March 2, 2010
Rio Tinto (Kennecott’s parent company) has come to appreciate the ease that comes with securing permits through the State of Michigan, rather than the federal government. Now, with state regulatory departments combining to form the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the company is likely to get what it wants more quickly in order to try opening the Eagle Mine this year.
From an article by the AP’s John Flesher:
A company preparing to build a nickel and copper mine in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula wants to change its wastewater treatment system in a way that could negate the requirement for a federal permit, officials said Tuesday. Read the rest of this entry »
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Eagle Mine, Kennecott-Rio Tinto, water pollution | Tagged: dnre, Eagle Mine, Kennecott, Michigan, Rio Tinto, water pollution | 
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Posted by LSMN
February 11, 2010
Leave a Comment » | Eagle Mine, Kennecott-Rio Tinto, Law, Michigan, economy, public land, water pollution, wildlife | Tagged: civil disobedience, Eagle Mine, Kennecott, Law, Michigan, public land, Rio Tinto, water pollution, wildlife | Permalink
Posted by LSMN
February 10, 2010
Despite claiming at public meetings in Powell Township that a $6.4 million power upgrade specifically for the proposed Eagle Mine would be paid for by Rio Tinto, the Alger Delta Electric Co-op is suing the owner of Granot Loma Farms for not giving up his property for free for the project. 
“This is a capitalist country”, said Tom Baldwin. “They should pay for the easements. I’m willing to sell it. I don’t have a problem with that. But I didn’t buy my property so Kennecott could profit.”
Alger Delta’s General Manager, Tom Harrell said that if the utility had to compensate Baldwin for his property “that just drives up the cost of electricity for everybody.”
Baldwin contends that Alger Delta has paid non-customers for easements.
“Membership is like being a prisoner, because they have a monopoly and you have to buy electricity from them”, Baldwin said.
Leave a Comment » | Eagle Mine, Kennecott-Rio Tinto, Michigan | Tagged: Eagle Mine, Kennecott, Michigan, Rio Tinto | Permalink
Posted by LSMN
February 10, 2010
From the Guardian:
Beijing has formally charged four employees of Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto with industrial espionage and bribery, setting the stage for a trial that will strain relations between China and Australia. The move will also cast a cloud over already contentious iron ore price negotiations between the country and western mining companies. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by LSMN
February 9, 2010
Satellite map of Rio Tinto's planned Humboldt milling facility; Photo courtesy Google Maps
One day before a hearing on the company’s proposed 22-mile haul road, Rio Tinto is announcing it has obtained all state permits for its planned Humboldt milling facility.
At a December public hearing on the mill, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community geologist, Chuck Brumleve, noted that the DEQ’s approval of the Humboldt Project was opposed by both the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
Reading from an EPA statement, Brumleve reported that the agency is “concerned the currently proposed project may have significant adverse impacts on the ecosystem. We object to the issuance of a permit for this project.”
Brumleve said that the US Fish and Wildlife Service requested “that the MDEQ not issue a permit for the proposed work.” Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Kennecott-Rio Tinto, Michigan, water pollution | Tagged: humboldt, Kennecott, Law, Michigan, Rio Tinto | Permalink
Posted by LSMN
February 2, 2010
After slashing more than 16,000 jobs, offering more shares to investors and selling a number of assets, Rio Tinto is doing really well, reports the company’s Chief Financial Officer, Guy Elliott, only two days after the company locked out over 500 workers at its Borax mine, in southern California.
Elliott told the London press that the company might soon expand spending on new projects and possibly start buying new projects.
“We are very happy with the progress of the recapitalization since June,” Elliott said. “We have lots of organic options and this gives us the flexibility to progress those if they require funding.”
Some are even speculating that Rio Tinto may soon have more cash than it can deal with. Read the rest of this entry »
1 Comment | Kennecott-Rio Tinto, economy, workers | Tagged: economy, Rio Tinto, workers | Permalink
Posted by LSMN
February 1, 2010
The company reviled by mine workers around the world for its union-busting activities is at it again. On Sunday Rio Tinto locked out roughly 540 unionized workers at its huge Borax mine in Boron, California and replaced them with a non-unionized workforce. Members of the International Longshore & Warehouse Union Local 30 are now organizing to ensure that workers and their families will have enough food and other necessities while they are out of work.
“People here are tough and willing to see this through to the end,” union spokesman Craig Merrilees said. “It’s not just about Rio Tinto but all the companies doing this to people across the country. In this little town people are drawing the line.” Read the rest of this entry »
1 Comment | Kennecott-Rio Tinto, economy, workers | Tagged: economy, Rio Tinto, workers | Permalink
Posted by LSMN
January 15, 2010
Dept. rules that sacred rock is ‘not a place of worship’
by Eartha Melzer, Michigan Messenger
A member of the Summer Cloud drumming group performs during a 2008 ceremony at Eagle Rock
Two days before the DEQ ceases to exist and a week after its director stepped down, DEQ moved to wrap up a long standing fight over permits for a planned nickel sulfide mine by concluding that only buildings may be considered “places of worship.”
A rock that is sacred to Anishnabe people need not be considered when issuing a mining permit because state law only recognizes buildings as places of worship, the Department of Environmental Quality announced Thursday. Read the rest of this entry »
2 Comments | Eagle Mine, Kennecott-Rio Tinto, Law, Michigan, indigenous, public land | Tagged: deq, Eagle Mine, Kennecott, Law, Michigan, native american, public land, Rio Tinto, yellow dog plains | Permalink
Posted by LSMN
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