The Alyansa Tigil Mina Blog

Source: mining journal, www.miningjournal.com
Issue: 7th July 2006

The Government of Niger has altered its legal regime for minerals and hydrocarbons to allow the state to take a direct stake in operations, Reuters reports from Niamey. Details are sketchy, but the changes include the abolition of certain tax concessions and reductions in the duration of mining and exploration licences. Niger is an important uranium producer.

Société des Mines de l’Air (owned 63.4% by French nuclear-services group Areva SA and 36.6% by the Government of Niger) produces around 1,150 t/y of uranium in concentrate form. (more…)

Source: mining journal, www.miningjournal.com
Issue: 7th July 2006

The provincial government of Chubut, Argentina, has passed legislation to “suspend for a term of thirty-six months” any metal-bearing mining activity, except that related to alluvial deposits, in an area in the northwest of the province.

The area lies between parallels 42° and 44° 30′ South, meridian 70° 30′ West Longitude, and the border with Chile. Meridian Gold Inc’s troubled Esquel gold project is in the middle of the area, which also includes several exploration properties held by Patagonia Gold plc. The latter’s ground includes its Huemules and Crespo projects, and the Leleque and Nahuel Pan areas. (more…)

By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez, INQ7.net -
http://newsinfo.inq7.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=8662
07/07/2006

CEBU CITY - A “Green Philippines (Berdeng Pilipinas)” is how President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo envisions the country to be in five years, even as she pursues her policy of inviting investors to exploit the country’s mineral resources.

Arroyo bared this vision at a joint meeting of the Cabinet and the regional development councils of the Central Philippines, one of four mega regions she has created to spur growth and investment in the regions. (more…)

By Daxim Lucas, Inquirer -
http://business.inq7.net/money/topstories/view_article.php?article_id=8687
07/07/2006
Inquirer

LARGE, FOREIGN MINING FIRMS WILL BE deterred from investing in
the country if the government continues to vacillate on its policies for the mining sector, a leading advocate of the industry warned yesterday.

In an interview, Chamber of Mines of the Philippines president
Benjamin Philip Romualdez pointed out that foreign investors were
critical for the development of the mining industry since local companies lacked the capital to exploit the full potential of the country’s metal and mineral reserves.

“There will always be noise [from opponents of mining] in any
country,” he said, referring to civil society, environmental and
Church-oriented groups opposed to the development of the local mining
sector. “That doesn’t put [the potential investors] off. What will
deter them is if government’s policies continue to shift and change.” (more…)

BY EDWIN C. MERCURIO, Contributed to Bulatlat, Vol. VI, No. 22 -
http://www.bulatlat.com/news/6-22/6-22-jalandoni.html

July 9 - 15, 2006

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who recently allocated P1
billion ($19.1 million, based on an exchange rate of P52.35 per US
dollar) to fund her counter-insurgency campaign to crush the Communist Party of the Philippine and the New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) will deliver her State of the Nation Address to Congress on July 24. But questions are being asked: “Will she address the real State of the Nation?” (more…)

By Saeed Shah, The Independent July 5 2006

Sir Malcolm Rifkind, the former foreign secretary, undertook to lobby the US
Vice-President, Dick Cheney, in an attempt to land a lucrative oil contract in
Iraq for BHP Billiton, according to evidence given to a public inquiry in
Australia.

In the most blatant evidence to so far emerge about Western businesses jockeying
for a slice of Iraq’s oil wealth, the Anglo-Australian group BHP Billiton drew
up a plan for getting access to the huge Iraqi Halfayah oilfield just weeks
after outbreak of war in 2003.

BHP Billiton held a secret meeting in May 2003 in London with Sir Malcolm - who
has worked as a consultant to the company since 1997 - and Alexander Downer, the
Australian foreign minister, to discuss how best to convince the Americans that
BHP Billiton should be handed the Halfayah field in southern Iraq. (more…)

July 10, 2006

Kalikasan-PNE
Bishop, Bicolanos and environmental activists condemn resumption of Lafayette mining operation

“You can count on it. Our campaign to save the people and environment of Rapu-rapu Island continues. We will do everything to drive out Lafayette Philippines, Inc (LPI) in our communities. We will intensify our protests and will file legal actions against LPI,” vows Fr. Felino Bagauisan, Coordinator of Sagip Isla, a local alliance in Rapu-rapu opposing La Fayette mining. “We, Bicolanos will go out of the street tomorrow to condemn the re-opening and demand the permanent closure of Lafayette mining.” (more…)

http://www.mb.com.ph/BSNS2006071168995.html

The revitalized mining industry is seen as the best and a rare opportunity to jumpstart the economy of Mindanao, Paul G. Dominguez, president and chief executive officer of Sagittarius Mines, Inc. said.

In a presentation before the 30th General Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Bishops-Businessmen’s Conference, Dominguez said Mindanao will be able to catch up with the rest of the country in terms of economic progress, if responsible and sustainable mining will be allowed to continue. (more…)

http://www.mb.com.ph/BSNS2006071168997.html
By ELLALYN B. DE VERA

Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Angelo Reyes yesterday ordered the start of test run operations in Rapu Rapu, Albay for the Australian mining firm Lafayette Philippines Inc. (LPI), a month after the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) issued a temporary lifting order (TLO) to allow the resumption of LPI’s mining operations for the conduct of test run.

In a resolution issued by the Pollution Adjudication Board (PAB) yesterday, the LPI was allowed to operate its processing facilities for the conduct of test run for a period of 30 days.
The DENR chief said he visited the mining site last weekend to finalize validation of the compliance of LPI.

“Monitoring of the operation is continuous on a 24- hour basis. If there is something wrong, they will call us (monitoring team) up immediately,” Reyes said. “The monitoring team consists of eight to 12 people from the DENR regional office stationed in the mine site who would particularly monitor the mining company’s dam integrity, and water pollution control and management,” he added. (more…)

http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=business01_july11_2006

SYDNEY—Lafayette Mining Ltd. said yesterday it had restarted operations at its copper and gold mine on Rapu-Rapu island in the Philippines after it was shut for pollution violations last year.

But environmental groups vowed to press the government of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to reorder the mine closed.

“The reopening of Lafayette demonstrates how indifferent the Arroyo administration and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources are to the demands of the people and protection of the environment,” Clemente Bautista, national coordinator of environmental activist group Kalikasan-PNE, said in a statement.

Lafayette shares closed 19 percent up at 10.5 cents, valuing the company at A$93.8 million ($70.4 million). The stock had sunk to a three-year low of A$0.081 in early June on concern the Rapu-Rapu mine would remain idle indefinitely. (more…)