January 12, 2010
While not the vindication Kennecott wanted, a company-funded report released on the danger of Kennecott’s massive 5,700 acre tailings impoundment, north of Magna, Utah, says the tailings dam may fail, but will not destroy residential areas, as originally thought.
In October, the Salt Lake Tribune reported that the tailings dam could fail in a major earthquake and move across State Road 201 – like a “violent and intense” flash flood - reaching more than twice the distance Kennecott predicted.
“Really, the public-safety concern is the highway,” said Troy Meyer, lead engineer for Colorado-based Tetra Tech, the engineering firm conducting the safety evaluation.
According to Tetra Tech, Kennecott’s tailings impoundment is still far from meeting Utah’s minimum safety standards and the company’s goal of meeting those requirements in 2018 is likely optimistic.
In March 2008, the Salt Lake Tribune reported that Kennecott Utah Copper had concealed, since 1988, the potential for a major earthquake-caused tailings disaster in Magna. In 1992, the company conducted a “risk assessment” to determine if full containment of the impoundment would be more expensive than legal costs associated with property damage and citizen deaths. Read the rest of this entry »
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Kennecott-Rio Tinto, Prime Meridian, copper | Tagged: copper, Kennecott, Prime Meridian, Rio Tinto | 
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Posted by LSMN
December 17, 2009
Resolution Explores for Copper Outside Superior, Arizona; Photo courtesy Flickr
Rio Tinto, a company that has made its name exploiting public and indigenous mineral wealth for decades, is set to make off with an astounding $140 billion in publicly-held mineral rights, in Arizona, for what is expected to be North America’s largest copper mine.
On Wednesday, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved a land swap allowing Resolution Copper Mining (a joint venture between Rio Tinto and BHP-Billiton) access to 2,400 acres of the Tonto National Forest. The area contains sites sacred to local Native American tribes and was previously protected from mining activities by the Eisenhower administration.
According to the Arizona Republic, in a deal reached between the Obama administration, Senate Democrats and Arizona Senator John McCain, the only thing standing in Resolution’s way is a federal environmental review that must be completed prior to the land deal.
An opponent of the deal, US Representative Raúl Grijalva has concerns with Rio Tinto’s human rights record and urges a full investigation before a land swap is considered. Read the rest of this entry »
1 Comment | Kennecott-Rio Tinto, copper, economy, human rights, indigenous, public land | Tagged: copper, economy, human rights, native american, public land, Rio Tinto | Permalink
Posted by LSMN
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