EarthWINS Daily #3.11
3/13/98
Date: Fri, 13 Mar 1998 12:07:22 -0800 (PST)
From: Alice McCombs <amccombs@igc.apc.org>
Contents
1. WISCONSIN: Earth First! Protesters Go to Court
a. Mine Protest Draws Conviction
b. Upcoming Earth First! trials
2. WISCONSIN: UW-Madison News Release--Mine microbes
3. SRI-LANKA: Phosphate Mining at Eppawela
4. Info Request: Salt mining operations
5. Info Request: World mining statistics
6. Green Alternatives to the MAI (fwd)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
1. WISCONSIN: Earth First! Protesters Go to Court
a. Mine Protest Draws Conviction
Date: Thu, 12 Mar 1998 18:02:27 -0600
From: Steve Barney <AnimalLib@vaxa.cis.uwosh.edu>
Organization: Animal Liberation Action Group, University of Wisconsin
Oshkosh
WJFW-TV 12, Rinelander, WI
Thursday- March 12, 1998
http://www.msnbc.com/local/WJFW/1079.asp
MINE PROTEST DRAWS CONVICTION
CRANDON - A Forest County jury deliberated
all of seven minutes
find an EarthFirst! protester guilty of disorderly conduct yesterday.
Erik Petterson's trial is the first of more than a dozen cases
involving members of the environmental group.
The 26-year old Madison man was one of 29
EarthFirst! members
arrested last July during an organized protest of the proposed
Crandon
mine.
He told Newswatch 12, "I'm really disappointed.
Justice was not
really served. I feel like we tried really hard to get our message
out.
It's important to stand up and fight against multi-national
corporations when you feel threatened."
Forest County Sheriff Roger Wilson agrees
in principal, but it
stops there. "In a case like this they certainly have the right
to feel
how they do, but when they break the law they have to pay for
it, and I
think today showed they did pay for breaking the law."
Petterson will have to pay more than 600-dollars
for his part of
the protest. Sheriff Wilson hopes the verdict will set an example
and
make some of the other group members think twice about proceeding
to
trial.
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----------------------------------------
b. Upcoming Earth First! trials
Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 18:18:19 -0600
From: Aaron David Ellringer <spokes@ibm.net>
Howdy.
There are several trials coming up in Forest County and elsewhere resulting
from Crandon Mine protests that took place this past summer.
There were 29
Earth First! activists arrested on bum charges both in the town of
Crandon
and on the actual proposed mine site.
All activists were thrown in jail upon arrest, and after a few months,
almost all charges were dropped to "Disorderly Conduct". One aspect
of this
disorderly conduct was a peaceful, run-of-the-mill protest in front
of the
Crandon Mining Company offices in the town of Crandon. I recently viewed
the police videos of these arrests, and it was very clearly an act
of
unwarranted aggression by the police, giving the protesters only one
minute
to "disperse" before making actual arrests. What this amounts to is
an
absolute violation of our rights to free speech and assembly.
ALL citizens should be concerned when people are thrown in jail for
speaking out. Please support your fellow activists in their upcoming
court
trials.
I was arrested at the mine site. I spent three days in jail
and have
taken several trips to Crandon (form Eau Claire) for preliminary court
dates. After spending $350 in bail, $50 for the public defender
(not free)
and $36 for a Jury (yes, I bought my jury!), I am finally going to
trial
this next Wednesday, March 18 at 9:00am in the Forest County complex
in
downtown Crandon. I will be representing myself, as the Public Defender
cannot provide services now that the charges were dropped from obstructing
justice, criminal tresspass and disorderly conduct to the current
disorderly conduct.
Can other activists with upcoming trials please post them to this list?
Could someone also post the address and name with which they can send
donations for the July 7 Earth First! defendants?
Thanks,
Aaron Ellringer
Chippewa Valley Earth First!
(715) 552-0849
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2. WISCONSIN: UW-Madison News Release--Mine microbes
Date: Thu, 05 Mar 1998 12:17:07 -0600
From: Nick Weaver <jnweaver@facstaff.wisc.edu>
HOLD FOR 4 PM EST, THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 1998 RELEASE
CONTACT: Katrina J. Edwards, (608) 262-0915, katrina@geology.wisc.edu;
Robert J. Hamers, (608) 262-6371, hamers@chem.wisc.edu
STUDY OF MICROBES MAY HONE PREDICTIONS OF MINING IMPACT
MADISON - By tracing the abundance and distribution of bacteria in an
abandoned California mine, scientists may have found a better way to
predict the potential environmental consequences of mining metal ores.
Writing this week (March 6) in the journal Science, a team of University
of
Wisconsin-Madison scientists presents the first in situ, molecular-level
ecological study of the naturally occurring microbes that mediate some
of
the most severe pollution events associated with sulfide mining. The
findings could provide the mining industry and others with a new predictive
technology, one capable of estimating acid mine drainage from a given
site.
Acid mine drainage is the flow of sulfuric acid into ground and surface
water from metallic-ore mines. In addition to contributing sulfuric
acid to
nearby water supplies, the sulfuric acid itself facilitates the release
and
suspension of heavy metals into water, one of the most vexing consequences
of sulfide mining.
In nature, minerals exposed to oxygen and water form sulfuric acid.
Around
mines, an abundance of minerals is exposed to the surface in tailings
and
the exposed surfaces of ore bodies, and they oxidize naturally. But
contributing to the process are naturally-occurring bacteria which,
like
tiny factories, greatly accelerate the rate of oxidation. The bacteria
are
widely considered to be the microorganisms that control the production
rate
of acid mine drainage.
Knowing precisely where and under what conditions the microbes thrive
in
nature can be a powerful new tool to predict the effects of sulfide
mining
at a given site, said Katrina J. Edwards, a UW-Madison graduate student
and
a co-author of the study.
Prior to the new study, conducted at Iron Mountain, Calif., an abandoned
and heavily polluted iron mine, two species of bacteria, Thiobacillus
ferrooxidans and Leptospirillum ferrooxidans, were believed to be the
primary microbial culprits involved in accelerating acid mine drainage.
But results of the study, the first to employ the techniques of modern
molecular biology to assess the population dynamics of the two microbes
in
the wild, suggest that one of the microorganisms, Leptospirillum
ferrooxidans, is a far more important contributor to mine pollution.
That finding, said Robert J. Hamers, a UW-Madison professor of chemistry
and a co-author of the Science study, was a surprise.
"Thiobacillus is not the controlling or predominant player" it was presumed
to be, said Hamers. "Inside the mine, where most acid drainage is found,
it
is essentially undetectable."
On the other hand, Leptospirillum is a far more active player inside
the
mine, making up as much as 50 percent of all microbe species found
in a
vast network of underground tunnels.
The Wisconsin team explored two important environments at Iron Mountain
where mining occurred both in above ground pits and in miles of tunnels
below ground.
"There are two different types of environment, and geochemical
conditions
are different in both places," said Hamers. "This gave us an opportunity
to
study all the different conditions of acid mine drainage."
Results showed that Thiobacillus prefers moderate temperatures and lower
levels of acidity. Leptospirillum survives at significantly higher
concentrations of acidity and higher temperatures.
The fact that Leptospirillum thrives in such conditions, suggests its
role
in accelerating acid mine drainage is more significant because its
chances
of being in contact with the ore body are greater, said Hamers.
The study strongly suggests that "we can develop better models than
the
ones we currently have," said Edwards. "We can not only identify how
many
are there, but we can show where they are" in nature.
Funded by the National Science Foundation, the study was conducted by
an
interdisciplinary team involving chemists, geologists and biologists.
Other
co-authors of the study included Matthew Schrenk, Robert Goodman and
Jillian Banfield, all of UW-Madison.
###
- Terry Devitt, (608) 262-8282, trdevitt@facstaff.wisc.edu
***********************************
For questions or comments about UW-Madison's email
news release system, please send an email to:
UW-news@facstaff.wisc.edu
For more UW-Madison news, please visit the
Office of News and Public Affairs Web site:
http://www.wisc.edu/news/
Office of News and Public Affairs
University of Wisconsin-Madison
28 Bascom Hall
500 Lincoln Drive
Madison, WI 53706
Email: UW-news@facstaff.wisc.edu
Phone: (608) 262-3571
Fax: (608) 262-2331
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+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
3. SRI LANKA: Phosphate Mining at Eppawela
jagdish
reg.sasia India Pakistan & region 3:09 PM Jan
9, 1998
From: e-law-sl@ef.is.lk (E-LAW-SL News Group)
Date: Thu, 8 Jan 1998 11:39:00 +0000
Environmental Foundation Ltd.,
Sri Lanka.
8 January, 1998,
Dear Friends,
Request for addressing letters to the President of Sri Lanka
regarding the privatisation of a Phosphate Mine at Eppawela Sri
Lanka.
############################################################
Sri Lanka is a small Island in the Indian Ocean. Government of Sri
Lanka is going through a series of privatisation as per the recommendation
of the World Bank. It has already privatised several Gove
rnment corporations within last few years. Very recently the
government has decided to privatise an apatite mine located at Eppawela
in
Anuradhapura district, about 160 kilometres to the north of Col
ombo. You all know apatite (rock phosphate) is one raw
material
which use to produce phosphate fertilizer.
According to the information the mine is located beneath 26 villages
located within an area of 56 square kilometers. The total population
in
the exploration area is about 2600 families
comprisi
ng 12,000 members. A number of infrastructure facilities including
8 schools, about 23 new and ancient Tanks, 5 kilometers of Jaya
ganga ( a
major canal which brings water to the Dry zone) and ano
ther 100 kilometers of small irrigation canals and 2 Towns etc.,
are
also located within the exploration area.
It has been planned to mine and export the apatite mine within 30
years. But according to the local scientists it can used for
another 1000
years for local use at the current rate of mining. Theref
ore it is a serious threat to the food security of Sri lankans.
The original partners of the project Company will be IMC Agrico
(pvt) Ltd. of USA , Tomen Coporation of Japan and Phosphate Ltd., of
Sri
Lanka. The original proposal was submitted by the M/S Freepo
rt Mc Moran Resources Partners and later they merged into a joint
venture company with IMC Global Inc. i.e. I.M.C. Agrico Company. IMC
agrico
is the largest phosphate fertilizer company in the world
and they will have the responsibility for finalising the negotiations
and functioning as the foreign investor in this project .
The proposal for mining of the apatite ore at Eppawela include (a)
Mining of apatite at Eppawela (b) Construction of a processing
factory at
Trincomalee (Trincomalee is very famous because of the v
ast lagoon and the natural harbour) which include
a Phosphoric
acid factory and Sulphuric Acid factory ( c ) Construction of
a Railroad
Eppawela -Kakirawa and railroad improvement from
Kekiraw
a to Trincomalee and (d) new road facilities at Trincomalee
We expected serious impact due to the rapid mining. It will result
in a large excavated pit and this will create many physical
and
environmental changes. Impacts such as micro climatic changes,
lowering of the ground water level, dust pollution, loss of rich
agricultural lands, loss of infrastructure facilities, loss of irrigation
canal system, disappearing of ancient and new water tanks, l
oss of houses, loss of green, high vibration due to the mining,
change of water springs, loss of wild life habitats would be
expected due
to the excavation.
Also the planned construction of a new railroad from Eppawela to
Kekirawa through the wild life habitats will create serious impacts
on
wildlife (specially on elephants) as well as the people of the
area.
Apart from this direct impacts this project will create impacts on
the Mahaweli system and the agriculture of the area. The infrastructure
facilities such as Canals, and tanks which is the spine of
the Mahaweli system will be seriously affected by this
project.
This will create very many indirect impacts on agriculture and the
society.
The project will use a 450 acre land next to the Trincomalee
bay.
Ecosystem in Trincoamlee bay area is very fragile. The untouched mangrove
eco system, rich coastal and lagoon ecosystem with numb
er of endemic and endangered species and the scenic areas are in
danger due to the proposed factories under this project since the polluted
and hazardous nature of the phosphate processing factories.
I hope you are aware the problems related to the phosphate mining in
Florida, Irian Jaya( Indonesia), Papua New Guinea, South Africa etc.
The Mc
Moran Company is also not an environmentally sound com
pany. They are responsible for human right violations including
killing of tribal people and for environmental pollution. Therefore
We Sri
Lankans are not happy with this privatisation and we need yo
u help to stop this bad attempt.
Therefore please write your letters of protest to the following
address.
Her Excellency Chandrika Bandaranaike,
The President of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka,
Presidential Secretariat,
Colombo 01,
Sri Lanka.
Herewith I attach a sample letter for your information. It would
be
great if you can send us a copy of your letter.
Hemantha Withanage,
Senior environmental Scientist,
Environmental Foundation Ltd.,
No 03, Campbell Terrace, Colombo 10,
Sri Lanka.
Email: e-law-sl@ef.is.lk
Tel/Fax: 94-1-697226
SAMPLE LETTER
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Date:..............................................
Her Excellency Chandrika Bandaranaike,
The President of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka,
Presidential Secretariat,
Colombo 01,
Sri Lanka.
Your Excellency,
Privatisation of Eppawela Phosphate Mine
We were made to understand that the Government of Sri Lanka has
decided to privatise the Phosphate Mine at Eppawela. Further to that
I.M.C.
Agrico Company which is a subsidiary of Freeport McMoran
Company based in USA has been selected as the successful bidder.
The Phosphate Mine in Sri Lanka is an invaluable natural resource
since it can produce phosphate fertilizer to the country for a long
period.
However, the rapid exploitation of the mine may create hunger for
Srilankans in the long run.
Also the rapid excavation may result in several environmental
and
social impacts such as micro climatic changes, lowering of the
ground
water level ,dust pollution, loss of rich agricultural lands
, loss of infrastructure facilities, loss of irrigation canal system,
disappearing of ancient and new water tanks, loss of houses, loss of
green,
high vibration due to the mining, change of water spr
ings, loss of wild life habitats etc.
Apart from these direct impacts, this project will affect the
Mahaweli system and the agriculture of the area.
We were also made to understand that this will create serious impacts
on mangrove echo system, rich coastal and lagoon ecosystem with number
of
endemic and endangered species and the scenic beauty d
ue to the polluted and hazardous nature of the phosphate processing
industry.
We also understand that the Company involved in this project is
responsible for human right violations and environmental pollution
in
Florida, Iriyan Jaya, Papua New Guinea, South Africa etc. in thei
r phosphate mining sites.
Further, the Company is facing law suits in Papua New Guinea and
Indonesia for their human right and environmental violations.
We were made to understand that the decision for this privatisation
has not been taken in a transparent and participatory manner. Also
the
proposed agreement seems to be not beneficial to Sri Lanka.
However, it seems that there are alternative ways and means of
utilisation of this resource for the betterment of the country.
Therefore we earnestly appeal to your Excellency to reconsider your
decision.
Your faithfully,
(your name)
ENVIRONMENT: US Company's plans in Sri Lanka Raises Questions
By Pratap Chatterjee
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 4 (IPS) - The plans of a U.S. company to establish
a
phosphate mine in Sri Lanka need to be closely examined in the light
of similar
experiences at a mine in Florida - where thousands of acres of land
have been
ruined - say local activists and international environmental experts.
The 425 million dollar project, proposed by the US-based Freeport McMoRan
Resource Partners, IMC Agrico and Japan's Tomen Corporation, involves
a
major new mine, which will be situated near the Sri Lankan town of
Eppawala. A fertiliser plant also is planned for a site near the eastern
port city of Trincomalee.
The scheme covers an area of 56 square kilometres of land, but means
re-locating some 12,000 villagers from 26 villages. Buddhist temples,
schools and a large number of government buildings also face destruction,
according to environmentalists.
Project officials told IPS that they would conduct studies next year
to
determine the feasibility and the impact of the mine but a number of
Sri
Lankan farmers already have registered opposition to the project. A
coalition of Buddhist priests, farmers, former politicians and ex-soldiers
also have told President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga that they
oppose the
the deal.
''We will not leave; the government will have to use soldiers to remove
us
from our homes,'' Mahamannakadawata Piyarathana, a Buddhist monk and
president of the Committee for the Protection of Phosphate Deposits,
told
journalists.
In the United States, however, Sri Lankan ambassador Warnesena Rasaputram,
brushed aside the furore over establishing the mine. ''I wouldn't worry
about the protests. There are people who protest against mines in every
country. The Board of Investment has already carried out studies and
we
only have to finalise the conditions for the investment,'' he told
IPS in
Washington.
Peter Maples, vice-president of business development for IMC- Agrico,
says
that studies have yet to begin. ''We expect to release details of the
project in the New Year and conduct feasibility studies soon.''
Maples added that the company will maintain the standards that the company
has met in Florida. ''We are not going to try and do anything different
in
Sri Lanka from what we do in Florida. The state has very high environmental
standards and we will try and apply the same,'' he said.
But North American scientists point out that the environmental impact
of
phosphate mining in Florida, where IMC- Agrico unearths a third of
the
United States phosphate output, has been significant.
More than 200,000 acres of the southern state have been strip- mined,
leaving behind land that looks like a car race track after heavy rains,
filled with pits and gullies and mini-mountains of dirt and
thousand-hectare slime pits.
Some 20 stacks of phosphogypsum, a waste material from phosphate mining,
that tower ten stories high occupy 400 acres of the Florida landscape.
Accidents happen often in the industry, despite strict regulation. Last
month, some 50 million gallons of highly toxic phosphoric acid water
was
discharged into the Alfia river by Mulberry Phosphates and killed thousands
of fish.
In November 1994, a new IMC-Agrico dam broke, causing 500 million gallons
of waste water to be dumped in the same region just weeks after an
older
dam owned by Mobile Mining and Minerals burst dumping 2 million gallons
of
waste water into the Alfia.
Freeport has also been cited for dumping radioactive gypsum into the
Mississipi river in Louisiana where the company has its headquarters.
Today, says Peter Vanderslice, the manager of the phosphate division
of the
Florida Division of Environmental Protection, the companies have been
asked
to sign agreements to further strengthen engineering standards because
the
state does not believe that the exisiting precautions are sufficient.
''Companies will have until the year 2000 to cover up the waste stacks
to
prevent rainwater from entering. From that year all new stacks will
have to
be built with a double liner to prevent groundwater contamination,''
he
says.
One of the reasons that dumping waste into local waterways is banned
by the
United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is because
phosphogypsum has been shown to contain elevated levels of radium which
eventually breaks down into radon, both radioactive gases, and there
are no
safe methods to store or treat the waste.
The EPA says that radium is a human carcinogen, with additional risks
for
women who become susceptible to breast cancer. Unfortunately, the agency
says, measuring exposure is very difficult even with special equipment.
Studies by Post, Buckley, Schuh & Jernigan Inc for the Florida Institute
for Phosphate Research (FIPR) indicate that radioactivity concentrations
measured in foods grown on mined phosphate lands were found to be
statistically higher than in foods grown on other lands.
Other studies in 27 Florida counties have shown that cancer rates in
phosphate mining areas are three times higher than those in unmined
areas
while people who live in houses built on previously mined areas have
a
higher risk of getting cancer.
Today Vanderslice says that new houses in mined areas are now required
to
have a special vapour layer between the land and the building in order
to
prevent radioactive contamination.
Another impact of this mining is a major increase in mosquito populations
in the pits and settling ponds created by the phosphate mining industry,
which become infested with water hyacinth and water lettuce, attracting
large populations of mosquitoes.
Yet another hazard of the associated fertilizer production includes
major
safety problems because of extremely frequent explosions involved in
the
manufacturing process.
For example in a sample period of the first half of 1991 seven people
were
killed in Charleston, South Carolina, explosion at a phosphate
manufacturing plant while eight people were killed in Sterlington,
Louisiana, when a fertilizer plant blew up
Death and environmental destruction also has accompanied Freeport McMoRan's
other major international operation on the island of New Guinea in
the
South Pacific.
There Freeport is the target of a six billion dollar lawsuit for the
dumping of 130,000 tonnes of toxic mining waste into local rivers every
single day.
In addition Freeport is under scrutiny for human rights abuses because
more
than 2,000 people, opposed the New Guinea mine, have died violently
at the
hands of security forces over the past two decades. (ENDS/IPS/pc/mk/98)
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4. Info Request: Salt mining operations
ncbst
sci.engr.civil
6:58 AM Mar 5, 1998
(at vms.cis.pitt.edu)
(From News system)
Hi everyone,
I'm looking for information on salt mining operations, particularly
in
construction and equipment costs associated with them. Any leads
or suggestions
are greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Cathy
P.S. I realize costs may vary with operation size, however I am
currently
looking for any and all information so please let me know any leads.
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+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
5. Info Request: World mining statistics
blady9
sci.engr.mining
9:28 AM Mar 2, 1998
(at aol.com)
(From News system)
>
>I am trying to locate some world wide statistics on the mining industry.
I
>am looking for
>general statistics such as the number and types of mines in operation,
>estimated value of mined
>materials, etc. If anybody knows of a good resource for this
type of
>information, could you
>please let me know. Thanks.
>
>Hi, Gary:
A recent edition of "Minerals Yearbook, Vol. 1, Metals and Minerals"
will give
you a lot of information. Also, there is a USGS website which
will give you
current information. I don't have this address at hand, but a search
will turn
it up for you.
Regards,
Bill Lady
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+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
6. Green Alternatives to the MAI (fwd)
Date: Sat, 7 Mar 1998 07:49:34 -0800
From: Sid Shniad <shniad@SFU.CA>
> Date: Wed, 04 Mar 1998 00:19:33 -0500
> From: Brian Milani <bmilani@web.net>
> Subject: Green Alternatives to the MAI
>
> A new essay on alternatives to globalization and possible grassroots
> strategy:
>
>
A Green Perspective on the MAI:
>
Beyond Globalization:
>
The Struggle to Redefine Wealth
>
> By Brian Milani, of the Eco-Materials Group, and Toronto's Metro
> Labour Education Centre, it is available on the EMG's Green Economics
> website at:
>
>
http://www.web.net/~bmilani/MAI.htm
>
> >From the introduction:
> "Globalization is
not simply increasing exploitation,
> inequality and injustice,
but it is suppressing great
> and growing POTENTIALS
for human development. Until
> the opposition to
globalization puts equal emphasis on
> these positive potentials,
it is doomed to failure.
> The alternative to
globalism is not the old industrial
> Welfare State, but
something completely new---more
> participatory, egalitarian,
ecological, self-regulatory,
> and grounded in a
radically different, more QUALITATIVE,
> notion of wealth."
>
> It is almost 7000 words, or 20 typewritten pages, and includes the
> following subsections:
>
> *Globalization and
Crisis
> *Consumption and
Planning
> *Quality and the
Industrialization of Culture
> *Globalizing Waste
> *Countering Globalization:
The Strategy of Design
> *Green Industry and
Resource-Productivity
> *Money, End-Use and
the New Wealth
> *Eco-Regulation and
the MAI
> *Regeneration vs.
the MAI
>
> Any and all feedback and discussion is welcome.
>
> Brian Milani
> ECO-MATERIALS GROUP "Information for Regeneration"
> EMG Homepage
http://www.web.net/~emg
> Green Economics Website
http://www.web.net/~bmilani
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