London Mining Network » Gold

CATAPA worried about increased violence in Guatemala

Richard — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 15:07:43 +0000

Press release from LMN member group CATAPA concerning Goldcorp’s Marlin mine

With the greatest urgency CATAPA asks the suspension of all activities of the Marlin mine and the application of the other precautionary measures which the Interamerican Commission for Human Rights requested of the Guatemalan government. The 20th of May the Interamerican Commission for Human Rights urged the Guatemalan government to suspend the Marlin gold mine in San Miguel Ixtahuacán, in the western department of San Marcos, to avoid further environmental y health problems. It asked to implement these and other precautionary measures during the investigation of the complaint presented by 18 local communities. The Commission gave the Guatemalan government 20 days to respond to the request, which until now has not taken any concrete steps to implement the measures.

See http://www.catapa.be/en/news/888.

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.)

Goldcorp staff face criminal charges over mine pollution after CAFOD investigation

Richard — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 15:03:42 +0000

Authorities in Honduras have filed criminal charges against senior officials of Entremares – a wholly-owned subsidiary of mining giant Goldcorp – based on evidence from aid agency CAFOD of severe water contamination.

The data gathered at the San Martin gold mine in the Siria Valley area of Honduras revealed dangerously high acidity and metal concentrations in water flowing into a local stream.

The information uncovered by CAFOD was part of an official water monitoring report at the mine but was not disclosed or acted upon by the Honduran Government’s department for mineral resources or Goldcorp.

See http://www.cafod.org.uk/news/goldcorp-pollution-

More pressure is applied to Goldcorp in Guatemala

Richard — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 15:01:43 +0000

Three new independent studies have confirmed allegations of serious health and environmental violations by GoldCorp at its Marlin mine in Guatemala.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Indians living near the mine are accusing a Supreme Court justice of illegally acquiring some of their territory, on behalf of the mining company.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=10313

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.

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.)

Client Earth report on Rio Tinto

Richard — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:40:54 +0000

London law firm Client Earth has recently published a critique of Rio Tinto’s corporate reporting in the light of the Companies Act 2006 requirements, comparing Rio Tinto’s record with its reporting, and referring the company to the Financial Reporting Review Panel, which is responsible for ensuring full and honest reporting by UK listed companies.

See http://www.clientearth.org/reports/clientearth-submission-to-frrp-re-rio-tinto-annual-report-2008.pdf.

Canadian government urged not to support Rio Tinto associate

Richard — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:39:03 +0000

The Canadian Friends of Burma (CFOB) is deeply concerned by reports that Export Development Canada (EDC), a state owned Crown corporation, intends to give as much as half a billion dollars in public subsidies to Ivanhoe Mines and its Chairman Robert Friedland for a controversial mining project in Mongolia. EDC’s apparent willingness to support Ivanhoe comes despite the fact that CFOB has obtained evidence that the Vancouver based firm violated Canadian sanctions by allowing its stake in Burma’s largest mine to be sold to blacklisted cronies of the Burmese regime.

Ivanhoe is 30% owned by Rio Tinto.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=10278.

OECD Complaint Filed Against Rio Tinto and Ivanhoe Mines in Mongolia

Richard — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:35:46 +0000

(Source: Miningwatch Canada newsletter Summer 2010)

On March 31, 2010, the Government of Mongolia signed an investment agreement with Rio Tinto International Holdings Limited and Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. for the development of a massive gold/copper mine.

On April 1, 2010, MiningWatch Canada and Britain’s Rights and Accountability in Development (RAID) assisted the Mongolian organization OT Watch in filing complaints in the United Kingdom and Canada against Rio Tinto and Ivanhoe for alleged breaches of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. OT Watch is the lead Mongolian complainant acting on behalf of the Centre for Citizens’ Alliance, the Centre for Human Rights and Development, Steppes without Borders, Drastic Change Movement, and National Soyombo Movement.

The companies in question are developing the Oyu Tolgoi project located in the fragile ecosystem of the South Gobi Desert in Mongolia. In the absence of an adequate Environ-mental Impact Assessment and water study, Mongolian civil society groups fear that the mine will reduce the quality and availability of water, threaten Mongolia’s wildlife and biodiversity, and decrease the amount of pasture on which the country’s traditional nomadic population depends for its survival.

On April 23, 2010, Mongolian NGOs appealed to John Ruggie, the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Business and Human Rights, to urge the Mongolian government to oblige Rio Tinto and Ivanhoe to undertake a more thorough environmental impact assessment and water study and review the benefits-sharing arrangements in the government/company Investment Agreement. The appeal to John Ruggie followed demonstrations and hunger strikes by Mongolians concerned about the impacts of the proposed mine project on their lives.

Huge DR Congo gold mine to open, displacing 15,000

Richard — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:21:52 +0000

London-listed mining firm Randgold Resources says it is to begin mining Africa’s largest undeveloped gold deposit – in eastern DR Congo. The mine will require the re-location of 15,000 people, but Randgold says the project has the support of the government and the local community.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=10274.

Documentation on Barrick Gold in PNG

Richard — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:12:16 +0000

In October & November 2009, the Canadian House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs & Intl. Development held hearings on “Bill C-300, An Act respecting Corporate Accountability”. Statements were made regarding issues including allegations of killings, rape & other security problems involving personnel at the Porgera Joint Venture in Papua New Guinea, as well as the Porgera mine’s environmental impacts. (Barrick Gold holds a large majority stake of the Porgera Joint Venture.) Barrick issued a response to these and other allegations made about its operations and impacts at the hearings. The statements by Tyler Giannini and Sarah Knuckey were accompanied by a lengthy written report, which was submitted to the Committee in hard copy at the time of the testimony, and made available in PDF format in July 2010.

See http://www.business-humanrights.org/Documents/CanadaParliamentarytestimonyreBarrickPJV.

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

‘Green Gold’ fair trade inspires anti-mining advocates

Richard — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:03:14 +0000

What could make the world’s staunchest critics of commercial mining pause and evaluate a mechanism that could bring the status of small-scale gold producers at par with corporate mines? The International Women and Mining Network (RIMM or Red Internacional Mujeres y Mineria) explored Latin America’s 2010 experiment with a Fair Trade Artisanal Gold Standard or “green gold,” that adds a premium to commercial gold that is extracted and processed by small-scale mining communities.

See http://archive.inquirer.net/view.php?db=1&story_id=280306.

Ivanhoe to terminate contract clause banning other strategic investors

Richard — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:00:11 +0000

Ivanhoe Mines said it is opening its doors to strategic investors, a move that could force its largest shareholder, Rio Tinto,to pay a premium if it decides to seek control of Ivanhoe.

See http://www.mineweb.com/mineweb/view/mineweb/en/page67?oid=107939&sn=Detail&pid=92730.

Copper, Gold and Salmon

Richard — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:52:56 +0000

There’s a vast supply of valuable metal in Alaska just waiting to be mined, but doing so could spell environmental disaster for the area’s salmon population. A major discovery of gold, copper and a metallic ore called molybdenum have been scoped out via exploratory drills near Bristol Bay, Alaska. If unearthed, they are estimated to be worth some $300 billion, and extracting them could provide hundreds of jobs for rural Alaskans. But the streams, rivers and tributaries that empty into the bay are also home to one of the world’s last great runs of Pacific sockeye salmon.

The Pebble Mine operation, as it’s known, is located in the heart of the Bristol Bay watershed. In July 2007, Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. and London-based mining group Anglo American established the Pebble Partnership to permit, engineer, construct and operate a long-term copper and gold mine there. (Rio Tinto also has a minority stake in the project.)

See http://www.renewableresourcescoalition.org/newsroom/2010-07-08/copper-gold-and-salmon-toxic-concerns-surround-pebble-mine-project-in-alaskas-br.

Shoshone Battle to Stop Gold Mine on Mount Tenabo Continues

Richard — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:46:31 +0000

Although to some extent the recent Court of Appeals decision is a defeat for the Western Shoshone (as it reversed an earlier stay on expansion by Barrick Gold of its major Cortez gold mine in Nevada), it is still part of ongoing legal actions. Also, although expansion can continue, US regulators must respond to a new appeals court order to better assess potential impacts. They further agreed with the tribe that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) failed to adequately consider the projects’ cumulative impacts on the Shoshone, although the claim that the BLM fulfilled its duty to consult the tribe is somewhat surprising.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=10233.

EU Commission refuses ban on cyanide in gold

Richard — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:44:09 +0000

Recently the European parliament called for an outright ban on the use of cyanide in gold processing (see http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=10102). But the European Commission has rejected the demand, claiming that sufficient safeguards are in place to avoid any disaster. This response is clearly motivated by industry fears of closure, and officially excused as protecting jobs. It is all the more indefensible in light of the fact that, just four months ago, the world’s second biggest gold miner was found guilty of causing a massive cyanide spill in Ghana.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=10246.

The road for Rio leads through some distinctly murky waters

Richard — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 13:46:56 +0000

London Calling examines dirty deals between China and Burma

Rio Tinto has announced that it has now acquired an almost 30% stake in Canada’s Ivanhoe Mines – making it by far the company’s biggest backer.

To date, Rio Tinto has invested over 1.7 billion dollars in Ivanhoe, in order to promote “development” of one of the world’s biggest copper-gold mines, at Oyu Tolgoi in Mongolia.

The project has provoked strong opposition from some Mongolian NGOs. However, it’s still not widely recognised that, as a key condition of forging its joint venture with Ivanhoe in 2007, the UK company insisted the Canadians withdraw from its Monywa copper project in Burma, then operated with the assistance, and to the advantage of, the country’s bloody ruling junta. There was little question that the London-based Rio Tinto board would be sorely embarrassed by any suggestion of its underwriting such a destructive and illegal enterprise, in one of the world’s most oppressive states.

As Mines and Communities revealed a year ago, Ivanhoe, and indirectly Rio Tinto, continue to benefit from profits made by this mine, despite sanctions imposed by the United States. A purportedly independent third party trust was set up under the 2007 agreement between Rio Tinto and Ivanhoe, envisaging a quick sale of the 50% equity held by the latter in its Burmese enterprise. Until recently, neither of the two companies has said whether that sale has yet taken place – and if so, to whom. However, an Ivanhoe spokesman last week told Mizzima News that it had not yet taken place. If true, this in itself serves as a censure of Rio Tinto’s failure to extricate itself from complicity with the regime.

See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=10210.