The arrest and detention in China of Rio Tinto Ltd. (RIO.AU) executive Stern Hu and other employees isn’t hurting Australia’s relationship with China but could in due course affect the way business is done with China, according to Australian Trade Minister Simon Crean.
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Author Archives: Save the Wild UP
Kennecott’s Proposed South Road
MARQUETTE COUNTY — Kennecott Minerals announced its plans Monday for an alternative road from its proposed mine site to its mill in Humboldt.
It’s called Woodland Road and Kennecott has teamed up with A. Lindberg and Sons, The Michigan Forest Products Council and business and landowner, John Jilbert, to form Woodland Road LLC.
The proposed 22 mile road will start on the AAA road near the mine site, then will use existing logging and snowmobile trails to connect to Wolf Lake Road, then to County Rd. AAD and finally to County Rd. FY, where it hits US-41 one mile east of M-95 and near Kennecott’s proposed Humboldt Mill.
Click Here to Read Local Coverage of Protect the Earth, 2009
By Michele Bourdieu of Keweenaw Now
MARQUETTE — Last weekend, Aug. 1-2, “Protect the Earth 2009,” the second annual Great Lakes Community Gathering of people opposed to metallic sulfide and uranium mining in the Upper Peninsula and nearby Great Lakes states, offered workshops with expert speakers; musical entertainment; Native American dance, drumming and spiritual ceremonies; and a two-mile walk to Eagle Rock. This Native American sacred site is a proposed target of the “Eagle” Project, Kennecott-Rio Tinto’s potential metallic sulfide mine on the Yellow Dog Plains near Marquette.
Rio Tinto’s red envelopes of cash for Chinese journalists
How we got China so wrong
John Garnaut
July 12, 2009
WHEN Rio Tinto holds press events in China, its public relations firm sometimes hands out red envelopes of cash to Chinese journalists who are kind enough to turn up.
Well, doesn’t every company in China do it?
No, the best multinational companies do not. And the best Chinese journalists don’t accept those “expense” payments, either.
Rio Tinto has strong rules and a strong corporate ethos that should mean that China’s “conclusive evidence” about the company paying bribes turns out to be unsubstantiated.
“Rio Tinto expects principal contractors, suppliers and others with whom we have a substantial involvement, to maintain high standards themselves,” said a Rio Tinto spokesman yesterday.
“Rio Tinto is prepared to withdraw from business relationships if any partners do not live up to our values.”
Protect the Earth August 1st and 2nd
Protect the Earth Agenda
Saturday August 1st
Workshops, Dance and Music: Northern MI University, Whitman Building, Whitman Commons (Rooms 122 and 124), and West Science Building, Mead Auditorium, Marquette, MI, 12-4 pm and 6-8 pm (See Details Below)
Workshop Speakers Include, Saturday 12-4 pm, Whitman Building, Whitman Commons, Rooms 122 and 124:
Lorraine Rekmans: Serpent River First Nation (Uranium Mining)
Al Gedicks: University of LaCrosse WI, Wisconsin Resources Protection Council, Author and Filmmaker (WI Grassroots Multicultural Movements)
Laura Furtman: Author (Pollution at Kennecott’s Flambeau Mine, WI)
Stuart Kirsch: Anthropologist, University of MI (Indigenous Movements, Papua New Guinea)
Eric Hansen: Writer and Traveler (The Upper Peninsula, A Spiritual Homeland)
Lee Sprague: Sierra Club Clean Energy Campaign Manager and Former Ogemaw of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians
Mike Collins: Michigan Student Sustainability Coalition
Tim DeChristopher: University of Utah student, Oil and Gas Drilling
Music 12-4pm Throughout Workshops and 15 Minute Breaks, Whitman Building, Whitman Commons Room:
Victor McManemy: Citizens for Alternatives to Chemical Contamination, Musician
Skip Jones: Wisconsin Folksinger, Educator and Social Activist
Music and Dance:Whitman Commons, 6-7:30pm
Megan Tucker: Anishinaabe Fancy Shawl and Hoop Dancer
Bobby “Bullet” St. Germaine: Ojibwe Folksinger
Movie demo: Mead Auditorium, New Science Facility NMU: 7:40-8:00pm
“Yoopers vs. Giant Mining Corporation”, NMU Mead Auditorium, Right Across from the Whitman Building, 7:30-8 pm
Sunday August 2nd
Walk to Eagle Rock (2 miles): Meet and Park at the Clowry Trail, Follow the Signs from County Rd. 510, 10:30 am
Bring your blueberry pails! (Rides will be provided back to your vehicles, and if you cannot walk the two miles please meet at Eagle Rock for lunch and speakers at 12pm) (Also, see directions below)
Lunch,Speakers,Ceremony: Eagle Rock, 12-2pm
Fred Ackley, Fran Van Zile, Jerry Burnett: Mole Lake Sokaogon Chippewa
Jessica Koski: Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (Sacred Sites)
Lee Sprague: Little River Band of Ottawa Indians
Al Gedicks: WI Resources Protection Council
Eric Hansen: Traveler, Author
Lorraine Rekmans: Serpent River
Bobby “Bullet” St. Germaine: Lac du Flambeau
Kenn Pitawanakwat: Manitoulin Island
Tom Williams: Lac Vieux Desert
Visit yellowdogsummer.wordpress.com for more information or call 906.942.7325
China Detains Rio Tinto Mining Executive on Spy Charge
China Detains Mining Executive on Spy Charge, Australia says
By DAVID BARBOZA
Published: July 8, 2009
BEIJING — An Australian executive from Rio Tinto, one of the world’s biggest mining companies, is being held by Chinese officials on suspicion of stealing state secrets and could be charged with espionage, an Australian government official said Wednesday.
Flambeau Mine Causing Illegal Water Pollution
Conservationists announce intent to file lawsuit over water pollution from Flambeau Mine
Earlier this week, a Wisconsin conservation group and two individuals formally notified the Flambeau Mining Company (FMC) and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) that they intend to file a lawsuit over water pollution caused by the partially reclaimed Flambeau Mine, near Ladysmith, Wisconsin, unless the pollution and related issues are fully addressed within 30 days by FMC and the DNR.
The formal notification letter was sent to FMC and the DNR by Attorney Glenn M. Stoddard of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, on behalf of the Wisconsin Resources Protection Council (WRPC), Al Gedicks and Laura Furtman.
According to Stoddard: “The notice letter and potential lawsuit is based on the monitoring data that has been collected by FMC and provided to the DNR and WRPC. The data shows that runoff from the Flambeau Mine is in violation of applicable surface water quality standards and is illegally polluting a nearby stream and the Flambeau River. The data also shows that groundwater at the mine site is polluted and, at a minimum, requires expanded monitoring. However, the DNR has failed to properly regulate FMC and has, instead, allowed the company to violate the law and portray the Flambeau Mine as an environmental success story when it is not.”
Protect Our Clean Water from Mine Waste Dumping
Contact:
Lisa Jackson, EPA Administrator. Email: Jackson.Lisa@epa.gov
Nancy Sutley, Council on Environmental Quality. Contact: http://www.whitehouse.gov /contact/
Sample Letter:
Dear Administrator Jackson and Chairwoman Sutley,
A generation ago, Americans made a commitment to clean up and protect our lakes, rivers and wetlands when we passed the Clean Water Act. Thanks to this commitment, lakes and streams that were once polluted are now once again safe for fishing and swimming. At the time, many argued that the economy would be injured if industry could no longer dump its untreated wastes into our nation’s waterways, but after years of strong pollution control and strong industry, it is clear that clean water is not only essential for public health, but it is good for business.
The Bush Administration’s policies on disposal of mine waste into waters of the U.S. has undermined the intent of the Clean Water Act and America’s commitment to responsibly managing our clean water. The redefinition of “Fill Material” to include waste material to be used to “fill” streams, lakes, wetlands, and other waters, has allowed for the damaging practice of mountaintop removal and the permitting of the Kensington Mine to destroy an Alaskan lake by dumping toxic, chemically processed mine tailings into it.
I am asking you to immediately revoke the Kensington mine lake dumping permits, revise the Bush Administration’s policies on disposal of mine waste into U.S. waters, and return the definition of fill to what it was before the Bush Administration.
Sincerely,
Congress:
Tell Your Congressman and Senators to support HR 1310, the Clean Water Protection Act. The Act is a bipartisan bill that would put the definition of “Fill Material” back to what it was before the Bush Administration.
More about the Clean Water Protection Act.
Who are my elected officials and how do I contact them?
Sample Letter:
Dear Congressman or Senator,
A generation ago, Americans made a commitment to clean up and protect our lakes, rivers and wetlands when we passed the Clean Water Act. Thanks to this commitment, lakes and streams that were once polluted are now once again safe for fishing and swimming. At the time, many argued that the economy would be injured if industry could no longer dump its untreated wastes into our nation’s waterways, but after years of strong pollution control and strong industry, it is clear that clean water is not only essential for public health, but it is good for business.
The Bush Administration’s policies on disposal of mine waste into waters of the U.S. has undermined the intent of the Clean Water Act and America’s commitment to responsibly managing our clean water. The redefinition of “Fill Material” to include waste material to be used to “fill” streams, lakes, wetlands, and other waters, has allowed for the damaging practice of mountaintop removal and the permitting of the Kensington Mine to destroy an Alaskan lake by dumping toxic, chemically processed mine tailings into it.
I am asking you to support HR 1310, the Clean Water Protection Act, an act that would amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to clarify that fill material cannot be comprised of waste.
Sincerely,
For more information on the Kensington mine
For more information onmountaintop removal
Water Workshop, NMU Thursday June 25 2009
You are invited to participate in one of several workshops intended for anyone interested in learning about Michigan’s new water withdrawal laws and how those involved with stewardship of our water resources can play a part in the water withdrawal decision making process. These workshops are designed for three audiences: 1) local water-resource advocates (watershed groups, lake associations, environmental groups, etc.); 2) local governmental planning and zoning practitioners; and 3) community/economic development officers in local governments.
A brief review of water law in Michigan will be followed by a tutorial on some key hydrologic terms and concepts. The Water Withdrawal Assessment Process, the use of state-of-the-art online tools, and how to avoid adverse resource impacts will all be covered. An overview of the regional groundwater and surface water resources will be presented specifically for each workshop location. Lastly, we will review several example uses of the Assessment Tool for sustainable community planning and development. Dr. David Lusch (MSU Geography and Institute of Water Research) will be the primary presenter.
Schedule of Events
• MARQUETTE – Thursday, June 25
Northern Michigan University, University Center, Kaye Ave & Lee Drive, Marquette, MI 49855
• ESCANABA – Friday, June 26
Bay de Noc Community College, 2001 N Lincoln Rd, Escanaba, MI 49829-2510
• GRAYLING – Tuesday, June 30
Ramada AuSable Valley Inn & Conference Center, 2650 S I 75 Business Loop, Grayling, MI 49738
• PITTSFIELD – Thursday, July 2
Pittsfield Charter Township Offices, 6201 W. Michigan Ave., Ann Arbor MI 48108
• KALAMAZOO – Wednesday, July 8*
Christine Price Kalamazoo Public Library – 315 S. Rose St., Kalamazoo, MI 49007
• MUSKEGON – Thursday, July 9
Annis Water Resources Institute, Grand Valley State University, 740 W. Shoreline Dr., Muskegon, MI 49441
• ROCHESTER – Tuesday, July 14
Rochester Community House – Rochester Municipal Park – 816 Ludlow, Rochester, MI 48307
• PETOSKEY – Friday, July 17
Odawa Hotel, 1967 US 131 South, Petoskey, Michigan 49770
These seminars are free and open to anyone to attend. To register please visit: http://www.michigantu.org/index.php/component/content/article/28-council/75-wwat-workshops.
Seminar Agenda
8:30 – 9:00 – Registration and coffee
9:00 – 10:00 – The Great Lakes Compact: why Michigan is regulating large-quantity water withdrawals
– Brief review of Michigan Water Law
– Tutorial on some key hydrologic terms and concepts
10:00 – 10:15 break
10:15 – 12:00 – Does your community plan for sustainable water uses?
– Brief overview of the Water Withdrawal Assessment Process
· Stream-flow estimation
· Impact assessment of flow reductions on fish habitat
· Modeling groundwater – surface water interactions
– Review of the environmental criteria now used to assess “adverse resource impacts”
– Overview of the groundwater & surface water resources of the region
12:00 – 12:45 lunch (provided)
12:45 – 1:15 – Overview of the Water Withdrawal Assessment Tool (WWAT)
1:15 – 2:30 – Example uses of the WWAT for sustainable community development
2:30 – 3:00 – Wrap-up questions and answers
These free educational seminars are brought to you by the following organizations;
Rio Tinto’s Response to Jack Parker & Associates Comments on the Eagle Application
The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited Rio Tinto to respond to concerns
raised in the following items:
− Report by Jack Parker & Associates, “KEMC Eagle Project, Marquette, Michigan,” April 2009
− Save the Wild UP news release, NEW MINE REPORT: Kennecott Mine Application Incompetent or Fraudulent?, May 11, 2009
Rio Tinto responded to the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre regarding concerns about the company’s Upper Peninsula, Michigan, U.S. Eagle nickel and copper project on 6 May 2009. Rio Tinto would like to thank the Centre for the opportunity to respond to the related items above.