By Dirk Meissner (CP) – 1 day ago
VICTORIA, B.C. — Environmentalists say a natural treasure in the United States is threatened by proposed coal and gold mining in southeastern B.C., and they'll ask United Nations environmental experts later this week to put some pressure on the province to stop the developments.
The UN environmental experts are currently in Montana gathering information about the potential damage B.C. mining proposals could inflict upon Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park in that state, a UNESCO World Heritage site and Biosphere Reserve.
The group will then come to B.C. later in the week to see the Flathead River area of southeastern B.C., which hugs the Alberta, British Columbia and Montana borders, and where the B.C. government has approved gold mining exploration and a coal mine development.
"Just as we would be very upset if the Americans were planning mining near the border of headwater streams of a river that entered our province, the Americans are justifiably very concerned about this," said Sarah Cox, a spokeswoman for the Sierra Club of B.C.
Cox said hers and two other Canadian environmental groups, Wildsight and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, will address the UNESCO experts on Friday in Fernie, B.C.
It's a bit of a black eye for B.C. to be approving things that jeopardize a world heritage site," she said. I'll be talking about why this area is important to British Columbians and why British Columbians want to see the lower one-third of the valley protected as a national park."
Canadian and American conservation groups petitioned the UN to investigate the potential threat to the area and last June, the World Heritage Committee voted to send the UNESCO mission to the Flathead area in Canada and to Montana.
The Flathead area has the greatest diversity and concentration of carnivores on the continent, including many species that are threatened elsewhere such as lynx, grizzly, wolverine and grey wolf, say conservationists.
Last year, the B.C. government granted a gold drilling permit to Max Resources Corp., of Vancouver.
B.C. Energy Minister Blair Lekstrom said the UNESCO experts will see that B.C.'s development plans are not hurting the environment.
The province did grant the permit to Max Resources Corp., but that doesn't immediately mean they can open a gold mine in the area, he said.
It gives them the right to go and drill some exploratory holes. That's what's taking place, so minimal impact," Lekstrom said.
The Flathead Valley area has been the site of human and industrial activity for the past century, but still retains its pristine environment, said Lekstrom.
"We're looking forward to the (UNESCO) findings. They actually, I'm sure, look after their environment, but I think we have as good a track record as anybody," he said.
Max Resources spokesman Leonard MacMillan said the gold drilling permit the company has is about 30 kilometres outside of the Flathead Valley.
He said Max Resources is aware of the UNESCO visit to the area, but is confident the officials will find that B.C. has strict mining regulations, MacMillan said.
"We're not mining anyway," he said. "We're just looking."
The B.C. environmentalists are furious that the provincial government has refused to release documents on the gold exploration permit they've granted. They say they were told they would have to request the documents using Freedom of Information legislation - a long and sometimes costly process.
Lekstrom said that under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, some private information cannot be made public.
Cline Mining Corp., of Ottawa, has a proposal before the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office to open a coal mine in the area.
Cox cited U.S. government reports that say pollutants from a coal strip mine in B.C. would reach the U.S. biosphere area within 24 hours.
But Lekstrom said the company has had mining tenure in the area for decades, but has yet to develop a mine there.
"I don't think we would allow anybody to dump their slag into the river."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5h4_csReJ70EIkXk-jYcmNZ6A_D3w
Showing posts with label Canada. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Canada. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Canada urged to pass UN Indigenous Declaration on second anniversary
Comment: The state of Virginia is welcoming a nation (Canada, who will blow up our hills for uranium) that mistreats their native people. Canada needs to sign the UN Declaration now or stop doing business in our state!
First Nations and Quebec Native women urge passage of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigneous Peoples, on the second anniversary
From the press release below; “The AFN is going to lead the effort to implement the United Nations Declaration through our work here at home and abroad. First Nations are going to put its principles into practice. The AFN is going to support First Nations in implementing our sacred treaties and our constitutionally protected title and rights using clear standards, such as those set out in the Declaration.” From the Open letter [attached in English and French]: ‘If these words [of apology] were truly sincere, then the Government of Canada should have already endorsed the Declaration and thus contributed to improve their relationship with Indigenous peoples.”
OTTAWA, Sept. 11 /CNW Telbec/ - September 13. 2009 marks the second anniversary of the passing of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Canada was one of only four countries in the world to vote against the UN Declaration, and continues to oppose it.
September 13 is a landmark day for the world’s Indigenous peoples, but a black mark on Canada’s international reputation, “ Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo stated. “The AFN is going to lead the effort to implement the United Nations Declaration through our work here at home and abroad. First Nations are going to put its principles into practice. The AFN is going to support First Nations in implementing our sacred treaties and our constitutionally protected title and rights using clear standards, such as those set out in the Declaration.”
The National Chief stated that, in addition to domestic work the AFN will work with its counterparts at the National Congress of American Indians, with the international community and at the United Nations itself to give life to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The AFN Quebec-Labrador region has been a leader in pressing Canada to support the UN Declaration. The AFN Regional Chief for Quebec-Labrador, Ghislain Picard, stated: “The majority of recommendations at Canada’s Universal Periodic Review on its human rights record were directly related to the treatment of Aboriginal peoples in Canada.
This clearly indicates the need for Canada to adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The adoption of this UN Declaration would give the message that Canada is serious about bringing to an end its colonial and assimilations policies and practices.
The Declaration could provide us with a basis from which a new relationship could be built on mutual recognition, mutual respect and lead us away from the current state of extreme poverty and dependency resulting from legislation and policies that are anchored in colonialism.”
Regional Chief Picard is also inviting First Nations and all Canadians to sign a petition asking the Canadian government to sign a petition asking the Canadian government to endorse the UN Declaration.
The petition can be found online at http://www.apnql-afnql.com/.
There is high support for the UN Declaration nationally and internationally. In 2008, 100 legal scholars and experts signed an Open Letter calling on the Government of Canada to “… cease publicizing its misleading claims and, together with Indigenous peoples, actively implement this new human rights instrument.”
In April, the Government of Australia reversed its position and now supports the Declaration.
National Chief Atleo stated: “It is time to move forward with the Declaration in all that we do. It is a statement of the principles that should guide our relationship, and it is a way to measure our progress. It is time that we all embrace these principles and act on these principles.”
-30- /For further information: Alain Garon, Communications Officer, AFNQL, (418) 842-5020 (418) 842-5020, Cell (418) 956-5720 (418) 956-5720; Robert Simpson, (778) 991-1407 (778) 991-1407; ChantelleKrish, (778) 990-9544/
UBCIC's Protecting Knowledge Conference site: http://www.ubcic.bc.ca/Resources/conferences/PK.htm
http://censored-news.blogspot.com/2009/09/canada-urged-to-pass-un-indigenous.html
First Nations and Quebec Native women urge passage of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigneous Peoples, on the second anniversary
From the press release below; “The AFN is going to lead the effort to implement the United Nations Declaration through our work here at home and abroad. First Nations are going to put its principles into practice. The AFN is going to support First Nations in implementing our sacred treaties and our constitutionally protected title and rights using clear standards, such as those set out in the Declaration.” From the Open letter [attached in English and French]: ‘If these words [of apology] were truly sincere, then the Government of Canada should have already endorsed the Declaration and thus contributed to improve their relationship with Indigenous peoples.”
OTTAWA, Sept. 11 /CNW Telbec/ - September 13. 2009 marks the second anniversary of the passing of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Canada was one of only four countries in the world to vote against the UN Declaration, and continues to oppose it.
September 13 is a landmark day for the world’s Indigenous peoples, but a black mark on Canada’s international reputation, “ Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo stated. “The AFN is going to lead the effort to implement the United Nations Declaration through our work here at home and abroad. First Nations are going to put its principles into practice. The AFN is going to support First Nations in implementing our sacred treaties and our constitutionally protected title and rights using clear standards, such as those set out in the Declaration.”
The National Chief stated that, in addition to domestic work the AFN will work with its counterparts at the National Congress of American Indians, with the international community and at the United Nations itself to give life to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The AFN Quebec-Labrador region has been a leader in pressing Canada to support the UN Declaration. The AFN Regional Chief for Quebec-Labrador, Ghislain Picard, stated: “The majority of recommendations at Canada’s Universal Periodic Review on its human rights record were directly related to the treatment of Aboriginal peoples in Canada.
This clearly indicates the need for Canada to adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The adoption of this UN Declaration would give the message that Canada is serious about bringing to an end its colonial and assimilations policies and practices.
The Declaration could provide us with a basis from which a new relationship could be built on mutual recognition, mutual respect and lead us away from the current state of extreme poverty and dependency resulting from legislation and policies that are anchored in colonialism.”
Regional Chief Picard is also inviting First Nations and all Canadians to sign a petition asking the Canadian government to sign a petition asking the Canadian government to endorse the UN Declaration.
The petition can be found online at http://www.apnql-afnql.com/.
There is high support for the UN Declaration nationally and internationally. In 2008, 100 legal scholars and experts signed an Open Letter calling on the Government of Canada to “… cease publicizing its misleading claims and, together with Indigenous peoples, actively implement this new human rights instrument.”
In April, the Government of Australia reversed its position and now supports the Declaration.
National Chief Atleo stated: “It is time to move forward with the Declaration in all that we do. It is a statement of the principles that should guide our relationship, and it is a way to measure our progress. It is time that we all embrace these principles and act on these principles.”
-30- /For further information: Alain Garon, Communications Officer, AFNQL, (418) 842-5020 (418) 842-5020, Cell (418) 956-5720 (418) 956-5720; Robert Simpson, (778) 991-1407 (778) 991-1407; ChantelleKrish, (778) 990-9544/
UBCIC's Protecting Knowledge Conference site: http://www.ubcic.bc.ca/Resources/conferences/PK.htm
http://censored-news.blogspot.com/2009/09/canada-urged-to-pass-un-indigenous.html
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Canadian-owned mine a threat to Grand Canyon: Groups
An eagle flies over the Grand Cayon in Arizona 05 April 2007. A planned Canadian-owned uranium mine near the Grand Canyon is being targeted in a lawsuit launched by three U.S. environmental groups that claim the project threatens four at-risk species of fish and an endangered songbird that inhabit the iconic Arizona park.Photograph by: Gabriel Bouys, AFP/Getty Images
By Randy Boswell, Canwest News Service
September 10, 2009 4:01 PM
A planned Canadian-owned uranium mine near the Grand Canyon is being targeted in a lawsuit launched by three U.S. environmental groups that claim the project threatens four at-risk species of fish and an endangered songbird that inhabit the iconic Arizona park.
The president of Toronto-based Denison Mines told Canwest News Service that the legal action has the company "looking at what the potential ramifications might be," but insists the mine poses no harm to the famed natural wonder or its animal residents.
"We're within 10 or 15 miles (16 to 24 kilometres) of the north rim of the Grand Canyon," said Ron Hochstein. "We're in that general district. But geologically and everything, it's so separate that some of the allegations they are making are not even feasible."
The Sierra Club, U.S. Center for Biological Diversity and Grand Canyon Trust have filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue the U.S. Bureau of Land Management over alleged violations of endangered species legislation in approving Denison's "Arizona 1" mine, near the northern boundary of the Grand Canyon National Park.
The Canadian company is not being sued.
The groups argue that the U.S. agency has applied outdated regulations and ignored new scientific data in permitting Denison's mine, which is located within a 400,000-hectare buffer zone declared off-limits to new mining operations in a July order issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees the land bureau.
Denison's mine is exempt from the order because it received initial vetting decades ago. But the Sierra Club and its allies argue the land bureau has followed an "illegal course" of approvals and must now revisit a 1988 environmental assessment because the southwestern willow flycatcher and the four types of fish — all native to the Colorado River that cuts through the canyon — have since been added to the U.S. endangered species list or had new critical habitat identified in the region.
"The Grand Canyon and its endangered species deserve complete protection from the uranium industry," said Taylor McKinnon, the Center for Biological Diversity's public lands advocate. "And relying on outdated and incomplete reviews falls far short of that standard."
Roger Clark, the Grand Canyon Trust's air and energy campaigner, said "experience has shown that uranium development can permanently poison land and water in this arid region."
The groups also argue that new hydrology studies, increased traffic hazards due to a uranium-mining boom and other factors should have been considered before giving Denison the final OK to start its operation.
Hochstein said the idea that Arizona 1 threatens the Grand Canyon ecosystem can't be justified "by any stretch of the imagination" because the mine site is a safe distance from the park.
"This mine was originally permitted in the late '80s. This is not a case of a new mine," he said. "All we really needed to move forward from the position we were in was an air-quality permit, which we received last week from the State of Arizona."
He added: "As far as Denison is concerned, we have all the permits necessary to put this mine into operation."
Hochstein said all of the site preparation — including the digging of shafts and placing of equipment underground — was completed years ago and is now being readied for operation.
"This is a mine that was very close to being put into production, but uranium prices collapsed and as a result the mine wasn't fully developed and put into operation," he said. "Once we got the permit, we mobilized people from our local office — to do shaft inspections, start the vent fans operating — so that we're ready to go underground as soon as we can. The infrastructure is all in place. We are essentially ready to go."
In the lawsuit papers filed this week, the environmental groups quote U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's effusive remarks about the Grand Canyon and the potential threats posed by uranium mining when he announced the moratorium on new mines in July.
"I am calling a two-year 'time-out' from all new mining claims in the Arizona Strip near the Grand Canyon because we have a responsibility to ensure we are developing our nation's resources in a way that protects local communities, treasured landscapes and our watersheds," Salazar said at the time.
The announcement described the Grand Canyon as a "home to numerous rare, endemic and specially protected plant and animal species" and noted that "the Colorado River and its tributaries flow through the watersheds" of the park to supply water to several major U.S. cities, including Tucson, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Diego.
The threatened fish species identified in the planned lawsuit are the razorback sucker, Colorado pikeminnow, humpback chub and bonytail chub.
Salazar's announcement also emphasized that the lands encompassed in the moratorium "contain significant environmental and cultural resources" — including numerous archeological sites — "as well as substantial uranium deposits."
He stipulated, however, that the new measures would not "prohibit ongoing or future mining exploration or extraction operations on valid pre-existing claims."
http://www.canada.com/travel/Canadian+owned+mine+threat+Grand+Canyon+Groups/1980282/story.html
By Randy Boswell, Canwest News Service
September 10, 2009 4:01 PM
A planned Canadian-owned uranium mine near the Grand Canyon is being targeted in a lawsuit launched by three U.S. environmental groups that claim the project threatens four at-risk species of fish and an endangered songbird that inhabit the iconic Arizona park.
The president of Toronto-based Denison Mines told Canwest News Service that the legal action has the company "looking at what the potential ramifications might be," but insists the mine poses no harm to the famed natural wonder or its animal residents.
"We're within 10 or 15 miles (16 to 24 kilometres) of the north rim of the Grand Canyon," said Ron Hochstein. "We're in that general district. But geologically and everything, it's so separate that some of the allegations they are making are not even feasible."
The Sierra Club, U.S. Center for Biological Diversity and Grand Canyon Trust have filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue the U.S. Bureau of Land Management over alleged violations of endangered species legislation in approving Denison's "Arizona 1" mine, near the northern boundary of the Grand Canyon National Park.
The Canadian company is not being sued.
The groups argue that the U.S. agency has applied outdated regulations and ignored new scientific data in permitting Denison's mine, which is located within a 400,000-hectare buffer zone declared off-limits to new mining operations in a July order issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees the land bureau.
Denison's mine is exempt from the order because it received initial vetting decades ago. But the Sierra Club and its allies argue the land bureau has followed an "illegal course" of approvals and must now revisit a 1988 environmental assessment because the southwestern willow flycatcher and the four types of fish — all native to the Colorado River that cuts through the canyon — have since been added to the U.S. endangered species list or had new critical habitat identified in the region.
"The Grand Canyon and its endangered species deserve complete protection from the uranium industry," said Taylor McKinnon, the Center for Biological Diversity's public lands advocate. "And relying on outdated and incomplete reviews falls far short of that standard."
Roger Clark, the Grand Canyon Trust's air and energy campaigner, said "experience has shown that uranium development can permanently poison land and water in this arid region."
The groups also argue that new hydrology studies, increased traffic hazards due to a uranium-mining boom and other factors should have been considered before giving Denison the final OK to start its operation.
Hochstein said the idea that Arizona 1 threatens the Grand Canyon ecosystem can't be justified "by any stretch of the imagination" because the mine site is a safe distance from the park.
"This mine was originally permitted in the late '80s. This is not a case of a new mine," he said. "All we really needed to move forward from the position we were in was an air-quality permit, which we received last week from the State of Arizona."
He added: "As far as Denison is concerned, we have all the permits necessary to put this mine into operation."
Hochstein said all of the site preparation — including the digging of shafts and placing of equipment underground — was completed years ago and is now being readied for operation.
"This is a mine that was very close to being put into production, but uranium prices collapsed and as a result the mine wasn't fully developed and put into operation," he said. "Once we got the permit, we mobilized people from our local office — to do shaft inspections, start the vent fans operating — so that we're ready to go underground as soon as we can. The infrastructure is all in place. We are essentially ready to go."
In the lawsuit papers filed this week, the environmental groups quote U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's effusive remarks about the Grand Canyon and the potential threats posed by uranium mining when he announced the moratorium on new mines in July.
"I am calling a two-year 'time-out' from all new mining claims in the Arizona Strip near the Grand Canyon because we have a responsibility to ensure we are developing our nation's resources in a way that protects local communities, treasured landscapes and our watersheds," Salazar said at the time.
The announcement described the Grand Canyon as a "home to numerous rare, endemic and specially protected plant and animal species" and noted that "the Colorado River and its tributaries flow through the watersheds" of the park to supply water to several major U.S. cities, including Tucson, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Diego.
The threatened fish species identified in the planned lawsuit are the razorback sucker, Colorado pikeminnow, humpback chub and bonytail chub.
Salazar's announcement also emphasized that the lands encompassed in the moratorium "contain significant environmental and cultural resources" — including numerous archeological sites — "as well as substantial uranium deposits."
He stipulated, however, that the new measures would not "prohibit ongoing or future mining exploration or extraction operations on valid pre-existing claims."
http://www.canada.com/travel/Canadian+owned+mine+threat+Grand+Canyon+Groups/1980282/story.html
Saturday, September 5, 2009
North American Gem Inc. Announces Private Placement
Comment: So Canada is looking for more Coal in American! Canada is looking for more uranium in Canada, well maybe?
VANCOUVER, BC -- (Marketwire) -- 09/04/09 -- North American Gem Inc. (TSX-V: NAG) (the "Company") would like to announce that it has arranged a non-brokered private placement, subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange, of up to 5,000,000 units at a price of $0.06 per unit for total proceeds of up to $300,000. Each non-flow through unit will consist of one common share and one full warrant. Each full warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one additional common share of the Company at a price of $0.09 per share for the first year, $0.12 per share in the second year, and $0.15 per share in the third year.
The proceeds of the private placement will be used for exploration work on the Company's coal properties in Kentucky and general working capital. A finder's fee may be payable according to the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange.
The Company further announces that pursuant to its stock option plan, the Company has granted incentive stock options to its directors, officers, consultants, and employees to purchase in the total of 1,500,000 common shares in the capital stock of the company, subject to regulatory approval, exercisable for a period of five years, at a price of $0.10 per share.
North American Gem Inc. (TSX-V: NAG) is a Junior Exploration Company based in Western Canada. The Company's primary goal is to explore for Coal in North America, currently the focus is in Kentucky, Saskatchewan and West Virginia. In addition to Coal exploration, the Company also has interests in Uranium, Copper, Gold, Molybdenum and other base metals in Canada.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
NORTH AMERICAN GEM INC.
"Charles Desjardins"
Charles Desjardins
President and Director
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Cautionary note:
This report contains forward looking statements. Resource estimates, unless specifically noted, are considered speculative. Any and all other resource or reserve estimates are historical in nature, and should not be relied upon. By their nature, forward looking statements involve risk and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on factors that will or may occur in the future. Actual results may vary depending upon exploration activities, industry production, commodity demand and pricing, currency exchange rates, and, but not limited to, general economic factors. Cautionary Note to US investors: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission specifically prohibits the use of certain terms, such as "reserves" unless such figures are based upon actual production or formation tests and can be shown to be economically and legally producible under existing economic and operating conditions.
Contact:
North American Gem Inc.
430 - 609 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC
Canada V7Y 1G5
Phone: 604-683-5445
Facsimile: 604-687-9631
info@northamericangem.com
www.northamericangem.com
http://www.yachtchartersmagazine.com/node/1095514
VANCOUVER, BC -- (Marketwire) -- 09/04/09 -- North American Gem Inc. (TSX-V: NAG) (the "Company") would like to announce that it has arranged a non-brokered private placement, subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange, of up to 5,000,000 units at a price of $0.06 per unit for total proceeds of up to $300,000. Each non-flow through unit will consist of one common share and one full warrant. Each full warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one additional common share of the Company at a price of $0.09 per share for the first year, $0.12 per share in the second year, and $0.15 per share in the third year.
The proceeds of the private placement will be used for exploration work on the Company's coal properties in Kentucky and general working capital. A finder's fee may be payable according to the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange.
The Company further announces that pursuant to its stock option plan, the Company has granted incentive stock options to its directors, officers, consultants, and employees to purchase in the total of 1,500,000 common shares in the capital stock of the company, subject to regulatory approval, exercisable for a period of five years, at a price of $0.10 per share.
North American Gem Inc. (TSX-V: NAG) is a Junior Exploration Company based in Western Canada. The Company's primary goal is to explore for Coal in North America, currently the focus is in Kentucky, Saskatchewan and West Virginia. In addition to Coal exploration, the Company also has interests in Uranium, Copper, Gold, Molybdenum and other base metals in Canada.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
NORTH AMERICAN GEM INC.
"Charles Desjardins"
Charles Desjardins
President and Director
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Cautionary note:
This report contains forward looking statements. Resource estimates, unless specifically noted, are considered speculative. Any and all other resource or reserve estimates are historical in nature, and should not be relied upon. By their nature, forward looking statements involve risk and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on factors that will or may occur in the future. Actual results may vary depending upon exploration activities, industry production, commodity demand and pricing, currency exchange rates, and, but not limited to, general economic factors. Cautionary Note to US investors: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission specifically prohibits the use of certain terms, such as "reserves" unless such figures are based upon actual production or formation tests and can be shown to be economically and legally producible under existing economic and operating conditions.
Contact:
North American Gem Inc.
430 - 609 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC
Canada V7Y 1G5
Phone: 604-683-5445
Facsimile: 604-687-9631
info@northamericangem.com
www.northamericangem.com
http://www.yachtchartersmagazine.com/node/1095514
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Uranium mining may get buried in Nunn
Definition of carpetbagger: refers to roving opportunists (Canadian uranium corporations in America)
Comment: We are all fighting against uranium mining all over America from the carpetbaggers of Canada! Why are the Canadian uranium corporations (plus the Country of Canada and the French connection) coming south to ruin of land with uranium mining? The Canadian people are tired of their land already ruin from uranium mining so they have placed uranium mining bans in their districts! America government, enact the same uranium mining bans now before you kill your people with uranium mining! Demand our leaders now to ban uranium mining and milling now!
Comment: We are all fighting against uranium mining all over America from the carpetbaggers of Canada! Why are the Canadian uranium corporations (plus the Country of Canada and the French connection) coming south to ruin of land with uranium mining? The Canadian people are tired of their land already ruin from uranium mining so they have placed uranium mining bans in their districts! America government, enact the same uranium mining bans now before you kill your people with uranium mining! Demand our leaders now to ban uranium mining and milling now!
Powertech says its process is safe but a vote by Nunn's town board could make permitting difficult.
By Monte Whaley
The Denver Post
denver and the west
Posted: 09/03/2009 01:00:00 AM MDT
NUNN — Opponents of a huge uranium- mining operation northwest of Greeley say they are ready for a showdown tonight before the Nunn town board.
Coloradoans Against Resource Destruction — a citizens group formed in 2007 — wants the Nunn board to back a resolution against a plan by Powertech Uranium Corp. to extract uranium from the windy plains that surround Nunn and two other small towns, Wellington and Carr.
Powertech, a Canadian company, owns 9,615 acres of mineral rights in the area. Company officials say they hope to extract the uranium using the in-situ method, in which a solvent solution is injected underground to dissolve uranium ore and pump it to the surface. They claim it is less environmentally damaging than traditional techniques that scar the landscape.
The company also said the operation would bring plenty of jobs to a struggling region.
But CARD claims the mining will damage air and water and bring other health problems. A negative vote by the Nunn board will make state and local officials more reluctant to approve any permits for Powertech's Centennial Project, said the group's spokeswoman, Jackie Adolph.
"The people who have turned out over this issue have so far, over and over again, opposed this project," Adolph said.
"The time is now for the town board to speak for the overwhelming majority of residents who think uranium mining this close to the town represents unacceptable risks," resident Dan Rapelje said.
The project, opponents say, may reap more jobs but would be a detriment to long-term economic growth in the area.
The governing bodies of Fort Collins, Greeley, Wellington, Timnath and Ault already have approved similar resolutions.
Powertech president and chief executive Dick Clement said a resolution against the project could harm the company's permit application.
Still, Clement said, he has faith that emotions won't sway state and local overseers of the project. "All we can do is give them the scientific facts and present them with the truth."
Nunn Mayor Jeff Pigue said he's not sure whether a vote will be taken tonight. The board may decide to call for a study session to examine Powertech's plans more closely.
Pigue has been harshly criticized for not coming out solidly against Powertech. The mayor said he wants to reserve judgment until all the evidence is in on the health effects of the mining.
"If it can be done safely, I have no problems with it," Pigue said. "If they can prove there will be no harm done to our citizens, then (Powertech) should be able to do what they want with their mineral rights."
http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_13256900
Thursday, August 27, 2009
The power of no
Comment: Corporate and governmental raid on Native Canadians! The corp. and gov’t want the land for the resources! We all need to stand up to Corporations and the State of Virginia and tell them NO TO URANIUM MINING!
Judy Rebick
Story_publish_date: August 26, 2009
“We have a choice. We still have fresh water, clean air, and forests. We can still hunt and fish and trap and we will never give up the right to protect our traditional lands and our traditional way of life.” Sam McKay, KI spokesperson. Yesterday, we heard the tremendous news that the First Nations led protest of Dump Site 41 [3] to stop the spoiling of a pristine watershed by a dump site had succeeded.
The Tiny Township City Council voted for a one year moratorium [4]. Initiated by a peaceful sit-in of women from the Beausoleil First Nation, the protest grew to include many local townspeople, support of the Council of Canadians and a growing chorus of environmentalists.
The same day, I found out that Platinex who was driven out of prospecting aboriginal land last year by a magnificent struggle of the KI leadership with the support of aboriginal and settler groups across the province, was planning to go back on to KI land. They sent a letter to KI that they would arrive on August 25 in a fly in only area. To stop them, KI needed $1,000 to fly in, a lot of money for this poor community. Now that Chief Donny Morris and the KI Council have gone up to make sure Platinex can’t start prospecting, Platinex announces that they will delay their trip a week “because of weather.” Platinex has the money to fly in there whenever they like. The people of KI have no such easy option.
No doubt Platinex is underestimating both the courage and determination of the KI leadership and I hope their support. But nevertheless after spending weeks in jail away from their families and community, after winning a court battle and getting promises from the Ontario government just last spring. Why should KI have to go through it all again? It’s not about what’s fair or right. It’s about power and money.
Last week end, at the Centre for Social Justice Retreat in Algonquin Park, I participated in an all afternoon workshop, simulating a negotiation between a First Nations group and the federal and provincial government organized by Bob Lovelace.
My nation was a poor remote small First Nation trying to keep uranium mining off our land. I was the chief negotiator. We all learned a lot through the experience but for me the most powerful learning was what it felt like to be in a negotiation with no power and a ruthless opponent who was trying to buy me off under the cover of false kindness and co-operation.
Over and over again the woman pretending to be an Ontario government representative told me she was looking out for the interests of "all Ontarions" when really she was looking for out for the interests of the corporation.
I was so angry; it took me hours to get over it. I’ve been in negotiations with government before but I was representing women’s groups that had a lot more power and resources than the native group I was pretending to represent. I acted like I had power, because I’m used to that and as a result I screwed up the whole thing.
First Nations are on the front line of protecting the environment from further destruction and degredation by the forces of greed. Where they are standing up to protect the earth, it is up to all us to stand with them and share whatever access to power in solidarity just like at Dump Site 41 and last spring when Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) and Ardoch successfully stopped prospecting on their land.
I was so moved by the people of KI, I wrote a chapter of my book about their struggle last spring. Here is an excerpt:
“Seven First Nations leaders in two different communities were jailed for refusing mining on their traditional lands. Bob Lovelace, a university professor and retired chief of the Ardoch Algonquins, located near Kingston, Ontario, along with Chief Donny Morris and his five councillors from the remote northern community of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI), six hundred kilometres north of Thunder Bay—known as the KI Six—were willing to give up their freedom to take a stand for their people and the land they feel a responsibility to protect. They opposed a powerful industry that threatened them with massive lawsuits, a court that acted in the interests of that industry, and a government that claimed neutrality at the same time as actually supporting the mining companies…
While the jailing of indigenous activists is nothing new, this was the first time that a chief-in-council, Donny Morris of KI, the official leader of the community as recognized by the Indian Act, had been jailed for following the laws protecting indigenous rights. The remote community was left virtually without leadership.
The excuse given by the Ontario government was the archaic Mining Act, which places the rights of industrial development over everything. Mining companies are given automatic licence to explore wherever they want without First Nations’ approval, without an environmental assessment, and even without the permission of the owners of private property.
Unlike in many previous Aboriginal struggles, both KI and Ardoch received a lot of local support in the media and from non-native communities in Thunder Bay and Kingston respectively, but they understood that to get their leaders out of jail, they needed to have their issue raised in Toronto…
The first rally on April 9, 2008, was standing room only. Ovide Mercredi and Assembly of First Nations national chief Phil Fontaine were the keynote speakers, but the audience was most moved by the presentations of Ardoch Chief Paula Sherman and Chief Donny’s wife, Anne Marie Morris, as well as by the phone call with the KI Six in jail in Thunder Bay. Another moving moment of the rally was when a native drummer from Sarnia told how his father had gone to visit KI about twenty years before to warn them not to let the industrial devastation that had happened to their land near Sarnia occur in the north...
As support was building, Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty made an announcement that he would amend the Mining Act. But requests for a moratorium on drilling so that the leaders could be released from jail went unheeded. Realizing the power of the jailing of the KI Six, the provincial government wanted them released, but the Six would only leave jail if they were given assurances that there would be no more drilling. This the government refused. So the KI Six remained in jail. They also refused to go from Thunder Bay to Toronto for their appeal, since the only option they were given was to go in shackles, and they felt that was beneath their dignity. They would participate in their appeal through video conferences.
Given the KI culture of face-to-face meetings and the central role I was playing in organizing their support, I decided to go up to Thunder Bay with Judy Finlay the week before the rally to meet them. In that meeting in the jail, Chief Donny Morris said, “When you think of when the settlers first came, they tried to slaughter us. Why? For the mineral riches on our land like gold, and now it is happening again. I have been thinking about what it means that non-Indians are organizing all this support for us. I am thinking about that a lot here. I haven’t seen this kind of thing in the past. It’s like all of you are becoming Indians. The Canadian government tried to assimilate us for generations and now it is the opposite that is happening. You are all starting to think like us about the Earth.”
Then, as a sign that Platinex, the mining company, was feeling the pressure, they agreed to stop drilling so that the KI Six could come out of jail. In a bold move, their lawyer Chris Reid petitioned for them to be released until the appeal, and they were. The KI Six could attend the rally.
We also wanted as many people from KI and Grassy Narrows as possible at both the rally and the appeal. Since it costs about one thousand dollars per person to travel to Toronto from KI, that meant a lot of fundraising. Most of the funds came from the unions and the environmental groups that were involved. We raised more than fifty thousand dollars in a couple of weeks to bring fifty community members from KI, and another fifty from Grassy Narrows, for the rally and sleepover…
The calm determination of Bob Lovelace and the KI Six, and the heroism of their communities, which were totally traumatized by the loss of their leaders and the attacks on their communities, inspired extraordinarily broad support. The alliance between the indigenous communities and outside supporters was unprecedented, both at the local and provincial level.
In Ardoch, non-indigenous peoples were speaking out in defence of Lovelace and raising money to support him and his community. In Toronto, by the end of May, we had a network of students, unions, churches, anti-poverty groups, international solidarity coalitions, and, of course, environmental groups working full out. Not since the 1980s have I seen an issue into which every single individual and organization put so much work and money.
The protest culminated in that mass rally at the provincial legislature at Queen’s Park and the four-day sovereignty sleepover, at which tepees and large tents were pitched on the grounds of the provincial legislature. The seven leaders were permanently released from prison for time served by the Court of Appeal after Lovelace had served three months and the KI Six had served two months of what were supposed to be sentences of six months for contempt of court. Their final exoneration came on the third day of the sleepover and represented a rare and important victory for indigenous peoples.
The integrity and courage of Bob Lovelace and the KI Six inspired First Nations across the country to realize they can say “No” to any development that is not in the interests of their communities or their land, and helped to build the broadest coalition of supporters I have seen in many years. This support influenced the Appeal Court decision as well.
Sam McKay, the KI spokesperson, told a press conference on the Tuesday of the four-day sleepover that he understood why southern First Nations were negotiating with industry, because their water and lands have already been destroyed. But, he argued, “We have a choice. We still have fresh water, clean air, and forests. We can still hunt and fish and trap and we will never give up the right to protect our traditional lands and our traditional way of life.”
Source URL (retrieved on Aug 27 2009 - 10:08pm): http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/judes/2009/08/power-no
Links:[1] http://rabble.ca/taxonomy/term/335
[2] http://rabble.ca/sites/rabble/files/node-images/babyprotest.jpg
[3] http://stopdumpsite41.ca/
[4] http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/686373
[5] http://rabble.ca/user
[6] http://rabble.ca/user/register
http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/judes/2009/08/power-no
Judy Rebick
Story_publish_date: August 26, 2009
“We have a choice. We still have fresh water, clean air, and forests. We can still hunt and fish and trap and we will never give up the right to protect our traditional lands and our traditional way of life.” Sam McKay, KI spokesperson. Yesterday, we heard the tremendous news that the First Nations led protest of Dump Site 41 [3] to stop the spoiling of a pristine watershed by a dump site had succeeded.
The Tiny Township City Council voted for a one year moratorium [4]. Initiated by a peaceful sit-in of women from the Beausoleil First Nation, the protest grew to include many local townspeople, support of the Council of Canadians and a growing chorus of environmentalists.
The same day, I found out that Platinex who was driven out of prospecting aboriginal land last year by a magnificent struggle of the KI leadership with the support of aboriginal and settler groups across the province, was planning to go back on to KI land. They sent a letter to KI that they would arrive on August 25 in a fly in only area. To stop them, KI needed $1,000 to fly in, a lot of money for this poor community. Now that Chief Donny Morris and the KI Council have gone up to make sure Platinex can’t start prospecting, Platinex announces that they will delay their trip a week “because of weather.” Platinex has the money to fly in there whenever they like. The people of KI have no such easy option.
No doubt Platinex is underestimating both the courage and determination of the KI leadership and I hope their support. But nevertheless after spending weeks in jail away from their families and community, after winning a court battle and getting promises from the Ontario government just last spring. Why should KI have to go through it all again? It’s not about what’s fair or right. It’s about power and money.
Last week end, at the Centre for Social Justice Retreat in Algonquin Park, I participated in an all afternoon workshop, simulating a negotiation between a First Nations group and the federal and provincial government organized by Bob Lovelace.
My nation was a poor remote small First Nation trying to keep uranium mining off our land. I was the chief negotiator. We all learned a lot through the experience but for me the most powerful learning was what it felt like to be in a negotiation with no power and a ruthless opponent who was trying to buy me off under the cover of false kindness and co-operation.
Over and over again the woman pretending to be an Ontario government representative told me she was looking out for the interests of "all Ontarions" when really she was looking for out for the interests of the corporation.
I was so angry; it took me hours to get over it. I’ve been in negotiations with government before but I was representing women’s groups that had a lot more power and resources than the native group I was pretending to represent. I acted like I had power, because I’m used to that and as a result I screwed up the whole thing.
First Nations are on the front line of protecting the environment from further destruction and degredation by the forces of greed. Where they are standing up to protect the earth, it is up to all us to stand with them and share whatever access to power in solidarity just like at Dump Site 41 and last spring when Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) and Ardoch successfully stopped prospecting on their land.
I was so moved by the people of KI, I wrote a chapter of my book about their struggle last spring. Here is an excerpt:
“Seven First Nations leaders in two different communities were jailed for refusing mining on their traditional lands. Bob Lovelace, a university professor and retired chief of the Ardoch Algonquins, located near Kingston, Ontario, along with Chief Donny Morris and his five councillors from the remote northern community of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI), six hundred kilometres north of Thunder Bay—known as the KI Six—were willing to give up their freedom to take a stand for their people and the land they feel a responsibility to protect. They opposed a powerful industry that threatened them with massive lawsuits, a court that acted in the interests of that industry, and a government that claimed neutrality at the same time as actually supporting the mining companies…
While the jailing of indigenous activists is nothing new, this was the first time that a chief-in-council, Donny Morris of KI, the official leader of the community as recognized by the Indian Act, had been jailed for following the laws protecting indigenous rights. The remote community was left virtually without leadership.
The excuse given by the Ontario government was the archaic Mining Act, which places the rights of industrial development over everything. Mining companies are given automatic licence to explore wherever they want without First Nations’ approval, without an environmental assessment, and even without the permission of the owners of private property.
Unlike in many previous Aboriginal struggles, both KI and Ardoch received a lot of local support in the media and from non-native communities in Thunder Bay and Kingston respectively, but they understood that to get their leaders out of jail, they needed to have their issue raised in Toronto…
The first rally on April 9, 2008, was standing room only. Ovide Mercredi and Assembly of First Nations national chief Phil Fontaine were the keynote speakers, but the audience was most moved by the presentations of Ardoch Chief Paula Sherman and Chief Donny’s wife, Anne Marie Morris, as well as by the phone call with the KI Six in jail in Thunder Bay. Another moving moment of the rally was when a native drummer from Sarnia told how his father had gone to visit KI about twenty years before to warn them not to let the industrial devastation that had happened to their land near Sarnia occur in the north...
As support was building, Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty made an announcement that he would amend the Mining Act. But requests for a moratorium on drilling so that the leaders could be released from jail went unheeded. Realizing the power of the jailing of the KI Six, the provincial government wanted them released, but the Six would only leave jail if they were given assurances that there would be no more drilling. This the government refused. So the KI Six remained in jail. They also refused to go from Thunder Bay to Toronto for their appeal, since the only option they were given was to go in shackles, and they felt that was beneath their dignity. They would participate in their appeal through video conferences.
Given the KI culture of face-to-face meetings and the central role I was playing in organizing their support, I decided to go up to Thunder Bay with Judy Finlay the week before the rally to meet them. In that meeting in the jail, Chief Donny Morris said, “When you think of when the settlers first came, they tried to slaughter us. Why? For the mineral riches on our land like gold, and now it is happening again. I have been thinking about what it means that non-Indians are organizing all this support for us. I am thinking about that a lot here. I haven’t seen this kind of thing in the past. It’s like all of you are becoming Indians. The Canadian government tried to assimilate us for generations and now it is the opposite that is happening. You are all starting to think like us about the Earth.”
Then, as a sign that Platinex, the mining company, was feeling the pressure, they agreed to stop drilling so that the KI Six could come out of jail. In a bold move, their lawyer Chris Reid petitioned for them to be released until the appeal, and they were. The KI Six could attend the rally.
We also wanted as many people from KI and Grassy Narrows as possible at both the rally and the appeal. Since it costs about one thousand dollars per person to travel to Toronto from KI, that meant a lot of fundraising. Most of the funds came from the unions and the environmental groups that were involved. We raised more than fifty thousand dollars in a couple of weeks to bring fifty community members from KI, and another fifty from Grassy Narrows, for the rally and sleepover…
The calm determination of Bob Lovelace and the KI Six, and the heroism of their communities, which were totally traumatized by the loss of their leaders and the attacks on their communities, inspired extraordinarily broad support. The alliance between the indigenous communities and outside supporters was unprecedented, both at the local and provincial level.
In Ardoch, non-indigenous peoples were speaking out in defence of Lovelace and raising money to support him and his community. In Toronto, by the end of May, we had a network of students, unions, churches, anti-poverty groups, international solidarity coalitions, and, of course, environmental groups working full out. Not since the 1980s have I seen an issue into which every single individual and organization put so much work and money.
The protest culminated in that mass rally at the provincial legislature at Queen’s Park and the four-day sovereignty sleepover, at which tepees and large tents were pitched on the grounds of the provincial legislature. The seven leaders were permanently released from prison for time served by the Court of Appeal after Lovelace had served three months and the KI Six had served two months of what were supposed to be sentences of six months for contempt of court. Their final exoneration came on the third day of the sleepover and represented a rare and important victory for indigenous peoples.
The integrity and courage of Bob Lovelace and the KI Six inspired First Nations across the country to realize they can say “No” to any development that is not in the interests of their communities or their land, and helped to build the broadest coalition of supporters I have seen in many years. This support influenced the Appeal Court decision as well.
Sam McKay, the KI spokesperson, told a press conference on the Tuesday of the four-day sleepover that he understood why southern First Nations were negotiating with industry, because their water and lands have already been destroyed. But, he argued, “We have a choice. We still have fresh water, clean air, and forests. We can still hunt and fish and trap and we will never give up the right to protect our traditional lands and our traditional way of life.”
Source URL (retrieved on Aug 27 2009 - 10:08pm): http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/judes/2009/08/power-no
Links:[1] http://rabble.ca/taxonomy/term/335
[2] http://rabble.ca/sites/rabble/files/node-images/babyprotest.jpg
[3] http://stopdumpsite41.ca/
[4] http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/686373
[5] http://rabble.ca/user
[6] http://rabble.ca/user/register
http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/judes/2009/08/power-no
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Company Seeks Ariz. Permit Mine Near Grand Canyon
Comment: What's up with the Canadians invading our country looking and mining for uranium? Most people out west have PAID a deadly price for the greed of corporations and the federal gov't and now Canada want to kill us? HECK NO, WE WON'T GLOW, DEMAND OUR LEADERS TO BAN URANIUM MINING THRU OUT AMERICA!By (AP) FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.
Published: Sat, June 27, 2009 - 12:33 pm
Last Updated: Sat, June 27, 2009 - 1:05 pm
Short URL: http://wkrg.com/a/140938/
A Canadian company is one permit away from reactivating an Arizona uranium mine near the Grand Canyon where conservationists have been pushing for protection from new mining operations, a state official says.
Thousands of mining claims dot a 1 million-acre area around the canyon, but Arizona Department of Environmental Quality spokesman Mark Shaffer says only Denison Mines Corp. has a pending air permit with the agency for a site about 20 miles from the canyon's northern border.
Most of the claims for uranium are staked in an Arizona strip, a sparsely populated area immediately north of the Grand Canyon National Park known for its high-grade uranium ore. The silvery white metal is used in nuclear energy and weapons and for medicine.
If the permit is approved, Denison would be the first to restart mining at the Toronto-based company's Arizona 1 site, some 20 years after previous operations ceased.
The project could be a boon for some residents in Fredonia, a town of 1,000 closest to the mine. Many in the small town about 35 miles away are employed in the mining industry, and Mayor Dixie Judd said earlier operations provided an economic boost to the community that has three service stations and one restaurant.
"It just hasn't been what people perceive it to be," she said Friday, adding that the town's only bank closed shortly after previous uranium operations were shuttered.
Ron Hochstein, president and chief executive of Denison, said operations could begin within a year. A shaft already had been sunk at the mine, ventilation work was complete and agreements have been secured to sell the ore, he said.
"It would start ramping up once we receive the permit," he said.
The company also is seeking aquifer protection permits for its Pinenut and Canyon mines, 40 miles southwest of Fredonia and six miles southeast of Tusayan near the South Rim of the canyon, respectively.
Interest in reopening mines in the area is expected to rise following a public hearing on the permits next month in Fredonia, Shaffer said. The price for uranium has risen eight-fold since the 1980s, now selling at $55 per pound.
But nearby residents and environmentalists, who are pushing to ban new mining in the area, are worried about possible groundwater contamination, destruction of wildlife habitat and the transport of radioactive material. Some miners and their families have blamed exposure to uranium for deaths and health effects, including cancer and kidney disease.
The company plans to ship the ore from its three mines to a processing site hundreds of miles away near Blanding, Utah. Environmentalists say that without new environmental impact studies, residents along the trucking route won't have a say about the noise, traffic or dust from the ore escaping.
Kaibab Paiute Indian tribal administrator Tony Phillippe said members who live downwind from former nuclear testing sites have suffered enough from the exposure to nuclear dust. The reservation lies outside of Fredonia off State Route 89A where the ore would be trucked.
"I will not tolerate that type of invasion of the health of this community," he said.
Taylor McKinnon, the public-lands program director for the Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity, said mining also could harm species in the area, including the endangered California condor and fish in the Colorado River. He said environmental analyses on the mines that were completed in the 1980s should be redone.
Environmentalists also have said that the mining would cause harm and that vertical columns below the ground would allow water from mining to flow downward, contaminating the water table below with uranium.
Hochstein, the Denison president, disputed those claims, saying that the company was not changing the ground structure.
"Those vertical lines have been there for millions of years, the water should be seeping down there already," he said.
ADEQ Director Ben Grumbles said the department recognizes that "uranium mining needs to be closely regulated and that adequate environmental safeguards must be in place before any work begins."
The department said Denison's air permit includes stringent monitoring and reporting requirements that would assure airborne dust from the mine and hauling operations are minimized.
Support from the state's congressional delegation has been divided. Democratic U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva's efforts to ban new mining claims and exploration on unproven claims have been blocked, while Arizona's two U.S. senators have said there was already an adequate balance of resource development and wilderness protection around the canyon.
Denison has staked 110 claims within the 1 million-acre area around the Grand Canyon and plans to produce nearly 110,000 tons per year of uranium ore at its Arizona 1 site over 10 years.
http://www.wkrg.com/associated_press/article/company-seeks-ariz.-permit-mine-near-grand-canyon/140938/Jun-27-2009_1-05-pm/
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Quebec Auditor General Agrees - Mining Companies Short Change Taxpayers
Comment: People all over the world are fighting uranium mining corporations and their greed, they never clean up the mess they make, they leave the land in shambles and people lives ruin ! Demand Virginia to ban uranium mining and milling now!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Quebec Auditor General Agrees - Mining Companies Short Change Taxpayers
Further to my recent post on how one exploration company active in Quebec and BC last year walked away with $600K in taxpayer money, Quebec's Auditor General confirmed last April a number of facts about the impact of the mining industry in Quebec.
Some astonishing information:
* between 2002 and 2008, 14 of the 24 mining companies operating in Quebec paid zero royalties (in the same period, the annual output of Quebec’s mining sector was $4.2 billion)
*during that timeframe an average of 1.5 per cent of the gross value of Quebec’s mines was paid in royalties the industry paid $109 million for environmental remediation, while the actual costs of cleaning up abandoned mine sites was $352 million,
*leaving Quebec to pick up 69 per cent of the tab, or $243 million file reviews by the Auditor General revealed no trace of collaboration between the department of natural resources and wildlife and the department of sustainable development,
*environment and parks the objective of the Quebec government's encouragement and financial subsidies to the mining industry is job creation yet the employment in Quebec’s mining sector actually dropped by 17 per cent in the last 10 years Quebec is a bonanza for investors who get back in tax credits $716 for every $1,000 they invest in a mining company
*Quebec mines do not respect the three elements of sustainable development: projects must be economically sound, environmentally and socially acceptable to those living nearby
*In the National Assembly, junior minister Simard said the Charest government would introduce “very soon” a new mining strategy with three priorities: wealth creation, respect for the environment and developing mines with the local population.
This is the same mineral strategy that was announced but not delivered back in October 2007. Reportedly it is being released on Monday, June 29, 2009 and will be followed by "consultations" this summer and new legislation in the fall.
We'll see.
Asked for its reaction to the auditor general’s findings by the Montreal Gazette, the Mining Association of Canada did not return phone calls.
Given the circumstances and the general stresses in the Quebec economy, why should, I ask again, taxpayers be subsidizing investors in this sector? What is the "return on investment"? If jobs are being lost and companies are dumping the majority of their remediation costs back onto the average citizen while taking profits out of the province (in many cases) who is protecting the Quebec citizen?
The long overdue Mineral Strategy has a lot to answer for.
See the article in the Montreal Gazette: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Quebec+shortchanged+minerals+auditor+general/1470442/story.html
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Quebec Auditor General Agrees - Mining Companies Short Change Taxpayers
Further to my recent post on how one exploration company active in Quebec and BC last year walked away with $600K in taxpayer money, Quebec's Auditor General confirmed last April a number of facts about the impact of the mining industry in Quebec.
Some astonishing information:
* between 2002 and 2008, 14 of the 24 mining companies operating in Quebec paid zero royalties (in the same period, the annual output of Quebec’s mining sector was $4.2 billion)
*during that timeframe an average of 1.5 per cent of the gross value of Quebec’s mines was paid in royalties the industry paid $109 million for environmental remediation, while the actual costs of cleaning up abandoned mine sites was $352 million,
*leaving Quebec to pick up 69 per cent of the tab, or $243 million file reviews by the Auditor General revealed no trace of collaboration between the department of natural resources and wildlife and the department of sustainable development,
*environment and parks the objective of the Quebec government's encouragement and financial subsidies to the mining industry is job creation yet the employment in Quebec’s mining sector actually dropped by 17 per cent in the last 10 years Quebec is a bonanza for investors who get back in tax credits $716 for every $1,000 they invest in a mining company
*Quebec mines do not respect the three elements of sustainable development: projects must be economically sound, environmentally and socially acceptable to those living nearby
*In the National Assembly, junior minister Simard said the Charest government would introduce “very soon” a new mining strategy with three priorities: wealth creation, respect for the environment and developing mines with the local population.
This is the same mineral strategy that was announced but not delivered back in October 2007. Reportedly it is being released on Monday, June 29, 2009 and will be followed by "consultations" this summer and new legislation in the fall.
We'll see.
Asked for its reaction to the auditor general’s findings by the Montreal Gazette, the Mining Association of Canada did not return phone calls.
Given the circumstances and the general stresses in the Quebec economy, why should, I ask again, taxpayers be subsidizing investors in this sector? What is the "return on investment"? If jobs are being lost and companies are dumping the majority of their remediation costs back onto the average citizen while taking profits out of the province (in many cases) who is protecting the Quebec citizen?
The long overdue Mineral Strategy has a lot to answer for.
See the article in the Montreal Gazette: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Quebec+shortchanged+minerals+auditor+general/1470442/story.html
Sunday, June 21, 2009
NATIONAL POST ATTACKS ALBERTA CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS FOR MENTIONING ‘ETHICS’ + ‘NUCLEAR ENERGY’ IN ONE SENTENCE
Comment: Remember, people, Canada will be mining uranium in Virginia and out West. Their Nuke Side slammed the Catholic Bishops about the statement against Nuke Power. We are Stewarts of the earth; therefore, we must protect the earth against the corporate raid!
The Roman Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Alberta is not exactly a coven of unkempt Greenpeace treesitters, but one would never know it by reading the lead unsigned editorial in that Death Culture newspaper yesterday, June 19, 2009 on page A12.
There the bishops are attacked at some length by the CanWest Global mothership newspaper’s anonymous editorialist for having the audacity to suggest that atomic power raises ’serious ethical questions.’
Seems this is a touchy subject these days for Death Culture pushers who have been trying mightily to convince the Canadian hoi poloi that nuclear power is somehow cleaner than all other energy sources, supposedly in order to address their concerns about ‘global warming’ or ‘climage change’.
The brave National Post editorialist is very concerned to castigate the Churchmen as (once again) mired in superstition, and therefor unqualified to say anything of substance at all on these public interest matters: ‘The idea that there are unique ethical concerns about nuclear energy is nothing more than a superstition, unworthy of an organization that possesses the Catholic faith’s commitment to intellectual rigour.’
NP’s editorialist asks the Alberta bishops whether their qualifications ‘entitle’ them to offer ’special insight into these matters’?
The National Post has disgraced itself with this pathetic pandering to anti-Catholic bigotry in order to cast aspersions on the motifs of these usually quiet bishops finally doing the job they have been trained to do.
By the way, they are still Canadian citizens with all the Charter-protected rights to free speech and expression as any other Canadian citizen, are they not?
Since when does the National Post appoint its editorialist to sit in judgement of who is supposedly ‘entitled’ to make public comments on nuclear power in Canada?
One wonders what type of infernal training the Aspers would put such a person through to get the miserable job?
- Gregory Paul Michael Hartnell, President
Concerned Citizens’ Coalition
Victoria
CCC
http://gregoryhartnell.wordpress.com/2009/06/20/national-post-attacks-alberta-conference-of-catholic-bishops-for-mentioning-ethics-nuclear-energy-in-one-sentence/
The Roman Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Alberta is not exactly a coven of unkempt Greenpeace treesitters, but one would never know it by reading the lead unsigned editorial in that Death Culture newspaper yesterday, June 19, 2009 on page A12.
There the bishops are attacked at some length by the CanWest Global mothership newspaper’s anonymous editorialist for having the audacity to suggest that atomic power raises ’serious ethical questions.’
Seems this is a touchy subject these days for Death Culture pushers who have been trying mightily to convince the Canadian hoi poloi that nuclear power is somehow cleaner than all other energy sources, supposedly in order to address their concerns about ‘global warming’ or ‘climage change’.
The brave National Post editorialist is very concerned to castigate the Churchmen as (once again) mired in superstition, and therefor unqualified to say anything of substance at all on these public interest matters: ‘The idea that there are unique ethical concerns about nuclear energy is nothing more than a superstition, unworthy of an organization that possesses the Catholic faith’s commitment to intellectual rigour.’
NP’s editorialist asks the Alberta bishops whether their qualifications ‘entitle’ them to offer ’special insight into these matters’?
The National Post has disgraced itself with this pathetic pandering to anti-Catholic bigotry in order to cast aspersions on the motifs of these usually quiet bishops finally doing the job they have been trained to do.
By the way, they are still Canadian citizens with all the Charter-protected rights to free speech and expression as any other Canadian citizen, are they not?
Since when does the National Post appoint its editorialist to sit in judgement of who is supposedly ‘entitled’ to make public comments on nuclear power in Canada?
One wonders what type of infernal training the Aspers would put such a person through to get the miserable job?
- Gregory Paul Michael Hartnell, President
Concerned Citizens’ Coalition
Victoria
CCC
http://gregoryhartnell.wordpress.com/2009/06/20/national-post-attacks-alberta-conference-of-catholic-bishops-for-mentioning-ethics-nuclear-energy-in-one-sentence/
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Sask. forest fire burns near major uranium facility
Comment: Well, this is scary, just think about the air problem if the Uranium mill catches fire!Last Updated: Wednesday, June 17, 2009 10:53 AM CT
CBC News -A large forest fire is burning in northern Saskatchewan about six kilometres away from a major uranium milling site.
The provincial fire centre has named the 100-hectare blaze, about 570 kilometres north of Saskatoon, the "High Rock" fire.
It's near the Key Lake operation, the largest uranium milling operation in the world, according to majority owner Cameco Corp.
The company is taking steps to reduce risks, Cameco spokesman Gord Struthers said.
"We've set out some sprinklers as a precaution, and are using some heavy equipment to cut some fire breaks and are working in co-operation with the Ministry of Environment people, who have a crew up working in the area," he said.
The mine camp is safe for now, he said. The number of people working at the camp wasn't immediately available.
"The prevailing winds are away from the camp, and it's also behind a chain of lakes, and apparently they were getting some rain up there as well," Struthers said.
On Tuesday, 75 forest fires were burning in the province. There have been 375 to date this year, compared with 327 by the same time last year.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2009/06/17/uranium-fire.html?ref=rss
The provincial fire centre has named the 100-hectare blaze, about 570 kilometres north of Saskatoon, the "High Rock" fire.
It's near the Key Lake operation, the largest uranium milling operation in the world, according to majority owner Cameco Corp.
The company is taking steps to reduce risks, Cameco spokesman Gord Struthers said.
"We've set out some sprinklers as a precaution, and are using some heavy equipment to cut some fire breaks and are working in co-operation with the Ministry of Environment people, who have a crew up working in the area," he said.
The mine camp is safe for now, he said. The number of people working at the camp wasn't immediately available.
"The prevailing winds are away from the camp, and it's also behind a chain of lakes, and apparently they were getting some rain up there as well," Struthers said.
On Tuesday, 75 forest fires were burning in the province. There have been 375 to date this year, compared with 327 by the same time last year.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2009/06/17/uranium-fire.html?ref=rss
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Sinosteel plans to bid for 20% stake in Canada's Denison Mines
Comment: With all the Uranium companies joining each other, How will we know what countries will receive Uranium. The Canadian Uranium company in Virginia is telling us that if uranium is mine in VA, it will stay in America???? Do you really believe them?Read several Posts about companies needing uranium!
Sinosteel plans to bid for 20% stake in Canada's Denison Mines
Jun. 16, 2009 (China Knowledge) - Sinosteel Corp, China's second largest iron ore trader, has submitted a bid for a 20% holding in Denison Mines Corp, a Canada-based uranium producer, in an attempt to outbid Korea Electric Power Corp (Kepco), the South China Morning Post reported on Monday, quoting unnamed sources as saying.
In mid-April, Kepco and Denison said that the Korean firm had consented to purchase a 19.9% holding in the Canadian miner for around C$75.4 million. The deal has not been closed yet.
Denison Mines, which is mainly engaged in uranium exploration, development, mining and milling, has uranium mining projects in both the U.S. and Canada as well as development projects in Canada, Zambia and Mongolia.
In early March, Sinosteel announced that it had raised its shareholding in Australia-based Murchison Metals Ltd to 5.85% from the previous 2.4%, which it acquired last April.
Sinosteel reported business revenue of RMB 171.9 billion for last year, a robust growth of 39% from the previous year.
http://www.chinaknowledge.com/Newswires/News_Detail.aspx?type=1&NewsID=24482
Kansai Electric Aims to Invest More in Uranium Mines, Mori Says
The utility was the first from Japan to invest in a mine in Kazakhstan, holder of the world’s second-biggest reserves.
Kansai Electric together with partners Sumitomo Corp. and Kazatomprom, a state-owned miner, said in 2006 they would invest $100 million in the West Mynkuduk mine. The project, in which Kansai holds a 10 percent stake, started production in December 2007 and will yield 1,000 tons a year at its peak.
Australian Exploration
Kansai Electric also holds a 50 percent stake in Japan Australia Uranium Resources Development Co., which won rights to explore two areas in South Australia in 2008 and will invest A$20 million ($15.8 million) in exploration.
The company holds a 6.9 percent stake in Japanese mining venture, Overseas Uranium Resources Development Co., with mines in Canada and Niger.
Kansai Electric got about 39 percent of its uranium from Australia, 27 percent from Africa and 19 percent from North America in the 10 years to 2008. Soga declined to say how much uranium the company needs a year.
http://www.chinaknowledge.com/Newswires/News_Detail.aspx?type=1&NewsID=24482
Vancouver uranium mining company acquires 50% interest in Kazakh project
Tuesday, 16 June 2009
Vancouver's Uranium One Inc. (TSX:UUU) plans to acquire 50% interest in the Karatau Uranium mine from a Russian company in a cash and share deal worth approximately $455 million.
Uranium One's deal with JSC Atomredmetzoloto (ARMZ), a Russian state-owned uranium mining company, will be paid with 117 million Uranium One shares plus US$90 million in cash. The agreement also provides for a contingent payment to ARMZ of up to US$60 million, payable in three equal tranches between 2010 and 2012 subject to post-closing tax-related adjustments.
The Karatau project produced 1.7 million pounds of uranium last year and is expected to yield 3.3 million pounds this year at a total cash cost of $15 per pound. The mine is expected to reach 5.2 million pounds of production by 2011.
As a result of the deal, ARMZ will have a 16.6% interest in Uranium One and will have one member of the board appointed by ARMZ. The deal, which is subject to legal due diligence, customary closing conditions and regulatory and shareholder approvals, is expected to close in December.
Uranium One has agreed to appoint a second ARMZ representative to the board in 2010, subject to shareholder approval.
http://www.bivinteractive.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1686&Itemid=32
Monday, June 15, 2009
Students Protest Against Canadian Mining Company in Tibet
Comment: We do not want the Canadian uranium companies either!!
Published Mar 5, 2009 by ■ Chris V. Thangham
Canadian company Hunter Dickinson/Continental Minerals (HDI) is planning to set up large-scale mining operations in the Occupied Tibet area.
Many worry this will displace the local Tibetans and replace them with the mainland Chinese.
China has occupyed Tibet for more than 50 years, and it claims the territory belonged to them thousands of years ago. This month will mark the 50-year anniversary of the exile of the Tibetan leader, the Dalai Lama.
The Chinese are worried there will be more riots this year, similar to last year's protests. China has sent more troops to the troubled area. While there is no end in sight for local Tibetans, others like Hunter Dickinson/Continental Minerals (HDI) are trying to profit in a major way.
HDI plans to mine gold and copper in central Tibet. It will destroy the environment in that area and affect the local Tibetans. Soon, workers from mainland China will fill the mining area and displace the ethnic population in Tibet.
A group is now protesting HDI’s actions in Tibet. Seven pro-Tibet protesters from the “Students for a Free Tibet” group disrupted a Toronto mining convention earlier this week. It is shown in the video posted above.
Kunga Tsering, president of the Canadian-Tibetan Joint Action Committee, one of the protesters, said in a statement:
"It's unconscionable for a Canadian company to be operating inside Tibet when Tibetans are facing a brutal military clampdown and the most repressive conditions in three decades,"
Ron Thiessen, chair of Continental Minerals and a partner in the Hunter Dickinson (HDI) project responded and told The Star:
“We respect everyone’s right to make statements...We’re not mining yet (in Tibet), we hope to be.”
Other Canadian companies participating in Tibet are Bombardier, Power Corporation and Nortel, who are helping build a railway line between China and Tibet.
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/268546
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Vote delayed on local permit for Colo uranium mill
Associated Press - June 12, 2009 1:14 PM ET
MONTROSE, Colo. (AP) - Montrose County planners have delayed until July 1 a decision whether to recommend a special-use permit for a proposed uranium and vanadium mill in southwest Colorado.
Energy Fuels Inc., based in Toronto, wants to build the mill 12 miles west of Naturita and about 225 miles southwest of Denver.
The county Planning Commission heard hours of public comment at a hearing on Wednesday but delayed a decision until the July meeting.
The county commissioners have the final say on the special use permit. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment would also have to approve the mill.
Energy Fuels has said it might take 10 years to have the proposed mill ready to operate.
Information from: Durango Herald, http://www.durangoherald.com
MONTROSE, Colo. (AP) - Montrose County planners have delayed until July 1 a decision whether to recommend a special-use permit for a proposed uranium and vanadium mill in southwest Colorado.
Energy Fuels Inc., based in Toronto, wants to build the mill 12 miles west of Naturita and about 225 miles southwest of Denver.
The county Planning Commission heard hours of public comment at a hearing on Wednesday but delayed a decision until the July meeting.
The county commissioners have the final say on the special use permit. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment would also have to approve the mill.
Energy Fuels has said it might take 10 years to have the proposed mill ready to operate.
Information from: Durango Herald, http://www.durangoherald.com
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Why is someone drilling in my backyard?
Comment: People all over Virginia need to wake up and smell the coffee. If Virginia allows uranium mining and milling it well affect your mineral rights; therefore, we will see Drilling Rigs pulling up in your yard. Virginia is known to listen to Corporations and not her people! So demand Virginia to ban uranium mining and milling NOW!!!June 06, 2009
Peter Gorrie
The province claims it made peace with residents of cottage country when it made private property in Southern Ontario off-limits to prospectors.
Its new policy, announced this spring, "takes bold steps toward a modern, innovative Mining Act that would balance all of our respective interests, benefit Ontario communities and support a vibrant Ontario minerals industry," says mines minister Michael Gravelle.
But "nobody is happy," says Robin Simpson, a leader in the battle to stop uranium mining in Haliburton County, a couple of hours northeast of Toronto. "We were used so the minister could say there were proper consultations. They obviously weren't listening at all."
Many cottagers and full-time residents of Haliburton and, further east, Frontenac, are up in arms over companies trying to take advantage of renewed interest in nuclear power by reviving uranium mines that briefly operated a few decades ago.
Ontario's Mining Act lets prospectors stake claims, without seeking permission, on government Crown land and on private properties where the owners don't control the rights to minerals under the surface.
Claim holders are then free to conduct drilling and other exploration work, which usually entails bulldozing or blasting. It's illegal to attempt to stop them.
The property owners, including many cottagers from the GTA, along with aboriginal groups in Frontenac, have campaigned effectively against potential mining developments.
For First Nations, the issue is treaty rights: Prospecting and exploration are happening on land they claim. Non-natives are concerned about their property rights, and the prospect of radioactive air and water pollution, as well as noise, from mines on Crown land near their homes and cottages.
The province announced recently aboriginal communities are to be consulted before further mining activity, and prospectors can no longer claim private land anywhere in southern Ontario. (There are also new measures for the Far North, equally flawed, which I'll write about in a future column.)
But aboriginal leaders complain the province could still impose mining on their traditional lands. And Simpson points out the new policy does nothing about mining on Crown land, viewed as the biggest threat to an area aiming to create a tourism economy.
On top of that, the province will still hold the mineral rights under private properties, and reserves the power to eventually allow mining on them.
"It's the same old, same old ... a big bloody sham," says Simpson, whose land has been partially staked for uranium exploration.
"It's a crock," says Steve Quebell, sawmill worker who lives with his wife and teenage daughter on 33 hectares of forested land in Haliburton that's been claimed by a company planning to mine nepheline, a relatively rare mineral used in glass and paint.
The ministry is backing the claim, despite evidence, says Quebell, that it wasn't staked properly and that holes were drilled too close to a stream. The exploration crew bulldozed 500 square metres of trees and soil for one of the six holes it drilled.
On the larger front, having seen their original demands ignored, the cottage-country residents will now campaign for a prohibition against any mining on Crown land in southern Ontario.
Their efforts include pressuring members of the Legislature, many of them Liberals, who represent cottagers' home ridings.
Mining in southern Ontario accounts for only one per cent of the industry's spending in the province. The companies involved are minor players, and most of their projects will amount to nothing.
As staking and exploration expand in prime vacation areas (there's also been activity in the Parry Sound area), the government appears to be creating a lot of trouble for itself for little benefit.
Peter Gorrie is the Star's former environment reporter. He can be reached at: pgorrie@sympatico.ca
http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/article/645838
Canada's Uranium Mining
Comment: Now we know why Canada is coming South, the locals have uranium bans in most areas!! In addition, Canada has polluted most of Canada, so they want to share their modern uranium habits with Virginia!!Thursday, 04 June 2009
Anna Tilman
The Yellowcake Trail tracks all aspects of uranium in Canada from the mining and milling, to processing and use, throughout its eighty-year history. The story begins with the history of uranium in Canada, from its initial discovery to the rapid development of mines that placed Canada as the prominent world leader in uranium production. Each mine has a story and each story has a common thread and legacy.
Fatal Attraction
The Yellowcake Trail tracks all aspects of uranium in Canada from the mining and milling, to processing and use, throughout its eighty-year history. The story begins with the history of uranium in Canada, from its initial discovery to the rapid development of mines that placed Canada as the prominent world leader in uranium production. Each mine has a story and each story has a common thread and legacy.
Fatal Attraction
Yellowcake is the bright yellow uranium powder produced when raw uranium ore is crushed and purified. It is actually a mixture of uranium oxides, mostly U3O8 (urania), and ranges in colour from yellow to orange to dark green. It is this yellowcake that is packaged in steel drums, traded and sent across the world to be further processed, converted to different forms, enriched and used in the manufacture of nuclear fuel or bombs.
The Yellowcake Trail is lined with environmental devastation, sickness and death. The nuclear industry has always been a law unto itself, sheltered by governments promoting the industry as a safe and clean means of satisfying the insatiable demand for energy. Yet no insurance company in the world will sell liability insurance to a nuclear power plant. Nuclear scientists and engineers strongly endorse nuclear power, caught up in their fascination with the unique properties of uranium and the power it unleashes.
Nuclear (radioactive) waste is deadly to human beings in amounts as small as a millionth of a gram, and we have produced it in hundreds of thousands of tonnes. It is already leaking out of totally inadequate containment, not only from mine sites, refineries and nuclear power plants, but also from nuclear weapons programs. There is no way to get rid of it and it remains lethal for millions of years.
For decades, Canada has been the world’s largest producer of uranium, home to the richest ore deposits, the largest uranium mine in the world, and the largest publicly traded uranium mining company – CAMECO (Canadian Mining and Energy Corporation).
As Canadians, we need to understand the detrimental impacts of uranium mining, processing and use to our country and to the health and environment of communities affected by these operations. At every stage there is polluted air, land, and water, wreaking permanent destruction on the health and environment of communities – especially, native communities, their food sources, and their natural habitat.
Once exploration and mining starts, there is no end – the mines can be closed and abandoned as often is the case, but the radioactive tailings remain.
Early History of Uranium in Canada
The Yellowcake Trail is lined with environmental devastation, sickness and death. The nuclear industry has always been a law unto itself, sheltered by governments promoting the industry as a safe and clean means of satisfying the insatiable demand for energy. Yet no insurance company in the world will sell liability insurance to a nuclear power plant. Nuclear scientists and engineers strongly endorse nuclear power, caught up in their fascination with the unique properties of uranium and the power it unleashes.
Nuclear (radioactive) waste is deadly to human beings in amounts as small as a millionth of a gram, and we have produced it in hundreds of thousands of tonnes. It is already leaking out of totally inadequate containment, not only from mine sites, refineries and nuclear power plants, but also from nuclear weapons programs. There is no way to get rid of it and it remains lethal for millions of years.
For decades, Canada has been the world’s largest producer of uranium, home to the richest ore deposits, the largest uranium mine in the world, and the largest publicly traded uranium mining company – CAMECO (Canadian Mining and Energy Corporation).
As Canadians, we need to understand the detrimental impacts of uranium mining, processing and use to our country and to the health and environment of communities affected by these operations. At every stage there is polluted air, land, and water, wreaking permanent destruction on the health and environment of communities – especially, native communities, their food sources, and their natural habitat.
Once exploration and mining starts, there is no end – the mines can be closed and abandoned as often is the case, but the radioactive tailings remain.
Early History of Uranium in Canada
Canada’s foray into uranium mining began in 1930, when a prospector for Eldorado Gold Mines discovered pitchblende, a uranium-bearing mineral, on the shores of Great Bear Lake in the Northwest Territories, about 450 kilometres north of Yellowknife. The ore body was one of the richest known uranium deposits in the world.
At that time, radium, a radioactive decay product of uranium, thought to be a miracle cure for cancer, commanded prices as high as $75,000 per ounce in the 1930s. Uranium itself was only incidental and of no economic interest. So in 1932, Eldorado built a radium refinery in Port Hope, Ontario, 5000 km away from Port Radium, the mine on Great Bear Lake.
It took about 74 tonnes of ore to yield little more than 3 grams of radium. Dene men from the local community of Déline, the only inhabited community on Great Bear Lake, were hired to carry cloth sacks of radioactive ore to the shipping sites. The community later became known as a “village of widows.”
By 1940, World War II was underway. The horrors of radium poisoning were revealed. The overheated and glutted radium market collapsed. All radium mines were closed, including Port Radium. German scientists had already discovered that uranium atoms can be split (fissioned), releasing vast amounts of energy. So uranium took centre stage in the world and acquired strategic importance.
In 1942, the federal government bought out all shares of Eldorado and established Eldorado Mining and Refining Limited as a Crown corporation with a national monopoly on prospecting, mining, and processing uranium. Port Radium was re-opened in 1942 in secrecy and was contracted to supply uranium to the US army for the “Manhattan” project to build the first atomic bomb and, after the war, to the US Atomic Energy Commission.
The Port Hope refinery played a critical role in all war activity. It was the only facility in North America for refining radioactive materials such as uranium. The huge piles of refinery residues dumped in the harbour and around the town provided an easy source of uranium. Along with the uranium sent from Port Radium, rich uranium concentrates from the Belgian Congo that had been secretly stockpiled in New York were refined at Port Hope.
The Port Radium mine was decommissioned in 1984, but a further clean-up of an estimated 1.7 million tonnes of radioactive mine tailings has only recently been ordered, after more than 60 years.
The Port Hope refinery continues to operate today as the oldest uranium refinery in the world.
Canada reigns supreme in production
At that time, radium, a radioactive decay product of uranium, thought to be a miracle cure for cancer, commanded prices as high as $75,000 per ounce in the 1930s. Uranium itself was only incidental and of no economic interest. So in 1932, Eldorado built a radium refinery in Port Hope, Ontario, 5000 km away from Port Radium, the mine on Great Bear Lake.
It took about 74 tonnes of ore to yield little more than 3 grams of radium. Dene men from the local community of Déline, the only inhabited community on Great Bear Lake, were hired to carry cloth sacks of radioactive ore to the shipping sites. The community later became known as a “village of widows.”
By 1940, World War II was underway. The horrors of radium poisoning were revealed. The overheated and glutted radium market collapsed. All radium mines were closed, including Port Radium. German scientists had already discovered that uranium atoms can be split (fissioned), releasing vast amounts of energy. So uranium took centre stage in the world and acquired strategic importance.
In 1942, the federal government bought out all shares of Eldorado and established Eldorado Mining and Refining Limited as a Crown corporation with a national monopoly on prospecting, mining, and processing uranium. Port Radium was re-opened in 1942 in secrecy and was contracted to supply uranium to the US army for the “Manhattan” project to build the first atomic bomb and, after the war, to the US Atomic Energy Commission.
The Port Hope refinery played a critical role in all war activity. It was the only facility in North America for refining radioactive materials such as uranium. The huge piles of refinery residues dumped in the harbour and around the town provided an easy source of uranium. Along with the uranium sent from Port Radium, rich uranium concentrates from the Belgian Congo that had been secretly stockpiled in New York were refined at Port Hope.
The Port Radium mine was decommissioned in 1984, but a further clean-up of an estimated 1.7 million tonnes of radioactive mine tailings has only recently been ordered, after more than 60 years.
The Port Hope refinery continues to operate today as the oldest uranium refinery in the world.
Canada reigns supreme in production
• It has the world’s largest reserves of high-grade low-cost uranium.
• It has consistently been the world’s largest producer of natural uranium, producing about one-third to one-quarter of global production). Australia places a close second followed by Kazakhstan.
• 85% of Canada’s uranium yield is exported, primarily to United States, the European Union, and Japan. The remainder fuels the CANDU reactors in Canada.
The Postwar Cloak of Secrecy
• It has consistently been the world’s largest producer of natural uranium, producing about one-third to one-quarter of global production). Australia places a close second followed by Kazakhstan.
• 85% of Canada’s uranium yield is exported, primarily to United States, the European Union, and Japan. The remainder fuels the CANDU reactors in Canada.
The Postwar Cloak of Secrecy
When an industry develops as a result of war and military security, as the nuclear industry has, then it comes as no surprise that the industry is enveloped with secrecy, that the public is not being informed, and that governments coddle, protect and cover up for the industry.
It was the US-led development of the atomic bomb and the subsequent nuclear arms race in the 1940s that really resulted in the nuclear industry and uranium mining taking off. The US government sought a reliable supply of uranium for its nuclear weapons program; the Canadian federal government willingly assisted. Canada became the leading uranium exporter in the world.
The ban on private prospecting was lifted in 1947. By the early fifties, Canada was the scene of the most dramatic and widespread prospecting boom in its history. Thousands of radioactive strikes were reported.
By 1959, 23 mines with 19 treatment plants were in operation in Canada, spread across Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories and Ontario. Some of these operations were small, others were huge. But they all share a common fate —a legacy of waste and contamination of waterways that continues to today.
Beaverlodge: During its lifetime from 1953 to 1982, the Eldorado mines at Beaverlodge, north of Lake Athabasca in the northwest corner of Saskatchewan, produced over 20,000 tonnes of yellowcake. The abandoned mines have yet to be reclaimed although there are currently proposals to carry out studies to this effect. Dam failures have been releasing tailings into Lake Athabasca.
Rayrock: The underground uranium mine, located 145 kilometres northwest of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories, was operational for only two years, from 1957 to 1959, at which point it was abandoned by its owners.
During its operations, the mine yielded only 207 tonnes of uranium concentrate (yellowcake). Over 70,000 tonnes of radioactive tailings were “contained” in two basins, with the potential to leak metals, both radioactive and stable. The site also emits radon gas.
In the 1990s, the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs remediated the site, and it will be monitored once every 10 years for a further 100 years.
Bancroft: This area in Ontario, southeast of Algonquin Park, was the site of radium mining in the 1920s and 1930s, and went through two uranium booms from 1956 to 1964 and from 1976 to 1982. Its three underground mines, all of which were abandoned, produced about 6,700 tonnes of uranium oxide.
Elliot Lake: The "Uranium Capital" of the world, the Blind River-Elliot Lake area of Ontario had 12 uranium mines by 1960. All mining was underground at a depth of 170 to 950 metres. The low grade ore was plentiful. These mines accounted for about 80% of all uranium produced in Canada.
Within about twenty years of operation, more than 30 dams, built to contain uranium tailings, failed, dumping nuclear waste and chemical toxins into the Serpent River watershed that flows into Lake Huron.
By 1976, the entire Serpent River system including more than a dozen lakes, was badly contaminated for 80 kilometres or so downstream. The Serpent River system was identified by the International Joint Commission as the largest single contributor of radium contamination to the Great Lakes.
By 1996 when the mine finally closed, over 120,000 tonnes of yellowcake had been produced from the Elliot Lake mines, but over 170,000,000 tonnes of radioactive tailings are left behind.
Boom & Bust
It was the US-led development of the atomic bomb and the subsequent nuclear arms race in the 1940s that really resulted in the nuclear industry and uranium mining taking off. The US government sought a reliable supply of uranium for its nuclear weapons program; the Canadian federal government willingly assisted. Canada became the leading uranium exporter in the world.
The ban on private prospecting was lifted in 1947. By the early fifties, Canada was the scene of the most dramatic and widespread prospecting boom in its history. Thousands of radioactive strikes were reported.
By 1959, 23 mines with 19 treatment plants were in operation in Canada, spread across Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories and Ontario. Some of these operations were small, others were huge. But they all share a common fate —a legacy of waste and contamination of waterways that continues to today.
Beaverlodge: During its lifetime from 1953 to 1982, the Eldorado mines at Beaverlodge, north of Lake Athabasca in the northwest corner of Saskatchewan, produced over 20,000 tonnes of yellowcake. The abandoned mines have yet to be reclaimed although there are currently proposals to carry out studies to this effect. Dam failures have been releasing tailings into Lake Athabasca.
Rayrock: The underground uranium mine, located 145 kilometres northwest of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories, was operational for only two years, from 1957 to 1959, at which point it was abandoned by its owners.
During its operations, the mine yielded only 207 tonnes of uranium concentrate (yellowcake). Over 70,000 tonnes of radioactive tailings were “contained” in two basins, with the potential to leak metals, both radioactive and stable. The site also emits radon gas.
In the 1990s, the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs remediated the site, and it will be monitored once every 10 years for a further 100 years.
Bancroft: This area in Ontario, southeast of Algonquin Park, was the site of radium mining in the 1920s and 1930s, and went through two uranium booms from 1956 to 1964 and from 1976 to 1982. Its three underground mines, all of which were abandoned, produced about 6,700 tonnes of uranium oxide.
Elliot Lake: The "Uranium Capital" of the world, the Blind River-Elliot Lake area of Ontario had 12 uranium mines by 1960. All mining was underground at a depth of 170 to 950 metres. The low grade ore was plentiful. These mines accounted for about 80% of all uranium produced in Canada.
Within about twenty years of operation, more than 30 dams, built to contain uranium tailings, failed, dumping nuclear waste and chemical toxins into the Serpent River watershed that flows into Lake Huron.
By 1976, the entire Serpent River system including more than a dozen lakes, was badly contaminated for 80 kilometres or so downstream. The Serpent River system was identified by the International Joint Commission as the largest single contributor of radium contamination to the Great Lakes.
By 1996 when the mine finally closed, over 120,000 tonnes of yellowcake had been produced from the Elliot Lake mines, but over 170,000,000 tonnes of radioactive tailings are left behind.
Boom & Bust
The post-war phase of Canadian uranium production peaked in 1959 when more than 12,000 tonnes of uranium was produced. But as fast as it began, the boom came to an end when, in November 1959, the US Atomic Energy Commission decided to purchase all its supplies from US sources and not to renew any Canadian contracts.
Over the next few years the number of mines declined to four.
Uranium production in the Bancroft area and at Beaverlodge ceased in 1982 and the last of the Elliot Lake mines closed in 1996. The “nuclear” appetite had declined. Grassroots peace movements sprouted up around the globe, demanding some form of control and disarmament of nuclear weapons. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), designed to limit the spread of nuclear weapons, came into force in 1970. Canada’s position, as expressed by then Prime Minister Pearson, was that no uranium from Canada would be used for weapons.
The Dawn of Nuclear PowerA new era for uranium developed in the latter part of 1960s, spurred on by the demand for electricity-generating nuclear power.
The first nuclear power plant in Canada, the Nuclear Power Demonstration Plant at Rolphton, Ontario, was operating by 1963, using the CANDU (Canadian Deuterium-Uranium) design principles. The first large-scale commercial nuclear power station, Ontario Hydro’s Pickering reactor, was operational in 1971.
But this time Saskatchewan became the new uranium capital of the world. In 1988, the richest uranium find in the world occurred at McArthur River. The mine started production in 1999.
Saskatchewan became the sole province in Canada producing uranium and remains so today. Ontario’s uranium mining period seems to have ended. The two key players in uranium mining in Canada are AREVA, a French owned company, and Cameco, a private Canadian company. AREVA is the largest nuclear power generating company in the world, and ranks third in total uranium production. Cameco was formed in 1988 from two crown corporations, Eldorado Nuclear and Saskatchewan Mining Development Corporation.
The Athabasca Basin – UniqueThe Athabasca Basin, an area of about 100,000 square kilometres, is located primarily in Northern Saskatchewan, spanning the Alberta-Saskatchewan border. The Basin adjoins the Peace-Athabasca Delta, one of the largest freshwater deltas in the world, providing habitat for water birds, including the endangered whooping crane, and wood bison. Canada’s largest national park, Wood Buffalo National Park, designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, includes part of the Delta.
The largest and richest uranium deposits in the world are in the Athabasca Basin. Most ore deposits of uranium worth mining are in the order of 0.1% to 2%. But ore bodies in the Basin far exceed those grades (ranging from about 0.5% to over 20%). For example, the McArthur River mine is the highest-grade uranium mine in the world, averaging about 22% uranium, more than 100 times richer than most mine.
Mining in the 1980s and 1990s was primarily by the open-pit method as the deposits were near the surface. Surface mining is more economical than underground mining and, combined with the very high ore grade found in the Athabasca Basin, made this uranium very competitive in world markets.
In the words of the nuclear industry, “The high ore grade also requires that great care be taken to ensure radiation protection for workers.” At the McArthur River mine, which produced 8,500 tonnes of yellowcake in 2007, remote-control raise-boring methods are used for mining.
Mining Kingdom, Uranium RushOne fifth of all mineral exploration programs in the world will be done in Canada, well over half by foreign companies. With uranium re-emerging as a star mineral commodity, the uranium rush is on. Uranium prices have gone from a low of $7 per pound of yellowcake (U3O8) in 1968 and 1990 to the current price of about $78.
Active exploration for uranium is underway in Saskatchewan, Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Yukon, Nunavut, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and of course, the eastern, central, and western Athabasca Basin, where over forty companies are active.
The exploration for uranium, mostly on or near First Nations land, is encountering fierce opposition from many communities and organizations. In some cases this has led to the imprisonment of protestors, such as the highly-publicized arrest and imprisonment of a former Ardoch Algonquin chief in Ontario, after he refused to obey a court order to stay away from a proposed mine site on traditional territory.
In Canada, mining is usually governed by provincial regulations. Uranium production is under federal jurisdiction via the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission which regulates uranium mines and mills.
There are significant variations in provincial restrictions on exploration and mining uranium. For example:
British Columbia has a long-standing moratorium on uranium mining and exploration. It was first introduced in 1980, and has been recently renewed.
Over the next few years the number of mines declined to four.
Uranium production in the Bancroft area and at Beaverlodge ceased in 1982 and the last of the Elliot Lake mines closed in 1996. The “nuclear” appetite had declined. Grassroots peace movements sprouted up around the globe, demanding some form of control and disarmament of nuclear weapons. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), designed to limit the spread of nuclear weapons, came into force in 1970. Canada’s position, as expressed by then Prime Minister Pearson, was that no uranium from Canada would be used for weapons.
The Dawn of Nuclear PowerA new era for uranium developed in the latter part of 1960s, spurred on by the demand for electricity-generating nuclear power.
The first nuclear power plant in Canada, the Nuclear Power Demonstration Plant at Rolphton, Ontario, was operating by 1963, using the CANDU (Canadian Deuterium-Uranium) design principles. The first large-scale commercial nuclear power station, Ontario Hydro’s Pickering reactor, was operational in 1971.
But this time Saskatchewan became the new uranium capital of the world. In 1988, the richest uranium find in the world occurred at McArthur River. The mine started production in 1999.
Saskatchewan became the sole province in Canada producing uranium and remains so today. Ontario’s uranium mining period seems to have ended. The two key players in uranium mining in Canada are AREVA, a French owned company, and Cameco, a private Canadian company. AREVA is the largest nuclear power generating company in the world, and ranks third in total uranium production. Cameco was formed in 1988 from two crown corporations, Eldorado Nuclear and Saskatchewan Mining Development Corporation.
The Athabasca Basin – UniqueThe Athabasca Basin, an area of about 100,000 square kilometres, is located primarily in Northern Saskatchewan, spanning the Alberta-Saskatchewan border. The Basin adjoins the Peace-Athabasca Delta, one of the largest freshwater deltas in the world, providing habitat for water birds, including the endangered whooping crane, and wood bison. Canada’s largest national park, Wood Buffalo National Park, designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, includes part of the Delta.
The largest and richest uranium deposits in the world are in the Athabasca Basin. Most ore deposits of uranium worth mining are in the order of 0.1% to 2%. But ore bodies in the Basin far exceed those grades (ranging from about 0.5% to over 20%). For example, the McArthur River mine is the highest-grade uranium mine in the world, averaging about 22% uranium, more than 100 times richer than most mine.
Mining in the 1980s and 1990s was primarily by the open-pit method as the deposits were near the surface. Surface mining is more economical than underground mining and, combined with the very high ore grade found in the Athabasca Basin, made this uranium very competitive in world markets.
In the words of the nuclear industry, “The high ore grade also requires that great care be taken to ensure radiation protection for workers.” At the McArthur River mine, which produced 8,500 tonnes of yellowcake in 2007, remote-control raise-boring methods are used for mining.
Mining Kingdom, Uranium RushOne fifth of all mineral exploration programs in the world will be done in Canada, well over half by foreign companies. With uranium re-emerging as a star mineral commodity, the uranium rush is on. Uranium prices have gone from a low of $7 per pound of yellowcake (U3O8) in 1968 and 1990 to the current price of about $78.
Active exploration for uranium is underway in Saskatchewan, Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Yukon, Nunavut, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and of course, the eastern, central, and western Athabasca Basin, where over forty companies are active.
The exploration for uranium, mostly on or near First Nations land, is encountering fierce opposition from many communities and organizations. In some cases this has led to the imprisonment of protestors, such as the highly-publicized arrest and imprisonment of a former Ardoch Algonquin chief in Ontario, after he refused to obey a court order to stay away from a proposed mine site on traditional territory.
In Canada, mining is usually governed by provincial regulations. Uranium production is under federal jurisdiction via the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission which regulates uranium mines and mills.
There are significant variations in provincial restrictions on exploration and mining uranium. For example:
British Columbia has a long-standing moratorium on uranium mining and exploration. It was first introduced in 1980, and has been recently renewed.
Nova Scotia established a moratorium in 1982, but there are some indications that the province may lift it.
In July 2008, New Brunswick enacted new regulations to limit uranium exploration and the staking of claims on municipal land, and in watersheds and fields with private wells or within 300 metres of private homes.
On April 8, 2008, the Nunatsiavut Government placed a three-year moratorium on mining and development of uranium on Labrador Inuit Lands. The moratorium does not apply to exploration. The issue is to be revisited after March 31, 2011.
In 1990, residents of Baker Lake in the Thelon Region of the Nunavut voted to ban uranium mining and exploration in their region. However, in September 2007, the ban was overturned.
20 Ontario municipalities, including Ottawa, have called for restrictions, including moratoria, on the exploration and mining of uranium.
20 Ontario municipalities, including Ottawa, have called for restrictions, including moratoria, on the exploration and mining of uranium.
Leaving No Stone Unturned
The nuclear industry, including prospectors and mining companies, leaves no stone unturned in their search for uranium. Since uranium is ubiquitous, any place is fair game for exploration, provided the price of uranium war¬rants it. Resistance to their operations can be easily overcome, particularly when governments are favourable to their operations.
In the words of Donna Dillman, a well-known activist in the struggles against uranium exploration in the Sharbot Lake area in Ontario, “Currently, there are numerous groups in Canada and around the world resisting uranium exploration and mining. So it is essential that we come together as one voice. When we do this, and only then, will the media and government give the issue the importance it deserves.”
ResourcesCanadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility: www.ccnr.org
Mining Watch Canada: www.miningwatch.ca
Canadian Nuclear Association: www.cna.ca
International Institute of Concern for Public Health: www.IICPH.org
Anna Tilman is a researcher who has worked on several toxic issues, especially mercury. She is a board member of the International Institute of Concern for Public Health. On The Yellowcake Trail was previously printed in the Watershed Sentinel, the independent voice for environmental news in British Columbia, Canada. Visit: http://www.watershedsentinel.ca/
http://www.greenmuze.com/climate/energy/1184-canadas-uranium-mining.html
In the words of Donna Dillman, a well-known activist in the struggles against uranium exploration in the Sharbot Lake area in Ontario, “Currently, there are numerous groups in Canada and around the world resisting uranium exploration and mining. So it is essential that we come together as one voice. When we do this, and only then, will the media and government give the issue the importance it deserves.”
ResourcesCanadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility: www.ccnr.org
Mining Watch Canada: www.miningwatch.ca
Canadian Nuclear Association: www.cna.ca
International Institute of Concern for Public Health: www.IICPH.org
Anna Tilman is a researcher who has worked on several toxic issues, especially mercury. She is a board member of the International Institute of Concern for Public Health. On The Yellowcake Trail was previously printed in the Watershed Sentinel, the independent voice for environmental news in British Columbia, Canada. Visit: http://www.watershedsentinel.ca/
http://www.greenmuze.com/climate/energy/1184-canadas-uranium-mining.html
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Pickering Nuclear Power Station Lacks Experienced Staff To Deal With Serious Accident, Emergencies
Comment: We include Canada because it will be the Canadian companies (which the Can. Gov't has certain amount ownership, Like the French) mining Coles Hills. Canada cut corners when it comes to the nuke cycle!
AHN Staff
Calgary, Alberta (AHN) - The Chalk River nuclear reactor shutdown has Canada take a second look at its nuclear facilities. An assessment made by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission of the country's seven nuclear plants for 2008 showed that the nation's oldest power reactor in Pickering may compromise public safety because of its shortage of experienced staff to handle disaster and emergency situations.
Aside from the experienced manpower lack, the assessment report, which will be presented at a hearing next week, pointed to the outages which had occurred at the Ontario Power Generation plant in Pickering because of equipment malfunction and other problem areas.
The report said the Pickering plants lost one-fourth of its output in 2008 because of unplanned closures, while the three other nuclear power stations in Ontario suffered only an average of 1 percent lost output.
Pickering A and B both got an integrated plant rating from the commission of Satisfactory.
For 2008 Pickering A went through 10 forced outages, two setbacks and no serious process failures.
Field inspection by the commission's staff showed observed housekeeping deficiencies, including water on the floor, clutter, scaffolding that are out-of-service and equipment which should be removed.
A CNSC request made in 2004 that an analysis of minimum staffing needs for common accidents like fire and earthquakes be made. However, the CNSC found out that the Pickering station management did not address the issues to CNSC's satisfaction.
The commission also found out in 2007 that the design of the Inter-station Transfer Bus had deficiencies existing since its installation in 1991. Pickering put in place a temporary modification to meet design intent, but it still lacks redundancy, cuts reliability and relies heavily on operator action.
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7015387180#ixzz0HWFbU3HB&D
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7015387180
AHN Staff
Calgary, Alberta (AHN) - The Chalk River nuclear reactor shutdown has Canada take a second look at its nuclear facilities. An assessment made by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission of the country's seven nuclear plants for 2008 showed that the nation's oldest power reactor in Pickering may compromise public safety because of its shortage of experienced staff to handle disaster and emergency situations.
Aside from the experienced manpower lack, the assessment report, which will be presented at a hearing next week, pointed to the outages which had occurred at the Ontario Power Generation plant in Pickering because of equipment malfunction and other problem areas.
The report said the Pickering plants lost one-fourth of its output in 2008 because of unplanned closures, while the three other nuclear power stations in Ontario suffered only an average of 1 percent lost output.
Pickering A and B both got an integrated plant rating from the commission of Satisfactory.
For 2008 Pickering A went through 10 forced outages, two setbacks and no serious process failures.
Field inspection by the commission's staff showed observed housekeeping deficiencies, including water on the floor, clutter, scaffolding that are out-of-service and equipment which should be removed.
A CNSC request made in 2004 that an analysis of minimum staffing needs for common accidents like fire and earthquakes be made. However, the CNSC found out that the Pickering station management did not address the issues to CNSC's satisfaction.
The commission also found out in 2007 that the design of the Inter-station Transfer Bus had deficiencies existing since its installation in 1991. Pickering put in place a temporary modification to meet design intent, but it still lacks redundancy, cuts reliability and relies heavily on operator action.
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7015387180#ixzz0HWFbU3HB&D
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7015387180
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Alarm bells ring for foreign uranium miners in Kazakhstan
Comment: Only one thing to say, are we really surprised, I say no I am not, uranium mining is a cut throat business!!! Everyone should email this story to the illegal study bunch and the local leaders of this county!!! Remember, Virginia is welcoming the French with open arms to VA!!
URANIUM ONE CITED
The arrest of the former head of Kazatomprom, and some of his aides, on grounds of fraudulent sale of Kazakhstan's uranium resources, is ringing alarm bells among foreign investors in the country's uranium sector.
Author: Lawrence Williams
Posted: Wednesday , 27 May 2009
LONDON -
The recent arrest by Kazakhstan's security service of the former head of the country's state uranium company is raising alarm bells among foreign companies which have invested in uranium development there.
Mukhtar Dzhakishev, the head of the state uranium mining company KazAtomProm, along with seven of his senior executives was arrested on the grounds of making illegal sales of the country's uranium resources to overseas entities, and Canadian headquartered Uranium One (TSX and JSE: UUU), which has a 70% interest in a Joint Venture in Kazakhstan that owns the Akdala Uranium Mine, which is currently in operation and the South Inkai Uranium Project, which commenced pre-commercial production in 2007, has been named as one of the companies concerned. Uranium One also has a 30% interest in another Joint Venture in Kazakhstan that is developing the Kharasan-1 uranium project which was officially opened last month.
These projects were primarily negotiated by UrAsia Energy which merged with SXR Uranium One to form the present Uranium One in 2007.
Other overseas companies involved in Kazakh uranium which could be affected by the fallout from the arrests include Areva , Cameco and a consortium of Japanese companies which are co-owners with Uranium One and KazAtomProm of the Kharasan project, as well as Chinese and Russian organisations.
Meanwhile Kazakhstan's opposition Communist Party has claimed the arrests are politically-motivated. Kazakh Communist Party leader Serikbolsyn Abdildin is reported by Radio Free Europe as saying that the arrest of Dzhakishev and his KazAtomProm associates is connected with the case of businessman Mukhtar Abliyazov whose BTA bank was nationalised by the government and a criminal case was launched into his alleged financial misdeeds earlier this year. Abliyazov and other bank officials left Kazakhstan to avoid arrest.
Kazakhstan has been estimated to hold around 20% of currently known global uranium resources and may well become the world's No. 1 uranium producer this year.
KazAtomProm's dealings with foreign uranium miners/developers have resulted in rapid growth in the country's uranium production sector. The biq question now is whether subsequent investigations will show whether fraudulent transactions have taken place and if so what will be the potential effects on current uranium mining agreements.
So far no comments have been forthcoming from any of the western companies which may be affected by the fallout from the arrests
http://www.mineweb.com/mineweb/view/mineweb/en/page72103?oid=83898&sn=Detail
URANIUM ONE CITED
The arrest of the former head of Kazatomprom, and some of his aides, on grounds of fraudulent sale of Kazakhstan's uranium resources, is ringing alarm bells among foreign investors in the country's uranium sector.
Author: Lawrence Williams
Posted: Wednesday , 27 May 2009
LONDON -
The recent arrest by Kazakhstan's security service of the former head of the country's state uranium company is raising alarm bells among foreign companies which have invested in uranium development there.
Mukhtar Dzhakishev, the head of the state uranium mining company KazAtomProm, along with seven of his senior executives was arrested on the grounds of making illegal sales of the country's uranium resources to overseas entities, and Canadian headquartered Uranium One (TSX and JSE: UUU), which has a 70% interest in a Joint Venture in Kazakhstan that owns the Akdala Uranium Mine, which is currently in operation and the South Inkai Uranium Project, which commenced pre-commercial production in 2007, has been named as one of the companies concerned. Uranium One also has a 30% interest in another Joint Venture in Kazakhstan that is developing the Kharasan-1 uranium project which was officially opened last month.
These projects were primarily negotiated by UrAsia Energy which merged with SXR Uranium One to form the present Uranium One in 2007.
Other overseas companies involved in Kazakh uranium which could be affected by the fallout from the arrests include Areva , Cameco and a consortium of Japanese companies which are co-owners with Uranium One and KazAtomProm of the Kharasan project, as well as Chinese and Russian organisations.
Meanwhile Kazakhstan's opposition Communist Party has claimed the arrests are politically-motivated. Kazakh Communist Party leader Serikbolsyn Abdildin is reported by Radio Free Europe as saying that the arrest of Dzhakishev and his KazAtomProm associates is connected with the case of businessman Mukhtar Abliyazov whose BTA bank was nationalised by the government and a criminal case was launched into his alleged financial misdeeds earlier this year. Abliyazov and other bank officials left Kazakhstan to avoid arrest.
Kazakhstan has been estimated to hold around 20% of currently known global uranium resources and may well become the world's No. 1 uranium producer this year.
KazAtomProm's dealings with foreign uranium miners/developers have resulted in rapid growth in the country's uranium production sector. The biq question now is whether subsequent investigations will show whether fraudulent transactions have taken place and if so what will be the potential effects on current uranium mining agreements.
So far no comments have been forthcoming from any of the western companies which may be affected by the fallout from the arrests
http://www.mineweb.com/mineweb/view/mineweb/en/page72103?oid=83898&sn=Detail
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Firm plans to drill for uranium near Datil
Comment: More uranium drill holes, this time in NM, where is the uranium going if no new nuke plants?
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Firm plans to drill for uranium near Datil
T.S. Last El Defensor Chieftain General Manager
There's more talk of drilling in Catron County. But this time it's not for water; it's for uranium.
The matter came up at the Magdalena Board of Trustees meeting on April 27.
For informational purposes, Mayor James Wolfe notified the board of a plan to conduct uranium mineral exploration about 15 miles north of Datil.
The plan calls for up to 60 exploratory core holes to be drilled to depths of 250-400 feet in the Cibola National Forest on the west side of the Datil Mountains. The drilling would be completed in the fall of this year.
"It's not that big a deal for us, but it might be for some folks," said Wolfe. The Village of Magdalena is about 34 miles east of Datil.
Among the material the mayor passed on to the trustees to review was a letter from Dennis Aldridge, district ranger with the Magdalena Ranger District. The letter indicates that Red Basin LLC plans to drill the holes for the purpose of confirming exploration data from the 1970s and that the Forest Service is conducting an environmental analysis to gauge the potential impact.
The letter notes that the Forest Service cannot prohibit mining activities in the national forest.
Firm plans to drill for uranium near Datil
T.S. Last El Defensor Chieftain General Manager
There's more talk of drilling in Catron County. But this time it's not for water; it's for uranium.
The matter came up at the Magdalena Board of Trustees meeting on April 27.
For informational purposes, Mayor James Wolfe notified the board of a plan to conduct uranium mineral exploration about 15 miles north of Datil.
The plan calls for up to 60 exploratory core holes to be drilled to depths of 250-400 feet in the Cibola National Forest on the west side of the Datil Mountains. The drilling would be completed in the fall of this year.
"It's not that big a deal for us, but it might be for some folks," said Wolfe. The Village of Magdalena is about 34 miles east of Datil.
Among the material the mayor passed on to the trustees to review was a letter from Dennis Aldridge, district ranger with the Magdalena Ranger District. The letter indicates that Red Basin LLC plans to drill the holes for the purpose of confirming exploration data from the 1970s and that the Forest Service is conducting an environmental analysis to gauge the potential impact.
The letter notes that the Forest Service cannot prohibit mining activities in the national forest.
It goes on to warn that mining activities have negatively impacted human health and the environment in the past.
"Uranium is a locatable mineral that is available for exploration and development under the mining laws of the United States," Aldridge wrote in the document, dated April 20. "It is widely recognized that uranium mining activities in New Mexico during the mid-1950s through the early 1980s were sometimes conducted in a manner that created health issues and contaminated environments."
Aldridge writes that it is the agency's responsibility to assure that the impact exploration efforts have on surface resources are minimized. The letter requests that written comments that serve to identify issues and alternatives be sent to the Cibola National Forest office in Albuquerque by Friday, May 22.
Red Basin LLC is a subsidiary of Strategic Resources Inc., a Canadian company working in partnership with another Canadian firm, Running Fox Resources.
According to Strategic Resources' Web site, Running Fox acquired lode claims totaling 3,100 acres in Catron County in 2007.
Catron County is already in the midst of another controversial drilling proposal.
San Augustin Plains Ranch LLC has filed an application with the State Engineer's Office to drill 37 wells for the purpose of diverting billions of gallons of water per year from beneath the San Agustin Plains to supplement the water supply in the Rio Grande Basin.
"Uranium is a locatable mineral that is available for exploration and development under the mining laws of the United States," Aldridge wrote in the document, dated April 20. "It is widely recognized that uranium mining activities in New Mexico during the mid-1950s through the early 1980s were sometimes conducted in a manner that created health issues and contaminated environments."
Aldridge writes that it is the agency's responsibility to assure that the impact exploration efforts have on surface resources are minimized. The letter requests that written comments that serve to identify issues and alternatives be sent to the Cibola National Forest office in Albuquerque by Friday, May 22.
Red Basin LLC is a subsidiary of Strategic Resources Inc., a Canadian company working in partnership with another Canadian firm, Running Fox Resources.
According to Strategic Resources' Web site, Running Fox acquired lode claims totaling 3,100 acres in Catron County in 2007.
Catron County is already in the midst of another controversial drilling proposal.
San Augustin Plains Ranch LLC has filed an application with the State Engineer's Office to drill 37 wells for the purpose of diverting billions of gallons of water per year from beneath the San Agustin Plains to supplement the water supply in the Rio Grande Basin.
The application was met with hundreds of protests from citizens and various other entities and is still pending.
tslast@dchieftain.com
http://www.dchieftain.com/news/88877-05-09-09.html
tslast@dchieftain.com
http://www.dchieftain.com/news/88877-05-09-09.html
Friday, May 8, 2009
Sign Petition : STOP MINES FROM USING CANADA’S PRISTINE WATERWAYS AS WASTE DUMPS
Comment: please sign the Petition below and all anti-uranium mining petitions across the world!!!
Sign Petition : STOP MINES FROM USING CANADA’S PRISTINE WATERWAYS AS WASTE DUMPS
Please click the link below to sign the Petition:
Targeting: Michael Ignatieff (Leader of the Liberal Party), Gail Shea (Minister of Fisheries & Oceans Canada) and Stephen Harper (Prime Minister of Canada)
Started by: BiLL Fowlie
STOP MINES FROM USING CANADA’S PRISTINE WATERWAYS AS WASTE DUMPS
Mining companies are discarding their toxic leftovers in our lakes right now!
Tail Lake (Nunavut) and Scully-Wabush Lake (Newfoundland) have already been approved and the federal government is reviewing applications to okay 14 more.
Decisions on eight bodies of water will be made by the end of this year. Visit here for a map and list of all the mines/lakes currently under review.
Act now. Write your political representatives and tell them the use of natural, fish-bearing waters as mine dumps is not an option.
Industry had other disposal options. These lakes must not be sacrificed.
Trout Pond and Duck Pond (near Buchans, Newfoundland) were approved for destruction in this way in 2006.
These lakes used to contain Atlantic salmon and brook trout and were also home to otters. They are now essentially biological dead zones.
Since then, the requests from the international mining industry to use Canadian waters for their toxic waste disposal have increased at an alarming rate.
Why? Because it would save them tens of millions of dollars in operating costs over the life of their mine. Why build and maintain a tailings pond if you can simply dispose of your waste in a natural lake basin?
Let’s keep Canada’s precious water resources clean! Write to the decision makers today!
This petition ends on Aug 04.
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