A high court in Guatemala has ruled against HudBay Minerals, a partner with Aquila Resources on the Back Forty open pit gold-zinc metallic sulfide mine, in Menominee County Read the rest of this entry »
Menominee County Explorer Loses Human Rights Court Case
April 28, 2011
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Uncategorized | Tagged: Aquila, back forty, gold, guatemala, hardrock mining, hudbay, human rights, menominee river, murder, sulfide mining, upper peninsula | 
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Video of Rio Tinto’s Annual Meeting
April 27, 2011by the London Mining Network’s Richard Solly and filmmaker Susi Arnott:
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Kennecott Has a Sordid History
April 26, 2011An opinion article by Marquette resident John Scram . . .
Rio Tinto, Kennecott’s parent company, has the attention of the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council.) The NRDC is protesting the Pebble mine in Alaska’s Bristol Bay.
The NRDC describes Rio Tinto as a London-based mining conglomerate that has left a trail of toxic contamination from Indonesia to Utah. In 1996, a dam failed at the Porco mine in Bolivia where Rio Tinto had a significant interest. A Belgian scientist working in the region reports the rivers are totally dead. Read the rest of this entry »
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HudBay Embroiled in Human Rights Lawsuit for Killing a Teacher
January 2, 2011From a link on the Front Forty’s Website. HudBay, the majority owner of the Back Forty zinc-gold mine proposed along the Menominee River, is being sued for killing a citizen in Guatemala who got in the way of their mining plans:
HudBay burns a home to the ground while forcibly evicting citizens in Guatemala; James Rodriguez
- On September 27, 2009, fears of forced violent evictions of several Mayan communities located near the Fenix mining project sparked a series of community protests.
- In the early afternoon of September 27, 2009, Adolfo Ich was with his wife at his house in La Uníon when he heard gunshots being fired from the direction of mine buildings, located not far from his house. Adolfo went to find out what was going on, to warn people to stay back and to see if he could help restore calm. He was not carrying any weapons.
- When Adolfo Ich arrived, private security forces of the mine recognized him as a prominent community leader and appeared to invite him to speak with them about the community protests.
- As Adolfo Ich approached, approximately a dozen armed security forces surrounded him, beat him and hacked at him with a machete, before shooting Adolfo in the head at close range. Adolfo Ich died of his wounds shortly after. Read the rest of this entry »
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Rio Tinto Set to Make Off With $140 Billion in Public Mineral Wealth; Company and Plan Criticized
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, indigenous, human rights, copper, public land, economy | Tagged: Rio Tinto, human rights, native american, copper, public land, economy | Permalink
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US Court to Hear Case on Rio Tinto War Crimes in South Pacific
August 10, 2009A class action lawsuit filed by South Pacific islanders seeking reparations for human rights abuses committed by Rio Tinto could reach trial within two years.
The Los Angeles District Court has ruled that, due to the “universal” nature of Rio Tinto’s crimes, Bougainville islanders do not need to exhaust legal options in Papua New Guinea and, under the US Alien Tort Claims Act, can seek legal remedy for crimes against humanity, war crimes and racial discrimination committed by the mining giant in the 1980s and 1990s.
The plaintiffs allege that Rio Tinto created extensive environmental damage at its Bougainville mine, paid Black workers less than white counterparts and instigated a violent civil war, leading to the deaths of roughly 10% of the island’s population. Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | human rights, Kennecott-Rio Tinto, Law | Tagged: alien tort, bougainville, human rights, Rio Tinto | Permalink
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UP Citizens Return to London to Address Rio Tinto’s Annual General Meeting
April 15, 2009by Gabriel Caplett
London, England – A beleaguered Rio Tinto board defended itself from criticisms coming from a number of shareholders at the company’s annual general meeting (AGM) Wednesday, in London, England. High on shareholder’s minds was the proposed $19.5 billion deal to sell access to a number of key company assets, including Kennecott, to the Chinese government-owned Chinalco as part of what many speakers described as offensive to existing shareholders and a direct result of poor investment and management decisions made by the company over the last several years. Read the rest of this entry »
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Rio Tinto’s Jon Cherry Gives Humboldt Mill Presentation; Avoids Mention of Severe Pollution and Health Hazards
February 25, 2009Humboldt Township, Michigan – Jon Cherry, Rio Tinto’s Eagle Project Manager, presented the company’s plans for the Humboldt Mill to a packed crowd at the Humboldt Township Hall on January 12, 2009, but steered away from questions about likely pollution.
Rio Tinto is a “good company that operate[s] to the same level of safety and environmental standards worldwide, regardless where we’re operating,” Cherry said.
But University of Wisconsin, La Crosse sociology professor and mining expert Al Gedicks disagrees.
“A company’s track record in other places is one of the best predictors of future behavior,” said Gedicks. “If decision-makers in Michigan choose to ignore this record, they are setting themselves up to join the long list of communities burdened with cleaning up Kennecott’s mine pollution.”
Many others also disagree with Cherry’s claims. Read the rest of this entry »
1 Comment | Eagle Mine, human rights, Kennecott-Rio Tinto, Michigan | Tagged: human rights, humboldt, Kennecott, Michigan, Rio Tinto | Permalink
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Eagle Project “Deferred”; Kennecott Now a Rio Tinto-China Joint Venture?
February 12, 2009by Gabriel Caplett
Marquette County, Michigan – In the same week both the United Nations (UN) and human rights advocates criticized China for violations involving systemic torture and suppression of journalists, Rio Tinto has indicated a desire for an expanded relationship with the country. The US $19.5 billion asset and convertible bond sale to the China-owned Chinalco has already drawn the ire of many major investors, as well as the Australian government and recently resigned board member, Jim Leng.
The deal gives Chinalco, already Rio’s largest shareholder, a nearly 20% stake in the company and up to two non-executive board seats. The deal represents China’s largest overseas investment and signifies the government’s new role as the most powerful emerging economy in the world. The deal sent Rio Tinto’s European-listed shares plummeting. The company was the biggest loser of the day with a more than 8% drop in share value.
As part of its announcement, Rio Tinto is also shelving its Eagle Project copper-nickel mine in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Read the rest of this entry »
4 Comments | China, Eagle Mine, human rights, Kennecott-Rio Tinto | Tagged: China, Eagle Mine, human rights, Kennecott, Rio Tinto | Permalink
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Large Rio Tinto Shareholder Divests on Ethical Grounds
October 7, 2008by Gabriel Caplett
The Norwegian government recently sold its $890 million stake in mining giant Rio Tinto, based on the company’s “grossly unethical conduct” at its Grasberg Mine, in West Papua. Norway’s Ministry of Finance made the decision after realizing that continued investment in Rio Tinto would “contribute to severe environmental damage.”
Norway’s $375 billion Government Pension Fund-Global invests the country’s oil and gas revenues in foreign stocks and bonds. The Fund was one of Rio Tinto’s largest shareholders and is Europe’s largest equity investor, holding roughly 1 % of all European-listed shares. Norway’s Council on Ethics offers recommendations to the Ministry of Finance regarding the Fund’s holdings.
According to Kristin Halvorsen, Minister of Finance, “Exclusion of a company from the Fund reflects our unwillingness to run an unacceptable risk of contributing to grossly unethical conduct. Read the rest of this entry »
4 Comments | human rights, indigenous, Kennecott-Rio Tinto | Tagged: human rights, Rio Tinto | Permalink
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