NEWS ARCHIVE

March 2001

REPORT SHOWS TOXICS HAVE DOUBLED

EnviroLink Service - 31 March 2001 - An annual "toxics tally" makes it look like Utah companies doubled the pollution they pumped into the environment in 1999. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

RECLAMATION

Taking the Right Steps- Planning and purpose are two goals of a successful reclamation strategy. Part One and Part Two - By Darren Constantino (February 2001, Pit & Quarry Website, www.pitandquarry.com)

STIMULATING ENVIRONMENT PROTECTS BRAIN AGAINST LEAD

Lycos News (ENS) - 30 March 2001 - Neuroscientists at Jefferson Medical College have found that a stimulating, enriched environment helped protect laboratory rats from the damaging effects of lead poisoning. Further information can be obtained from the news article. (Scroll down to the article.)

LIEBERMAN CALLS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROBE

Environmental News Network (ENN) - 29 March 2001- Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., said Wednesday that he is launching a Congressional investigation into President Bush's efforts to rollback environmental regulations, including those governing arsenic in drinking water. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

MINE WASTE CONTAMINATION MAY PERSIST FOR CENTURIES

Lycos News (ENS) - 26 March 2001 - Although streams flush contaminated sediments from past metal mining activities downstream, impacts may persist for centuries or more in watersheds, new research indicates. Further information can be obtained from the news article. (Scroll down to the article.)

LARGEST GOLD REFINERY FINE-TUNES WORKS TO SAVE WATER, POWER

AllAfrica.com - 24 March 2001 - The world's largest gold refinery has improved operations to become the most ecologically friendly in the world. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

BLM MAY HALT MINING RULES CRITICS BLAST MOVE AS PRESIDENT'S 'WAR ON THE ENVIRONMENT'

EnviroLink Service - 24 March 2001 - The Bureau of Land Management might roll back tough new mining regulations that took effect on Inauguration Day. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

SPRING BRINGS MERCURY SHOWERS TO ARCTIC

EnviroLink Service - 23 March 2001 - Atmospheric researchers in Canada say they are finally learning why mercury levels in the Arctic soar each year with the arrival of spring -- most recently to the highest levels ever found on Earth. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

CHINESE, AUSTRALIAN EYES ON TIBET MINERAL PROSPECTS

Lycos News (ENS) - 22 March 2001 - China is increasing mining in Tibet. Australian mining companies and the University of Tasmania are set to play an integral role in the mineral future of Chinese occupied Tibet. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

WORLD'S WATER CRISIS IS LIFE THREATENING

UNEP via Environmental News Network (ENN) - 21 March 2001 - The 22nd of March, is World Water Day, with the theme "Water for Health". According to Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP): "The water crisis - unlike the energy crisis - is life threatening. Without sustainable water management to ensure that there are sufficient supplies of clean, safe water, the health of ecosystems and those who depend on them, especially people, suffer". Further information can be obtained from the news article.

NEW HARD ROCK MINING RULES MAY BE DISCARDED

Lycos News (ENS) - 20 March 2001 - The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposed today to suspend new regulations that would restrict hard rock mining on public lands. Further information can be obtained from the news article. (Scroll down to the article.)

ESTATE SURVEYORS WANT ADEQUATE COMPENSATION FOR MINERAL AREAS

AllAfrica.com - 21 March 2001 - The Nigerian Institute of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) has advocated a proper land management policy that will ensure adequate compensation for and resettlement of areas affected by mineral exploitation. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

BUSH ADMINISTRATION THROWS OUT NEW ARSENIC STANDARD

Lycos News (ENS) - 20 March 2001 - The Bush administration has opted to defer - perhaps permanently - new arsenic standards that would slash the acceptable limits for this toxic chemical in drinking water by 80 percent. Further information can be obtained from the news article or ENN.

CHINESE AGENCY REPORTS NINE KILLED IN XINJIANG COAL MINE EXPLOSION

BBC Monitoring International Reports via NewsEdge Corporation 20 March 2001 - Nine miners were killed and three others were missing in a big gas explosion that occurred at 1210 [local time] on 16 March in the No. 2 pit under the No. 142 Regiment of the eighth division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

CONSERVATIONISTS INCREASE TONGASS NATIONAL FOREST

Environmental News Network (ENN) - 19 March 2001 - There's a little more wilderness in the Tongass National Forest now that conservationists have purchased some private land in Southeast and donated it to the Forest Service. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

TWO UKRAINIAN MINERS KILLED, ONE INJURED, THREE TRAPPED

AP via EnviroLink Service - 19 March 2001 - Two miners were killed, one was injured and three others remained trapped by a collapsed coal layer in four separate mine accidents that occurred over a single day in Ukraine, officials said Monday. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

MINE DEATHS DECEASE, BUT COAL'S SHARE RISES

EnviroLink Service - 16 March 2001 - Fatal injuries at mining operations in the United States last year decreased by about 6 percent from the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

UN'S ANNAN CALLS FOR EFFECTIVE ENVIRONMENT POLICY

Planet Ark - 15 March 2001 - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged world leaders to protect the environment yesterday to help turn sustainable development into a reality for the world. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

JAPAN LEAD-SMELTERS INCREASINGLY DEPENDENT ON RECYCLING

Planet Ark - 15 March 2001 - Japanese smelters are expected to obtain more raw materials to produce refined lead from battery scrap at home, where the recycling system is well-established, industry sources said yesterday. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

ONE MINER KILLED, 30 OTHERS TRAPPED BY FIRE IN MINE ACCIDENTS IN UKRAINE

EnviroLink Service - 14 March 2001 - A Ukrainian miner was killed by a collapsed coal layer, and 30 other miners were trapped by a fire in a mine shaft for more than an hour in a separate accident in eastern Ukraine, officials said Wednesday. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

PITTSBURGH-AREA CITIZENS GROUP FIGHTS STATE MINING LAW

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via EnviroLink Service - 14 March 2001 - Subsidence caused by longwall mining in Washington and Greene counties is damaging homes and water supplies, and that constitutes an illegal "taking" of the surface property owners' rights, according to a local citizens group asking Commonwealth Court to throw out a controversial 1994 state law. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

2001 KENTUCKY GENERAL ASSEMBLY: PROPOSAL ON MINE SAFETY REVAMPED PATTON BACKS CHANGES RULE ENFORCEMENT

The Courier-Journal Louisville, KY via EnviroLink Service - 13 March 2001 - A Senate committee yesterday overhauled Gov. Paul Patton's plan to revamp enforcement of coal-mine safety regulations, but the governor supports the changes. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

DOMESTIC NEWS/ MINING/ ACCEPTABLE LEVEL OF MINING DEATHS

China Economic Review via NewsEdge Corporation - 13 March 2001 - The Former State Bureau of Coal Industry considered acceptable a level of 4,000-4,400 deaths in mining accidents per 1bn tonnes of coal production, Legal Daily said. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

NEW PROCESS CLEANS UP HEXAVALENT CHROMIUM, TRICHLOROETHYLENE

Lycos News (ENS) - 13 March 2001 - A molasses based mixture can be used to neutralize toxic hexavalent chromium and trichloroethylene (TCE) in soil and groundwater, says an environmental consulting firm. Further information can be obtained from the news article. (Scroll down to the article.)

13 DIE IN CHINA MINE BLAST

BBC News - 13 March 2001 - A gas explosion in coal mine in the central Chinese province of Hunan has killed at least fifteen people. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

WEST VIRGINIA COAL LEADERS JOIN FORCES TO DEVELOP MINING INDUSTRY IN CHINA

State Journal-Charleston WV via EnviroLink Service - 12 March 2001 - Western-style technology developed in the coalfields of southern West Virginia and southwestern Virginia is currently being used in developing Asian coalfields to resolve several mineral resource extraction problems associated with underground coal mining. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

AFRICA PREPARES COMMON STANCE FOR EARTH SUMMIT

AllAfrica.com - 12 March 2001 - Representatives of the OAU, sub- regional economic groupings and the UN system began discussions in Dakar Monday aimed at preparing a common position for the World Summit on Sustainable Development scheduled for 2001 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

FLORIDA LAWMAKER ASKS AGENCY TO STUDY IMPACT OF PHOSPHATE MINING

Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News via EnviroLink Service - 11 March 2001 - Lindsay Harrington has asked a Florida agency that sponsors phosphate mining research to study the cumulative impacts of phosphate mining on the lower Peace River. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

Towards World Summit On Sustainable Development 2002

Africa Preparatory Process launched in Dakar

UNEP Information Release - March 2001 - The Africa preparatory process for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2002, was launched in Dakar on 13 March 2001, by His Excellency Ma�tre Abdoulaye Wade, President of the Republic of Senegal.

UNEP AND AFRICAN LEADERS LAUNCH PREPARATORY PROCESS FOR 2002 WORLD SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

UNEP Press Release - 09 March 2001 - Experts and officials from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) together with government leaders and members of civil society from the continent of Africa will meet in Dakar, on 12 and 13 March 2001, to launch the preparatory process for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), scheduled to be held in Johannesburg in mid-2002. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

EPA ISSUES ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER TO MARTIN COUNTY COAL CORPORATION FOR ALLEGED VIOLATIONS OF THE CLEAN WATER ACT

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE) via NewsEdge Corporation - 08 March 2001 - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today that Martin County Coal Corporation (MCCC) has entered into an Administrative Order on Consent (Order) with the Agency for alleged violations of the Clean Water Act (CWA) which resulted from the sudden release of approximately 250 million gallons of coal slurry into rivers and streams in Kentucky and West Virginia. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

SENATE APPROVES NEW VERSION OF MINE SAFETY OVERSIGHT

Associated Press Leased Line via NewsEdge Corporation - 08 March 2001 - The Kentucky Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill Wednesday to toughen state oversight of mine safety. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

CANADA TO SUPPORT ZAMBIA'S ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

AllAfrica.com - 06 March 2001 - Zambia and Canada have signed a funding agreement under which the Canadian government would provide 3.7 million US dollars to finance mining-related environment management activities as well as the post-2000 Zambia national census activities. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

HEAVY METAL: ARSENIC IS AN ENDOCRINE DISRUPTOR

Environmental News Network (ENN) - 05 March 2001 - By Margot Higgins Researchers at Dartmouth College have discovered that arsenic may trigger endocrine disruption. Of the Environmental Protection Agency's hit list of the nation's most toxic chemicals, arsenic ranks first. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

AFRICA PREPARES FOR SECOND EARTH SUMMIT

All Africa.com - 05 March 2001 - Representatives of African countries, regional economic groupings, UN specialised agencies and environmental groups will meet in Dakar 12-13 March to work out a common position for the next round of the Earth Summit. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

MERCURY POSES RISK TO ONE IN 10 U.S. PREGNANCIES

Lycos News (ENS) - 05 March 2001 - One in 10 women of childbearing age in the United States are at risk of having newborns with neurological problems due to in utero mercury exposure, according to a government study released last week. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

HEAVY METAL: ARSENIC IS AN ENDOCRINE DISRUPTOR

AFRICA PREPARES FOR SECOND EARTH SUMMIT

MERCURY POSES RISK TO ONE IN 10 U.S. PREGNANCIES

GREENE COUNTY, PA., JURY AWARDS FAMILY $1 MILLION IN COAL MINING EXPLOSION

Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News via EnviroLink Service - 04 March 2001 - A Waynesburg family, whose home exploded and burned to the ground in October 1997 when methane gas released by a coal mining operation ignited, was awarded $1.08 million yesterday by a Greene County jury. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

GREENE COUNTY, PA., JURY AWARDS FAMILY $1 MILLION IN COAL MINING EXPLOSION

EVALUATING THE POTENTIAL FOR ACID MINE DRAINAGE REMEDIATION THROUGH REMINING IN THE TANGASCOOTTACK CREEK WATERSHED, CLINTON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

Mining Engineering via EnviroLink Service - 02 March 2001 - Abstract: Pennsylvania has 4,000 km (2,500 miles) of streams that do not meet water-quality standards due to acid mine drainage (AMD), making AMD the greatest cause of water pollution in the state. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

NORTHWEST MINING ASSOCIATION MEETING COVERS 21ST CENTURY MINING ISSUES

Mining Engineering via EnviroLink Service - 02 March 2001 - The developed world's appetite continues to increase for the goods produced from metals and minerals. In recent years, the populations of developing countries have received a taste of what the mining industry can bring to them. And they want more. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

EVALUATING THE POTENTIAL FOR ACID MINE DRAINAGE REMEDIATION THROUGH REMINING IN THE TANGASCOOTTACK CREEK WATERSHED, CLINTON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

NORTHWEST MINING ASSOCIATION MEETING COVERS 21ST CENTURY MINING ISSUES

LEADVILLE MINING AND MILLING ACTIVITY UPDATE

Business Wire via EnviroLink Service - 01 March 2001 - Leadville Mining & Milling Corp. (OTC BB: LMMI), has recently been engaged in the acquisition of mining concessions in Mexico and mining claims in the Leadville Mining District. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

LEADVILLE MINING AND MILLING ACTIVITY UPDATE