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Direct action against Xstrata in Argentina

michaela — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 08:14:54 +0000

Peoples’ struggles against Minera Alumbrera have become very active this past month in northern Argentina. The protests are aimed at shutting down the mine, and against the lifting of a judicial order prohibiting any activity in the Agua Rica project area. Mining opponents were heartened last month when the governor of La Rioja Province suspended Montreal-based Osisko Mining Corp’s gold-mine project in the Famatina region due to stiff resistance from environmental activists and local residents.

The battle lines quickly shifted to neighbouring Catamarca Province, where residents of the town of Andalgala threw up roadblocks to Anglo-Swiss miner Xstrata PLC’s Alumbrera copper-gold mine and its nearby Agua Rica project. Police clashed with activists last week when clearing the roads and now groups of mining supporters have put their own roadblocks in place to stop reporters and more activists from entering Andalgala.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11503.

IACHR’s lenience towards Goldcorp is criticised by NGOs

Richard — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:16:55 +0000

Goldcorp is a Canadian company. Among its major investors are British-based AXA Investment Managers UK Ltd., Blackrock Commodities Income Trust plc and City Natural High Yield Trust plc.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), the western hemisphere’s primary organ for protecting human rights, decided in late December 2011 to modify an earlier order regarding Goldcorp’s controversial Marlin mine in Guatemala. Although subject to an ongoing human rights complaint, IACHR has lifted its recommendation to suspend operations at the mine, while leaving other measures in place.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11419&l=1.

Goldcorp green lights US$3.9bn El Morro project in Chile

Vancouver-based Goldcorp’s board approved the decision to begin construction of the US$3.9bn El Morro copper-gold project in northern Chile’s region III. See http://www.bnamericas.com/news/mining/goldcorp-green-lights-us39bn-el-morro-project/282822928.

Canadian mining projects move ahead in Argentina

Argentina expects two Canadian miners, Pan American Silver and Goldcorp, to start construction on sizeable projects over the next six months as the sector continues to expand, the country’s mining secretary said on Tuesday. See http://ca.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idCATRE8092EQ20120110.

Patagonia goes Canadian

Richard — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 15:20:05 +0000

“It has taken about a year, but on Wednesday shares of Patagonia Gold PLC will be listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange” noted Barry Critchley in the Canadian Financial Post (FP).

But despite having a market capitalization of more than $600-million, it is hard to see how this company could deliver “production”, other than by a small test plant in Lomada de Leiva, Santa Cruz (Bill Humphries, chief executive of the gold company, set a target of 200,000 ounces of production by 2015).

Patagonia Gold has been proudly mentioned as a “national” company by the Mining Secretary of Argentina, Jorge Mayoral. It was formed after Brancote Holdings sold the Esquel project to Meridian Gold in 2002.

According to FP, “another goal of listing on the TSX is to increase the ownership of Patagonia held by North American investors. Currently it’s about 7% but figures can at least triple that”.

(Patagonia Gold is headquartered in London and listed on London’s Alternative Investment Market as well as the Toronto Stock Exchange.)

See http://mining.boellblog.org/2011/12/08/patagonia-goes-canadian/.

Another report says Barrick Gold damaged glaciers in Pascua Lama-Veladero

Richard — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 13:02:42 +0000

In a report published on July 19, the Argentine branch of the environmental group Greenpeace charged that operations by the Toronto-based Barrick Gold Corporation in the Andes at the border with Chile had already significantly damaged three small glaciers. Citing a 2005 technical study, Greenpeace said the surface of the Toro 1, Toro 2 and Esperanza glaciers “diminished by between about 56% and 70% because of the activities carried out by Barrick” even before mining operations had begun. The regions on either side of the border are arid, and farmers in the valleys largely depend on Andean glaciers as a source of water.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11083.

Barrick Gold is the world’s largest gold producer, in which a number of UK-based funds invest (see http://moneytometal.org/index.php?title=Special%3ASearch&search=Barrick&go=Go).

Argentine Environmental Group Files Complaint Against Xstrata Copper

Richard — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 13:42:29 +0000

The environmental and human rights organization CEDHA along with two other environmental groups, lodged a complaint today against Xstrata Copper in Australia, accusing the multinational mining company of destroying glaciers and permafrost in two of its operations in Argentina, El Pachón and Filo Colorado.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=10971

Argentinian university faculties reject mining hand-outs

Richard — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 15:11:51 +0000

There are growing concerns about financial donations from mining companies to Canadian university campuses. University faculties in Argentina have also been rejecting such corporate blandishments. In March 2011, the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters at Argentina’s National University of Tucumán became the twenty-seventh academic faculty to reject funds from the Alumbrera Mining company. Goldcorp has a 37.5% share in Alumbrera, which is operated as a joint venture with London-listed Xstrata and Toronto-based Yamana Gold. It was Goldcorp’s biggest source of earnings outside of Canada in 2010.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=10834.

Greenpeace activists demonstrate to enact the Glaciers Law

Richard — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 18:07:26 +0000

About fifty protesters, including members of Greenpeace, set up a camp on the access road to Barrick Gold’s Veladero and Pascua Lama mines in Argentina.

The protest was done to promote the Glacier Law enacted last October. Police personnel acted to clear the road, breaking and removing the chains placed by protesters to remove the container that were blocking the entrance.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=10739.

Barrick Gold is a Canadian company that is the world’s largest gold producer and in which a number of UK-based funds invest (see http://moneytometal.org/index.php?title=Special%3ASearch&search=Barrick&go=Go).

Barrick turns glaciers to dust in Chile

Richard — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 15:51:31 +0000

According to residents in the Valley of Huasco in Chile there is an alarming lack of water in the area, despite the rains in 2010. Barrick Gold has finally been fined for damaging the glaciers they depend on. The Chilean government made it a pre-condition, in approving Pascua Lama’s Environmental Impact Assessment, that the glaciers would not be touched. However as OLCA notes, the practice seems far removed from this. Yet the company is only being fined a pathetic amount for this pollution.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=10694.

Argentinian judge grants glacier law exemptions for Pascua Lama

Richard — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 15:21:37 +0000

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 Gold’s much-delayed Pascua Lama gold mine.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=10501.

Barrick is a Canadian company but London-based AXA Investment Managers UK Ltd had over $10 million invested in the company in 2007, BlackRock Commodities Income Trust plc has invested in the company, and the company also has connections with Millhouse Capital, controlled by London resident Roman Abramovich, and New City Investment Managers Ltd/NCIM (UK).

(See From Money to Metals by Roger Moody, http://moneytometal.org/index.php/From_Money_to_Metals.)

Argentinian lawmakers pass glacier protection law

Richard — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 14:10:11 +0000

In a widely-applauded move, Argentina’s senate has passed an Act to protect the country’s glaciers, which should curb Barrick’s plan to mine the massive Pascua Lama gold deposit.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=10413.

Ethical Tribunal on Transborder Mining in Latin America

Richard — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 15:40:13 +0000

Latin American activists who want to call attention to mining developments located in border areas will gather in Chile to “pass judgement” on projects they regard as detrimental to local communities, the environment and national security. “One of the features of mining today is its expansion into traditionally untouched areas, where entry was forbidden for geopolitical or national security reasons, like border zones,” Lucio Cuenca, of the Chilean branch of the Latin American Observatory of Environmental Conflicts (OLCA), told IPS. One of the companies involved is Barrick Gold; another is Monterrico Metals.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=10365.

Goldcorp says it will buy Andean Resources for about $3.4 billion

Richard — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 09:06:09 +0000

Goldcorp and Eldorado are fighting over Andean’s Cerro Negro project in Santa Cruz province, Patagonia, Argentina, which may produce 285,000 ounces of gold a year with very low production costs.

Goldcorp is a Canadian company but among its major investors are British-based AXA Investment Managers UK Ltd (US$4.3 million), Blackrock Commodities Income Trust plc, and City Natural Resources High Yield Trust PLC, according to the document From Money to Metals (http://moneytometal.org/index.php/From_Money_to_Metals) by mining researcher Roger Moody.)

See http://www.marketwatch.com/story/goldcorp-to-pay-34-billion-for-andean-resources-2010-09-03.

Argentina’s Glacier Protection Bill could shut mines

Richard — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 14:59:06 +0000

A draft bill to protect Argentina’s glaciers edges closer to being passed, thus jeopardising Barrick’s proposed Pascua Lama gold mine and other projects.

However, one of the country’s constitutional experts points out that Barrick “could demand hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation from the Argentine government because these mining activities were not banned when they made these investments.”

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=10330.

(See From Money to Metals by Roger Moody, http://moneytometal.org/index.php/From_Money_to_Metals.)

Mercosur unhappy with EU mining rules on cyanide content

Richard — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 16:29:52 +0000

With weeks to go before the start of new Mercosur-EU talks on creating a free trade zone, the two sides clashed as they met in the Argentine capital to advance cooperation in mining trade. Officials said the clash occurred as ministers from Mercosur — Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay — pointed out potential obstacles to trade created by new EU regulations on mining imports. The European Parliament is debating regulations that aim to phase out all cyanide content in mining products and raw materials to protect European water resources and biodiversity. Mercosur delegates argued current mining processes in South America made that unattainable and the new rules would potentially block South American exports to Europe.

See http://www.upi.com/Science_News/Resource-Wars/2010/06/17/Mercosur-unhappy-with-EU-mining-rules-on-cyanide-content/UPI-33351276811506/.

Declaration of the Indigenous Communities of the Central Plateau of Chubut, Argentina

Richard — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 16:48:22 +0000

Open-pit metal mining has been banned in the Argentinian province of Chubut since April 2003. Law 5001, passed by provincial legislative power following the Esquel referendum, resulting in the cancellation of Meridian Gold’s proposed gold mine.

Nonetheless, the government has since allowed companies to explore for, and develop, mineral deposits which would use open-cast processes.

At the end of last year, Pan American Silver took over the Navidad silver-lead project from Aquiline Resources, demonstrating the industry’s confidence that it can overturn the provincial ban. The central government has given strong signs in that direction, by granting hundreds of hectares for exploration.

If the Navidad mine gets underway, it will encourage other companies, such as London-listed Patagonia Gold, which is exploring in the meseta (Central Plateau).

Last month, and by travelling more than 400 Km. to Rawson, Mapuche-Tehuelche communities raised their voices for the first time in the provincial capital, demanding recognition of their rights and an end to large scale mining.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=10160.