Latest News
Protests against BHP Billiton at Australian AGM
Anglo-Australian mining giant BHP Billiton held its Australian AGM in Perth, Western Australia, on Tuesday 16 November. The company came in for strong criticism on a number of issues and was presented with an alternative annual report, Other Sides to the Story:...
World's biggest miner knocked back in Australia
A major new coal mine, at Illawarra in Australia, proposed by Melbourne and London-listed BHP Billiton, has been severely knocked on its head - though not quite killed-off. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, a "scathing review" by the New South Wales' Planning...
Judge Voids Coal Mine Expansion Permit on Navajo Tribal Land
A federal judge has voided a permit for the expansion of one of two operating coal mines on the Navajo reservation in New Mexico and ordered the US federal government to review potential effects of the proposed expansion on cultural resources and the environment. The...
Argentinian judge grants glacier law exemptions for Pascua Lama
Less than twenty four hours after a legal presentation by the mining industry, an Argentinian judge has suspended a number of clauses in the recently-passed national glaciers' protection Act. The judge's action is clearly aimed at facilitating construction of Barrick...
World's "worst" mining company in the dock – again!
Vedanta's Balco killings could land directors in court Hardly a month passes without yet another serious accusation being levelled against Vedanta Resources plc - the mining company which, some have argued, is the "worst" on the planet. In September 2009, a chimney...
Vedanta Hires Exec To Oversee Environmental Issues
Indian focused mining group Vedanta has appointed a chief sustainability officer after being hit with a series of setbacks due to environmental issues. The London-listed company on Friday named Antony Henshaw, previously corporate vice-president of sustainability at...
“Objective” Rio Tinto Study Raises Eyebrows
Rio Tinto, accused of using bad science by detractors of its Eagle Mine project, is at it again. This time, the company is using two professors at Northern Michigan University, in Marquette, to do its bidding on a study on community concerns related to new mining...
Acid pollutes South Africa lakes
Rising toxic water levels from abandoned mines threaten Johannesburg's fresh water supply. Acid drainage from thousands of abandoned mines in Johannesburg has poisoned major lakes in the South African city. Experts say the toxic waters are rising at an alarming rate...
A New Kind Of Crime Against Humanity?
The Fossil Fuel Industry's Disinformation Campaign On Climate Change This post examines the question of whether some US companies are guilty of a new kind of crime against humanity that the world has yet to classify. This post is not meant to be a polemic but a call...
Indigenous Alaskans and fisheries workers say no to Anglo project
Representatives of Alaskan Indigenous, commercial and recreational fishermermen and women were in London over the past week to tell Anglo American and its investors to scrap the proposed Pebble Mine copper and gold project in the headwaters of Bristol Bay. At a public...