it will cause irreparable ecological damage to human health, agriculture and endangered species. (Environment News Service, 17 Aug. 2001)

Environmentalists fight plan to mine gold in West Coast park: It will be New Zealand's largest toxic waste dump say opponents. (Philip English, New Zealand Herald, 16 Aug. 2001)

Slap Moratorium On Surface Mining in Forest, Ecological Zones [Ghana]: As part of the continuous pressure being mounted on government to formulate a policy framework that must aim at maximising the economic benefits of mining to the state and local communities affected by large scale mining. Government has been urged to put a moratorium on surface mining in all forest reserves and sensitive ecological zones, until a thorough cost benefit analysis on mining is conducted to inform policy direction. (Othello B. Garblah & Henry Clark, Ghanaian Chronicle [Accra], 13 Aug. 2001)

Turkish Mines Operate Despite Court Rulings [high court overturns lower court ruling that had banned international gold mining giant Normandy from operating at Ovacik] (Jon Gorvett, Environment News Service, 2 Aug. 2001)

WEST AFRICA: Experts Say Coastal Erosion Threatens Thousands - Ecologists say that rising sea levels as a result of climate change, port construction, hydropower dams and sand mining are all factors responsible for coastal erosion in West Africa, a problem that threatens the homes and livelihoods of thousands of people. (UN Wire, 2 Aug. 2001)

Canada to tighten laws to reduce mines pollution: Canada said yesterday it is planning stricter regulations to reduce pollution flowing into the country's vast waterways from metal mines. (Reuters, 1 Aug. 2001) 

Anglo [AngloGold] in the Dark On AIDS Deaths: CEO says HIV positivity is a subterranean syndrome' and not easy to track among miners [South Africa] (Pat Sidley, Business Day [Johannesburg], 1 Aug. 2001)

Landslide in China Quarry Kills 15: The landslide added to a rapidly mounting death toll in Chinese industrial accidents this year. Officials have promised repeatedly to improve workplace safety, prompted by a series of explosions and other catastrophes in mines, schools and factories. (Associated Press, 1 Aug. 2001)

Communities and companies [Indonesia]: Violations of community rights are still continuing as companies and regional governments try to maximise income from the country's mineral resources. At the same time, mining companies are complaining about the "legal vacuum" hampering their operations in Indonesia. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Aug. 2001)

PT KEM agreement [Indonesia]: Pressure from communities, Indonesian and international NGOs has forced improvements in the way Rio Tinto deals with people affected by its Kelian gold mine in East Kalimantan. Here, Dayak communities have persisted in asserting their rights to proper compensation for land resources lost to the mine and for the ill-treatment at the hands of the company. This was despite years of intimidation from security forces and the company's failure to stick to negotiation agreements. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Aug. 2001)

Inco protest [Indonesia]: Protests against the Canadian-owned mining company, PT Inco Indonesia have highlighted the continuing injustices suffered by villagers whose lives have been affected by the company's nickel mining operations...Villagers from One Putih Jaya - a former transmigration site - are refusing to relocate to fit in with Inco's mining plans. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Aug. 2001)

International solidarity: Two recent meetings have enabled communities directly affected by mining companies in different countries to discuss ways to counter the harmful impact of large-scale mining and to draw up strategies to prevent future damage.  Manado STD conference: In April, a major conference on the problem of submarine tailings disposal (STD) was held in Manado, North Sulawesi [Indonesia]...London mines and communities meeting: A five-day seminar for communities affected by mining was held in London in May. The workshop heard accounts of communities' experiences of mining from Colombia, India, Indonesia, Ghana and Peru. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Aug. 2001)

China Tin Mine Accident Traps 200: Floodwaters quickly filled a tin mine in south China, trapping more than 200 miners below ground, a state-run newspaper said Monday. (Associated Press, in Guardian [UK], 30 July 2001)

Gold Fields Counts the Costs of AIDS: Gold Fields has released a report on the extent of the HIV/Aids pandemic among its South African workforce that manages quite literally to count the cost of the killer disease: it affects one in four of its 48000-strong labour complement.  The study reveals a wealth of facts and figures about the disease and also cuts to the quick of the issue for business -- what the effect will be on the bottom line.  (Stewart Bailey, Mail & Guardian [Johannesburg], 27 July 2001)

Lieberman may subpoena Bush environmental records: [U.S.] Democratic Sen. Joseph Lieberman said yesterday he may decide as early as today whether to seek what would be the first congressional subpoenas against the Bush administration.  Lieberman, chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, said he wants to know whether there was any undue industry influence in the administration's decision to roll back environmental regulations. (Thomas Ferraro, Reuters, 27 July 2001) 

Loggers try to demonise environmental groups as 'terrorists': Emboldened by their powerful new friends in the White House, some of America's most prominent lumber and mining companies have launched an offensive against grassroots environmental activists. They are trying to associate them with "terrorist" acts of sabotage and urging the government to strip them of tax-exempt charitable status. (Andrew Gumbel, Independent [UK], 25 July 2001)

Coal mine explosion toll expected to rise: The small private mine was closed by the local administration on June 15 because it failed to meet safety standards.  However, the mine opened again on July 15 without approval from the local government.  Hui [Hui Liangyu, secretary of the Jiangsu provincial committee of the Communist Party of China] condemned red tape and bureaucracy in the management of work safety and demanded a thorough inspection of work safety conditions in the province.  Those responsible for safety-related accidents on the job will be severely punished to ensure that the State's work safety laws are followed, he said. (China Daily [Beijing], 25 July 2001)

China Coal Mine Explosion Kills 16: An explosion in a coal mine that reopened illegally after being closed for safety reasons killed at least 16 miners, state media and a local official said Monday....Police have detained the mine owner.  (Associated Press, 23 July 2001)

13 Negri projects violate EIA [environmental impact assessment]: The state department of environment (DOE) has found that more than half of projects in Negri Sembilan which require environmental impact assessments have violated the EIA conditions.  The state DOE report for last year showed that of the 21 projects involved, 13 had failed to abide by the main conditions in the EIA. [Malaysia] (Hah Foong Lian, The Star [Malaysia], 16 July 2001)

Rio Tinto: Global Compact Violator - PT Kelian: A Case Study of Global Operations - In the third article in our series on Global Compact corporations, Danny Kennedy of Project Underground takes a look at Rio Tinto, the world's largest mining company. Just by looking at the company's practices at one mine in Indonesia over the last year, he finds evidence of brutal human rights and environmental violations. (Danny Kennedy, Project Underground, CorpWatch website, 13 July 2001)

Gold Fields Counts Cost of AIDS: Gold Fields, the country's second largest gold producer, revealed that the HIV/AIDS epidemic could cost the company more than US $10 an ounce, a year unless it took significant action, 'The Star' newspaper reported on Thursday. Chris Thompson, chief executive, said that intervention programmes supported by government and the industry could halve these projected costs. [South Africa] (UN Integrated Regional Information Network, 13 July 2001)

Campaign Knocks Neo-Racism: White trade union the Mineworkers' Union Solidarity launched a campaign yesterday in Pretoria to fight what it referred to as the "neo-racist tendencies" of policies such as affirmative action. [South Africa] (Sanchia Temkin, Business Day [Johannesburg], 13 July 2001)

How the world mining industry had to dig itself out of a hole: The chairman of Rio Tinto argues that when his company engaged with its critics, it realised that extraction and sustainable development need not be contradictions (Sir Robert Wilson, Chairman of Rio Tinto, in The Observer [UK], 8 July 2001)

ENVIRONMENT-RIGHTS: Amazon Leaders Plan to Intensify Campaigns: Leaders of indigenous communities throughout the Amazon region plan to intensify their struggle against environmental destruction and work to build on recent political gains. The main struggle for environmental and cultural survival in Ecuador, Bolivia and Brazil will be against oil and gas companies, particularly as they move to lay new pipelines and other infrastructure in the biologically rich rainforest region, say indigenous leaders from these countries. [also refers to French Guiana and Suriname] (Danielle Knight, Inter Press Service, 2 July 2001)  

Sleepwalking with the enemy - or waking to the truth? Resource document for seminar "communities confronting mining corporations" [a critical assessment of major initiatives (including Mines, Minerals and Sustainable Development project) aimed at "reforming" mining/natural resource industries, and the responses of various NGOs] (Mines & Communities Website, presented in draft at the London Mining Seminar May 2001 and updated July 2001)

PNG landowners demand Australia fund mine clean-up: Landowners in Papua New Guinea called on Australia yesterday to pay the bill for what they called environmental destruction caused by BHP's Ok Tedi copper mine if the company walked away without cleaning up (Gary Cox, Reuters, 27 June 2001) 

Amazon Rainforest Could be Unsustainable Within a Decade (Cat Lazaroff, Environment News Service, 26 June 2001)

One dead, four missing in Brazil landslide: At least one person was killed and four were known to be missing after a dam holding iron ore and mine waste gave way in southeastern Brazil, police said on Saturday. (Reuters, 25 June 2001)

EU drafts ambitious climate emissions trade plan: A wide range of major European Union industries will be forced to take part in buying and selling the right to emit carbon dioxide (CO2), under a draft EU law seen by Reuters on Friday. (Robin Pomeroy, Reuters, 25 June 2001) 

Peru protesters block road over Antamina mine worry (Eduardo Orozco, Reuters, 22 June 2001)

Amazon chief [Brazilian Indian Chief Raoni] says big firms [forestry and mining multinationals] threaten forests (Reuters, 21 June 2001) 

Norway helps Norilsk to fight pollution: Norway will grant Russian metals giant Norilsk Nickel $30 million to introduce ecologically friendly technology at one of its units, Norilsk and the Murmansk regional administration said this week. (Reuters, 21 June 2001)

Placer Dome's Efforts at Sustainability: Sincere or Greenwash? [Papua New Guinea] (Mark Thomsen, SocialFunds.com, 19 June 2001)

Placer Dome Mine Strikes Resentment in Papua New Guinea (Mark Thomsen, SocialFunds.com, 18 June 2001)

Canadian firms get caught in world's hot spots (David Steinhart, Financial Post [Canada], 15 June 2001)

The Philippines Mourn their Dead Rivers: A follow up to the International Conference on STD, Indonesia - On May 31, 2001, over 100 concerned citizens from rural communities in the Philippines marched the streets demanding that their rivers not be destroyed by mining activities. [refers to mine owned by Placer Dome] (JATAM, 12 June 2001)

ENVIRONMENT-US: Mining Safeguards Hang in the Balance - Environmentalists and mining executives anxiously await a government decision on whether to suspend mining regulations designed to protect the environment and public health. (Danielle Knight, Inter Press Service, 7 June 2001) 

Bougainville peace prospect leaves mine idle [Papua New Guinea] (Reuters, 6 June 2001)

Mining and Sustainable Development (briefing paper for World Summit on Sustainable Development, published by IIED [International Institute for Environment and Development] and RING [Regional and International Networking Group], June 2001)

Africa's child labor numbers said to be rising (Sarah El-Deeb, Associated Press, 30 May 2001)

Too many disasters, too few safeguards [China]: The death toll from mining disasters is rising fast, forcing authorities to put safety before profit (John Gittings, Guardian [UK], 29 May 2001)

Environmental safeguard warning for mine tenders: The Dominican Republic government will impose strict environmental standards on the company it selects to invest about $750m in reopening and working the country's main gold mine, which was closed five years ago. (Canute James, Financial Times, 24 May 2001) 

Group [Natural Resources Defense Council] to sue Bush over suspension of arsenic rule (Patrick Connole, Reuters, 23 May 2001)

Commentary - A better world: Ideals and realities - When residents complain about a polluting factory, what happens next? Nothing, you may say. That's certainly the case in many instances. [Thailand] (Wasant Techawongtham, Bangkok Post, 18 May 2001)

Fighting Back in Botswana: Nearly 36 percent of adults in Botswana are believed to have HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Elizabeth Farnsworth reports on how Botswana's government is trying to tackle the crisis, in part three of a four-part series. "Diamonds from mines like this are crucial to Botswana's economy, and as more and more workers ended up sick, Debswana decided to act. In early March, it announced that company doctors like Kobus Erasmus would begin to provide the full package of life-saving drugs called anti-retrovirals which have saved millions of lives in developed countries. The mining company would pay 90% of patients' costs."..."A high tech laboratory is under construction in Gabarone, which will have the capacity to analyze how patients on anti-retrovirals are doing. It's funded by the government and Harvard with help from Bristol Myers Squibb." (NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, PBS, 16 May 2001)

NGO Report Demonstrates the Export Development Corporation Risks the Environment: Canada’s Export Development Corporation is an accessory to some projects with severe negative environmental and social consequences, says a new report, "Reckless Lending – How Canada’s Export Development Corporation Puts People and the Environment at Risk", volume 2. This report builds on evidence of poor social, environmental and human rights assessment procedures used by the EDC found in volume 1, released in 2000. (Halifax Initiative, 14 May 2001)

SAfrica-health-AIDS: S.Africa's AIDS activists turn to private sector as state dithers (Emsie Ferreira, Agence France-Presse, 13 May 2001) 

Peru says residents to decide on Tambogrande mine (Reuters, 11 May 2001)

HIV/AIDS: South African Businesses Propose Funding Treatment (UN Wire, 7 May 2001)

Anglo to give Aids drugs to workers [South Africa] (Bobby Jordan, Sunday Times [South Africa], 6 May 2001)

Mining firms lobbying to ease clean-air rules [in USA] - WSJ [Wall Street Journal] (Reuters, 2 May 2001)

Ocean Dumping [of mine waste] Condemned Across Asia/Pacific (Mineral Policy Institute, 2 May 2001)

Three child workers buried alive [India] (Child Labour News Service, 1 May 2001)

Arsenic and Old Regs [regarding U.S. Environmental Protection Agency withdrawal of a new regulation for arsenic in drinking water, pending a review of scientific and cost issues] (Lynn Thorp, Multinational Monitor, May 2001)

Behind the Central Kalimantan violence [Indonesia]: The appalling ethnic violence in Central Kalimantan is rooted in the decades-long violation of indigenous rights and the wholesale destruction of natural resources in the province...A major cause of the conflict between indigenous Dayaks and Madurese settlers - and other ethnic conflicts in Indonesia - has been the 'development' that the Suharto regime promoted for over thirty years. Natural resources, including Kalimantan's forests and minerals were handed out as concessions for a powerful business elite. The customary landowners - the indigenous Dayaks - were systematically denied their land and resource rights. They have had no recourse to legal action to defend their rights since, under Indonesian law, forests belong to the state. (Down to Earth Newsletter, May 2001)

Mining investments worth $200m stuck in legal limbo [Indonesia] (Jakarta Post, 24 Apr. 2001)

Eight Global Environmental Champions Awarded 2001 Goldman Prize: World's Largest Award for Grassroots Environmentalists (Goldman Environmental Prize, 23 Apr. 2001)

AWARD: Journalists Fired By Fox TV Among Goldman Winners [Goldman Environmental Prize] (UN Wire, 23 Apr. 2001)

Mining: North America sets new diamond standard: The environmental restrictions on building a new mine in North America are crippling, according to many miners.  Yet a corollary of this view is that North America is setting the standards towards which the rest of the world is gradually moving. Environmental groups complain that some global mining companies take advantage of the laxer norms in many developing countries to act overseas as they would not at home. The pressure is thus on the mining companies to observe higher standards in those countries.  In the Northwest Territories, one of Canada's most sensitive areas, two mining companies, BHP and Rio Tinto, have had to jump a remarkable series of hurdles to get permission to develop diamond mines. The prize is a new source of high-quality, conflict-free diamonds. Their story reveals the kind of process miners may eventually have to go through if they want to develop a new mine anywhere in the world. (Gillian O'Connor, Financial Times, 19 April 2001) 

Citigroup draws criticism on Myanmar, predatory lending (Cal Mankowski, Reuters, 17 Apr. 2001)

Deal Seals Cleanup of Notorious B.C. Mine [Canada] (Environment News Service, 16 Apr. 2001)

Mining industry is nation's biggest polluter (Karen Dorn Steele, The Spokesman-Review [Spokane, Washington], 14 Apr. 2001)

INDONESIA: World Bank Report Urges Environmental Measures (UN Wire, 13 Apr. 2001)

Managing Indonesia's Natural Resources: Transition brings challenges (DevNews, World Bank, 10 Apr. 2001)

RIGHTS-AUSTRALIA: Business Pressure Collides with Aboriginal Law (Bob Burton, Inter Press Service, 6 Apr. 2001)

Human rights guidance: Guidance for managers on implementing the human rights policy in The way we work [link is to Rio Tinto's "Human rights" webpage, from which the document can be downloaded] (Rio Tinto, Apr. 2001)

Transnational Corporations Today: Too much power, too little accountability - We have chosen to focus our Inquiry on four companies - Alcan, Dana, Noranda and Cominco/Teck (United Steelworkers Humanity Fund [Canada], Apr. 2001)

Chile's Democratic Challenge: An Interview with Sara Larrain [Executive Director of Sustainable Chile Program] (Multinational Monitor, Apr. 2001)

The Price of Gold: Gold Mining & Human Rights in Honduras (Center for Economic & Social Rights, Apr. 2001)

Turkish Environmentalist Jailed (Jon Gorvett, Environment News Service, 30 Mar. 2001)

New drill for oil companies: It is not every day that seven giant oil and mining companies, nine human rights NGOs and corporate responsibility groups, and the American and British governments come together to ‘recognize that security and respect for human rights can and should be consistent.’ But that is exactly what happened on December 20, 2000 when the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights were announced... (Human Rights & Business Matters, newsletter of Amnesty International UK Business Group, spring/summer 2001)

Voluntary principles on security and human rights for the extractive sector: Bennett Freeman outlines the process of finding common ground and sets out the principles (Bennett Freeman [former Deputy Assistant Secretary - Democracy, Human Rights and Labour - U.S. State Department], in Human Rights & Business Matters, newsletter of Amnesty International UK Business Group, spring/summer 2001)

Placer Dome Loses Porgera Environmental Committee Chair Over "Propaganda": On June 15th, MiningWatch Canada joined the Mineral Policy Center of the US and Australia's Mineral Policy Institute in publicising the resignation of Yati Bun, Chair of Placer Dome's Porgera Environmental Advisory Komiti (PEAK). The well-known and respected Bun resigned over Placer Dome's misuse of him in its "propaganda materials" and lack of action in the cleanup of river pollution from the company's Porgera Mine.  In his resignation letter Bun sharply criticized Placer Dome for failing to implement recommendations aimed at mitigating the impacts of mine waste disposal into the Strickland River at its Porgera mine in Papua New Guinea. At Porgera, Placer Dome dumps mine waste directly into the Strickland River, a practice that is illegal in most developed countries. (MiningWatch Canada, MiningWatch Canada/Mines Alerte Newsletter, spring/summer 2001)

Assessing Health and Well-Being in Goa's Iron Belt: A research project launched in 1997 with funding from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is helping India assess the effects of iron mining on human health and well-being in the province of Goa, south of Mumbai. (Keane Shore, Reports: Science from the Developing World, International Development Research Centre, 15 Mar. 2001)

Cultural Survival on "cultural survival":...In this issue of the Cultural Survival Quarterly we present two sets of essays on the theme of cultural survival: visions of indigenous sovereignty by indigenous scholars, and a guest-edited section on perhaps the most significant threat to cultural survival--mining on indigenous lands. (Ian S. McIntosh & David Maybury-Lewis, in Cultural Survival Quarterly, vol. 25, no. 1, spring 2001)

Mining and Indigenous Rights: The Emergence of a Global Social Movement (Saleem Ali & Larissa Behrendt, in Cultural Survival Quarterly, vol. 25, no. 1, spring 2001)

Native Resistance to Multinational Mining Corporations in Wisconsin [USA]  [refers to Exxon, Rio Algom, Billiton] (Al Gedicks & Zoltan Grossman, in Cultural Survival Quarterly, vol. 25, no. 1, spring 2001)

Staking Claims: Innu Rights and Mining Claims at Voisey's Bay [Canada] [refers to Diamond Fields] (Larry Innes, in Cultural Survival Quarterly, vol. 25, no. 1, spring 2001)

The Cordillera People's Alliance: Mining and Indigenous Rights in the Luzon Highlands [Philippines] [refers to Newmont Mining] (R.K. Tartlet, in Cultural Survival Quarterly, vol. 25, no. 1, spring 2001)

Uranium Mining on Navajo Indian Land [USA] [refers to Hydro-Resources Incorporated] (Doug Brugge, Timothy Benally & Esther Yazzie-Lewis, in Cultural Survival Quarterly, vol. 25, no. 1, spring 2001)

Mining in Paradise? Caught Between a Rock and Heavy Minerals on the Wild Coast, South Africa (Ralph Hamann, in Cultural Survival Quarterly, vol. 25, no. 1, spring 2001)

Maroon Gold Miners and Mining Risks in the Suriname Amazon (Marieke Heemskerk, in Cultural Survival Quarterly, vol. 25, no. 1, spring 2001)

Community Consultation in Mining: A tool for community empowerment or for public relations? [refers to Tiomin Resources mine in Panama; Royal Oak Mines & Miramar Mining Corporation in Canada] (Gail Whiteman & Katy Mamen, in Cultural Survival Quarterly, vol. 25, no. 1, spring 2001)

An Interview with Sayo':kla Kindness: an Oneida woman talks about mining [USA] (Amanda Siestreem, in Cultural Survival Quarterly, vol. 25, no. 1, spring 2001)

The Amungme, Kamoro & Freeport [West Papua] : How Indigenous Papuans Have Resisted the World's Largest Gold and Copper Mine - The story of the Amungme and Kamoro peoples and U.S. mining corporation Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold1 ("Freeport") offers one of the best-documented examples of how local communities have experienced and resisted the seizure of their traditional lands by government-backed multinational mining enterprises. (Abigail Abrash, in Cultural Survival Quarterly, vol. 25, no. 1, spring 2001)

Papuan Gold: A Blessing or a Curse? The Case of the Amungme [West Papua] [refers to Freeport McMoran] (Carolyn D. Cook, in Cultural Survival Quarterly, vol. 25, no. 1, spring 2001)

The Mining Minerals and Sustainable Development Project and Indigenous Peoples (Frank McShane & Luke Danielson, in Cultural Survival Quarterly, vol. 25, no. 1, spring 2001)

Native Reluctance to join Mining Industry Initiatives: Activist Perspectives [Australia, West Papua, UK, Papua New Guinea, USA, Canada] [refers to Rio Tinto, Anglo-American, BHP, Codelco, Newmont, Noranda, Phelps Dodge, Placer Dome, WMC, Freeport McMoRan] (Vicki Tauli-Corpuz & Danny Kennedy, in Cultural Survival Quarterly, vol. 25, no. 1, spring 2001)

The Man-Eating Mines of Potosi [Bolivia] (Johannes Stahl, in Cultural Survival Quarterly, vol. 25, no. 1, spring 2001)

Old Habits Die Hard: Indigenous Land Rights and Mining in Australia (Lisa Strelein & Larissa Behrendt, in Cultural Survival Quarterly, vol. 25, no. 1, spring 2001)

A Way Forward Together [agreement between mining company Comalco, indigenous peoples and government - Australia] (Comalco, 14 Mar. 2001)

Cape York Agreement [between mining company Comalco, indigenous peoples and government - Australia] shows Australia the right way forward (Lester Rosendale, ATSIC [Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission of Australia] Commissioner for Far North Queensland, 14 Mar. 2001)

Cape York Agreement welcome [agreement between mining company Comalco, indigenous peoples and government - Australia] (Geoff Clark, Chairman, ATSIC [Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission of Australia], 14 Mar. 2001)

'Honduras is worth more than gold': More than 30% of nation's territory has been licensed to foreign mining companies in just four years!...Most of this gold is given freely to international mining companies, who earn hundreds of millions of dollars in profits each year. In return, they offer limited employment, pay little or no taxes, and cause major environmental and social problems in developing countries, such as Honduras. (Michael Marsh, Honduras This Week, 5 Mar. 2001)

Canadian NGO policy views on corporate responsibility and corporate accountability: An Overview Paper Prepared for an NGO-Government Meeting, May 2001 (Moira Hutchinson, Mar. 2001)

Green Scissors 2001 exposes $55 billion in wasteful federal spending that harms the environment [USA]: Taxpayer and Environmental Groups Target 74 Pork Barrel Programs (press release by Friends of the Earth, Taxpayers for Common Sense, U.S. Public Interest Research Group, 22 Feb. 2001)

Newmont's News Doesn't Make Up for Their Deeds (Project Underground, 7 Feb. 2001)

Meru Betiri National Park mining threat [Indonesia]: NGOs are protesting against the decision by local government authorities in East Java to license gold-mining in an area which includes a national park as well as productive plantation and farmland owned by local people. The decision, which flouts national laws, is an alarming example of what may become a future trend in the new era of regional autonomy. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Feb. 2001)

Newmont and WALHI in poisoning row [Indonesia]: US-based mining giant Newmont has launched an aggressive attack on environmental group WALHI, over accusations of damage to human health at the company's gold mine at Ratatotok, North Sulawesi. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Feb. 2001)

Indigenous small-scale mining under threat [Indonesia]: For the Muluy Dayak community in East Kalimantan, small-scale gold mining is part of their traditional way of life. adat (customary law) governs their gold-panning activities, practised using simple equipment made from materials collected in the surrounding forests. But this integral part of Muluy livelihood is now under threat. Mining company surveyors have recently shown interest in the community's gold mining area. In response, the Muluy community has taken the decision to oppose large-scale mining. (Down to Earth Newsletter, Feb. 2001)

Guyana: Transnational mining companies' impacts on people and the environment (World Rainforest Movement Bulletin, Feb. 2001)

Tribal People in India Confront Alcan Investment: Three Die (MiningWatch Canada / Mines Alerte, 17 Jan. 2001)

American and Canadian Groups Petition U.S. Government to Oppose a Mine in British Columbia: Cite Threats to Wildlife, Invoke 60-Year-Old Treaty (Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund, Defenders of Wildlife, Sierra Legal Defence Fund, Taku Wilderness Association, The Wilderness Society, 4 Jan. 2001)

Mine thy neighbour: The Australian government needs to control Australian miners in Indonesia - A large proportion of foreign mining companies in Indonesia are Australian. They may be generating badly needed funds for the country, but the cost to those living near these mines has been very high. (Jeff Atkinson, Advocacy Coordinator, Community Aid Abroad [Oxfam Australia], Inside Indonesia, Jan.-Mar. 2001)