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 »
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Kennecott-Rio Tinto, copper, economy, human rights, indigenous, public land | Tagged: copper, economy, human rights, native american, public land, Rio Tinto | 
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Posted by LSMN
August 10, 2009
A 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 »
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Posted by LSMN
April 15, 2009
by 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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February 25, 2009
By Gabriel Caplett
Humboldt 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, Kennecott-Rio Tinto, Michigan, human rights | Tagged: human rights, humboldt, Kennecott, Michigan, Rio Tinto | Permalink
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February 12, 2009
by 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 »
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October 7, 2008
by 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 »
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August 27, 2008
by Gabriel Caplett
Over 200 concerned individuals from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ontario and Michigan attended Marquette County’s Protect the Earth Summit on the first weekend in August. Saturday events included workshops on treaty rights, successful grassroots opposition to metallic sulfide mining projects and a presentation on the polluted Flambeau Mine, in Wisconsin. A rally was held, at Marquette’s Presque Isle Park that featured musicians and speakers, including Fred Rydholm, Laura Furtman, Al Gedicks, Bobby Bullet, Victor McManemy and Jim St. Arnold, as well as traditional Anishinaabe shawl and hoop dancing, performed by Megan Tucker. On Sunday, over 120 people walked to
Eagle Rock from the Yellow Dog River and held a rally and sacred eagle feather ceremony at the site of the proposed Kennecott Eagle Mine. The event was sponsored by Yellow Dog Summer, Keepers of the Water and Students Against Sulfide Mining.
Citizens from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan Walk to Eagle Rock, on the Yellow Dog Plains; Photo courtesy Teresa Bertossi
Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by LSMN
June 25, 2008
By Gabriel Caplett
As the Upper Peninsula battles against a metallic sulfide mining district, citizens have turned to neighboring Wisconsin as an example of successful grassroots opposition to unsustainable mining.
Ironically, Kennecott has also found inspiration in Wisconsin. The company has showcased its now-closed Flambeau Mine in attempts to demonstrate that it is capable of operating a successful sulfide mine in the UP.
Kennecott, and the industry as a whole, has learned its lesson in losing to grassroots mining opponents in Wisconsin and around the world. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by LSMN
June 25, 2008
by Gabriel Caplett
Since first announcing plans for its nickel-copper Eagle Project mine, Kennecott Minerals – a subsidiary of London-based Rio Tinto – and the State of Michigan have tried to portray the mine as “a done deal.” At each step in the approval process, new information has been presented to the public, thus breaking up the full effects of Kennecott’s mining plans into smaller, presumably easier to digest, segments.
At the same time, science not conducive to an honest approval of Kennecott’s plans has been suppressed while public comment has been nearly entirely disregarded. The Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Deputy Director, Skip Pruss, has gone so far as to refer to public comment as “chaff.”
Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) treaty rights with the US government have been equally disregarded, as well as KBIC’s concerns with blasting into and fencing-off Eagle Rock, a culturally sensitive and sacred rock outcropping on the Yellow Dog Plains.
State legislators and officials have assisted Kennecott by presenting approval of their mine as simply a legal and legislative process, disregarding the power of ordinary citizens to effectively stop development of an unpopular mining plan. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by LSMN
May 9, 2008
by Richard Solly (London Mining Network organizer)
This report covers many but not all of the issues raised during questions on the company’s Annual Report and in some of the other items of business. Where several questions were asked about one area, they are reported together. The report was put together with the help of many of the people who attended the AGM.
For an hour before the AGM, there was an inspiring protest outside the Conference Centre, organised by Friends of the Earth, the Free West Papua Campaign and Partizans (People Against Rio Tinto and its Subsidiaries), with help from War on Want. West Papuan flags, illegal in Indonesia and its occupied territories, flapped in the strong wind, and West Papuan musicians sang and played music for the whole time as others handed out information leaflets from London Mining Network. Read the rest of this entry »
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