NEWS ARCHIVE

NEVADA COUNTY DENIES PERMIT FOR CLAY MINE, CAT LITTER PROCESSING PLANT NEAR RENO

Environmental News Network (ENN) - 28 February 2002 - County commissioners have denied the world's largest producer of cat litter permission to mine and process clay on the outskirts of town, a move applauded by environmentalists and an American Indian tribe. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

LEAD LEVELS IN HERCULANEUM CHILDREN'S BLOOD "URGENT PUBLIC HEALTH HAZARD"

Environmental News Network (ENN) - 28 February 2002 - Jack Warden, one of the most vocal critics of the nation's largest lead smelter, expected the results of a government lead exposure study to be troubling. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

PENNSYLVANIA DEFENDS MINING REGULATIONS

Lycos News (ENS) - 28 February 2002 - Pennsylvania has filed a complaint against the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) after the agency rejected the state's measures to require mine operators to repair, replace or compensate for damages caused by underground coal mining. Further information can be obtained from the news article. (Scroll down to the article.)

FOOD FROM MALAYSIA'S EX-MINING LAND TOXIC - REPORT

Planet Ark - 26 February 2002 - A study of foodstuff from a legendary tin mining area in Malaysia has revealed high levels of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) that could cause cancer, a newspaper said. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

BRITANNIA ZINC PLANTS BATTERY RECYCLING TRIALS

Planet Ark - 25 February 2002 - Britannia Zinc Ltd (BZL) is seeking to start recycling portable batteries, providing a boost for the environment and its own refinery, the company's general manager said. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

Lycos News (ENS) - 21 February 2002 - Action Mining Inc. will pay almost $1 million over the next several years into trust funds to ensure the long term treatment of mine runoff in Pennsylvania. Further information can be obtained from the news article. (Scroll down to the article.)

IEA COAL RESEARCH ANNUAL REPORT 2000/2001 IS AVAILABLE

The Clean Coal Centre enhances innovation and sustainable development of coal as a source of energy in an environmentally constrained world. It is the world’s foremost provider of information on clean coal supply and use. The annual report can be viewed at www.iea-coal.org.uk/pdffiles/ar2001.pdf (approx 450 kb)

INDONESIA OPEN-PIT BAN HITS REGIONS, OFFICIAL SAYS

Planet Ark - 19 February 2002 - An Indonesia mines and energy ministry official said yesterday a forestry law banning open-pit mining in a move to protect forests could trigger disintegration among regional provinces. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

CONFERENCE ON MINING, THE ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT

AllAfrica.com - 19 February 2002 - A two-day national conference on the mining industry, will be held at Tarkwa on February 21 and 22, to sensitise all stake-holders on how responsible mining is being undertaken in the country, what regulations are in place and how these are being enforced. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

GOVERNMENT, MINING INDUSTRY DEADLOCKED

AllAfrica.com - 18 February 2002 - Government and the mining industry have reached a stalemate over the enactment of a mining fiscal policy, worsening the operations of the sector already experiencing viability problems. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

PAPUA URGES STAY IN GAG NICKEL MINES

Planet Ark - 15 February 2002 - Indonesia's Papua has urged Australia's BHP Billiton to stay in a nickel mine project on the province's Gag Island and asked the government to allow the project, provincial governor Jacob Soloussa said yesterday. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

UN REPORT RECOMMENDS BAN ON MINERALS FROM DRC WAR ZONES

Mining Journal - 08 February 2002 - A moratorium on the trade of illegally exploited mineral from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been proposed by a panel of experts which has examined the role of the exploitation of natural resources by foreign military forces in the civil war in the country. The final report of the United Nations Expert Panel on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forums of Wealth in the DRC has suggested that the ban should apply to any minerals from zones of the country where invading troops are present. Further information can be obtained from "Mining Week" Section of Mining Journal.

CYANIDE SPILL KILLS WILDLIFE IN NT

i7News - 13 February 2002- More than 400 birds, kangaroos and other animals have died from cyanide poisoning near a Northern Territory gold mine, police say. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

BHP SAYS COMPLETES Ok TEDI MINE WITHDRAWAL

Planet Ark - 11 February 2002 - Resources giant BHP Billiton Plc said last week it has pulled out of the Papua New Guinea OK Tedi copper-gold mine and transferred its 52 percent stake to a development fund. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

US SAYS 3M TO PAY $15.5 MLN FOR DUMP SITE CLEANUP

Planet Ark - 11 February 2002 - Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing will pay $15.5 million to reimburse the federal government for cleanup work at a dump site in northern Ohio and for injuries to natural resources in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the Justice Department said last week. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

MINES REACH OUT

AllAfrica.com - 11 February 11, 2002 - The Minerals Commission and the Ghana Chamber of Mines are jointly organising a mining conference under the theme: "Mining, the Environment and Sustainable Development". Further information can be obtained from the news article.

SECRETARY OF STATE SAYS FORMER MINE SITES COULD BE USED TO POWER PLANTS

EnviroLink Service - 11 February 2002 - The state of West Virginia has auctioned off licenses for liquor stores and video lottery machines, and Secretary of State Joe Manchin believes the idea can also work for former surface mine sites. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

BLAST RIPS THROUGH POLISH COAL MINE

BBC News - 06 February 2002 - At least 10 miners have been killed in an accident at a coal mine in Poland. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

INDUSTRY GROUPS AT ODDS OVER TRAINING STANDARDS

MiningNews.net - 04 February 2002 - A newly formed drilling industry body is encouraging members to adopt new safety standards, creating a rift between itself and both the Australian Drilling Industry Training Committee (ADITC) and the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA). Further information can be obtained from the news article.

CHILE OKs STUDY ON $1.43 BLN GOLD AND COPPER PROJECT

Planet Ark - 04 February 2002 - Chilean authorities approved an environmental impact study for a $1.43 billion gold and copper project, Cerro Casale, controlled by Canadian miner Placer Dome. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

COAL, GAS ACCIDENT BURIES 13 ALIVE

China Daily - 02 February 2002 - A coal and gas accident at the Nantong Coal Mine in Chongqing Municipality, Southwest China, killed 13 miners and injured six others on Thursday. Further information can be obtained from the news article.

CALL FOR PAPERS

Minerals Council of Australia - 2002 Sustainable Development Conference - Incorporating the 27th Annual Environmental Workshop: Putting principles into practice (27 October - 01 November 2002)
A one-page abstract is due 8 March 2002. View Call for Papers (34 KB) for more details.