Date: Sun, 15 Mar 1998 18:32:38 -0800 (PST)
From: Alice McCombs <amccombs@igc.apc.org>

Contents

1. WISCONSIN: Corporate Mining's Occupation
  a. Kennecott Responds to Reports of Competitor's Exploration in Cleveland
Township
  b. Truth About Sulfide Mining #74
2. RIGHTS-ENVIRONMENT: Indonesians Sue U.S. Mining Giant
3. Info Request Re Sustainability in Mining
4. Stop tritium production in TVA reactors
5. FYI: Announcing US EPA Clearinghouse Web
6. FYI: Research for Justice
7. EVENT: 22 March 1998 - World Water Day

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1. WISCONSIN: Corporate Mining's Occupation

a. Kennecott Responds to Reports of Competitor's Exploration in Cleveland
Township

From: ResEnergy <ResEnergy@aol.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Mar 1998 12:58:18 EST

PRESS RELEASE   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Headwaters Group of Northern Thunder
March 15, 1998
(715) 334-2271

In response to last week's story in the Banner Journal regarding reported
sightings of airborne mineral exploration survey work going on in the
region, Kennecott Exploration has sent an e-mail message to the Headwaters
Group of Northern Thunder responding to citizen's concerns in a five-county
area of Western Wisconsin over the mining company's intentions.

Hans Rasmussen, Project Manager for Kennecott Exploration in Salt Lake
City, Utah explained, "The plane is from a competitor.  Thanks for...the
information and efforts regarding the airborne contractor.  It will take
them 6 months to one year to catch up to our level of understanding the
electromagnetic data.
Recent plunges in copper, gold and other mineral prices as a response to
record minerals stockpiles, over-ambitious exploration and mine development
world-wide, and threatening economic crises in Asia has caused most mining
companies to severely curtail their development operations."  Rasmussen
explained, "We currently have no budget for geophysics or drilling in
Wisconsin.  Because of global budget reductions we have closed our
Charlotte, NC and Black River Falls, WI offices, but have kept our Crystal
Falls (Michigan), Reno, Salt Lake City, Guadalajara (Mexico), Vancouver
(Canada) and Anchorage offices open.  All our land issues are being dealt
with in Reno by our Land Manager, Bob Johnson (702-334-2772)."

With regard to Kennecott's long-term intentions in our area, Rasmussen
assured their present leaseholders, "We plan to hold our leases...I just
sent a letter to our lessors basically explaining that we have no plans of
spending any moneys on geophysics, geology or drilling.  However, we do
intend to hold our leases and continue to pay rent on them."

Changes may be in the works, however, as Rasmussen revealed: "We are
considering sharing the exploration risk in Wisconsin with another company.
Because large companies like Kennecott move slowly towards these types of
deals, I would expect something concrete in the next three months or so."

For further information, contact Hans Rasmussen, Kennecott
ExplorationCorporation (801) 238-2413

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-----------------------------------------------------

b. Truth About Sulfide Mining #74

Date: Sun, 15 Mar 1998 12:58:40 EST
From: ResEnergy <ResEnergy@aol.com>

OLD FOLKS AT HOME!
Elliot Lake Retirement Living

Rio Algom claims in its ad that "If the mine is built, our children will at
least have a chance to stay and raise their families in this beautiful
country."

LET'S LOOK AT THE REST OF THE PIECES:

--At Elliot Lake, Ontario where Rio Algom operated sulfide uranium mines from
the early '60s, "...the lakes and rivers of the Serpent River watershed were
being polluted by chemicals and radium 226."

--"Other waters contaminated by the run-off from other tailing sites, added
their burden of acids, sulfates, nitrates and radiation, so that waters
eventually emptied into Lake Huron, 30 miles downstream were tainted."

--When the mines abruptly closed during the 1980s and '90s, thousands of
unemployed miners had to walk away from their homes, leaving the banks holding
worthless mortgages as there was no one who wanted to buy.

--After a large inventory of abandoned homes grew, a mining company vice
president came up with the idea of a "Retirement Living Program."

--As another mining company vice president observed, "Senior Citizens have
faced numerous hardships during their lifetimes, wars, depression, inflation.
So what's a little low-level radioactive waste?"

Source: The Power & The Promise: The Elliot Lake Story
by Catharine Dixon, Gilldix Publishing, Inc.   Elliot Lake, Ontario  1996

To receive a free 8-page reprint containing over 70 display ads with similar
factual information, send your snail mail address to:
The Headwaters Group of Northern Thunder
P.O. Box 124, Fairchild, WI  54741
715/334-2271  resenergy@aol.com

We also welcome additional e-mail addresses for folks who might enjoy this
series.  If you don't want to be included on our list, let us know that as
well.

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2. RIGHTS-ENVIRONMENT: Indonesians Sue U.S. Mining Giant

newsdesk              The Inter Press Service in English   3:07 PM  Mar 15, 1998

       Copyright 1998 InterPress Service, all rights reserved.
          Worldwide distribution via the APC networks.

                      *** 12-Mar-98 ***

By Danielle Knight

WASHINGTON, Mar. 12 (IPS) - An Indonesian indigenous community may
have its day in court to settle its fight against a U.S
multinational mining company over alleged environmental and human
rights abuses.

A state appeals court in Louisiana decided this week that the
case can be heard in New Orleans, where the corporation is based,
despite a federal court's decision to throw out a similar lawsuit.

For years, the Amungme tribe, living in the western section of
island of New Guinea in the South Pacific, has been trying to sue
Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold on charges of human rights abuses
and environmental destruction associated with mining operations.

The decision overturned a previous ruling, made a year ago by
the New Orleans district court, that the lawsuit could not proceed
because it was out of the city's jurisdiction. The judge said he
reversed the decision because he felt the case was legitimate,
given that the defendant was based in New Orleans.

International human rights and environmental organisations
hailed the court ruling, which allows a six billion dollar class
action lawsuit, representing between 3,000 and 10,000 Indonesians,
to go forward.

''This is a major, major decision,'' said Martin Regan, the
plaintiff's attorney. ''The ruling is a gratifying vindication of
the efforts of the Amungme to seek justice against Freeport here
in New Orleans.''

The mine in question is Grasberg mine in Irian Jaya, the name
given to the western half of New Guinea, a former Dutch possession
taken over by Indonesia in 1963. Grasberg is one of the world's
largest mines, with copper, gold and silver deposits reportedly
worth more than 60 billion dollars at 1996 market prices.

Each day the 25-year-old mine produuces more than 120,000
tonnes of toxic mine waste or ''tailings,'' according to
environmental audit reports. Since 1972, Freeport-McMoRan has
dumped tailings directly into the Aghawagon River. The massive
amount of material has clogged the river system and flooded more
than 30 square kilometers of rainforest and agricultural land,
threatening a diverse array of forest species, say
environmentalists.

The Amungme tribe says the waste has contaminated the fish they
eat and the water they drink. In addition, Freeport is under
scrutiny for human rights abuses because more than 2,000 people,
opposed to the mine, have died violently at the hands of security
forces near the site over the past two decades. The company says
it is innocent.

''This case has no basis in fact or law, and it will eventually
be dismissed like the other federal suit,'' Garland Robinette, a
Freeport spokesman told reporters. ''We employ 3,000 local Irianes
and provide schools, hospitals and healthcare for the community.''

The federal judge dismissed the case because he thought there
was not enough substantial evidence provided by the plaintiffs,
but the state court decided the defendant had not provided
sufficient information to prove the allegations were untrue.

Lawyers representing the tribe say the trial possibly be
delayed until 1999, if Freeport continued attempts to block the
case. ''We anticipate more appeals and expect the corporation to
fight this every inch of the battle field,'' Robert Monahan,
another lawyer working on the case, told IPS.

By that time, Freeport plans to increase the quantity of
tailings to 200,000 tonnes a day that would go directly into a
river system flowing through the mountains out to the Arafura Sea,
according to Danny Kennedy, director of California-based Project
Underground, an environment and human rights group.

While Freeport says it has helped local communities by
providing jobs and social services, indigenous groups are not
impressed because nothing has been paid to the estimated 5,000
Amungme and Komoro people evicted from the mine area.

''Freeport has taken our land and our grandparents land,'' said
Tom Beanal, an Amungme leader. ''They ruined the mountains and we
can't drink our water anymore.''

During mining operations, the corporation razed one of the
highest peaks of the Sudirman range of mountain in Iran Jaya.
Beanal says the mountain occupied a special place in the Amungme
culture. ''The mountain we see as our mother is sacred. It is
where the souls of men go when they die.''

Besides these environmental abuses, in the class action suit
against the company, Yosefa Alomang, a member of the Indonesian
tribe, alleges that the company is also responsible for human
rights abuses committed against her and others.

Alomang was taken from her home by soldiers one night in
October 1994 and locked in a police station closet for three
weeks, she says. She filed the suit in 1996 claiming that
Freeport's operations were linked to this abduction.

Freeport pays the Indonesian military to guard the mine, says
Project Underground's Kennedy. The same army unit was convicted by
local courts on the basis of reports conducted by the Indonesian
human rights commission of massacring dozens of people near the
mine in 1994.

''Villagers were beaten with rattan, sticks and rifle butts and
kicked with boots, one tribal leader told investigators. ''Some
were tortured until they died.''

In 1995, U.S. environmentalists and human rights groups
successfully lobbied the Overseas Private Investment Corporation
(OPIC) - a U.S. government agency that encourages corporations to
set up shop overseas - to suspend Freeport's 100 million dollars
worth of political risk insurance for five months.

But in 1996, Freeport cancelled its insurance provided by the
World Bank and the U.S. government rather to avoid an independent
investigation into in activities in Indonesia. In the midst of one
of the most violent periods in Indonesian history, the company
stated it ''no longer perceives a need'' for political risk
insurance. (END/IPS/dk/mk/98)

Origin: ROMAWAS/RIGHTS-ENVIRONMENT/
                              ----

       [c] 1998, InterPress Third World News Agency (IPS)
                     All rights reserved

  May not be reproduced, reprinted or posted to any system or
  service outside  of  the  APC  networks,  without  specific
  permission from IPS.  This limitation includes distribution
  via  Usenet News,  bulletin board  systems, mailing  lists,
  print media  and broadcast.   For information about  cross-
  posting,  send   a   message  to   <online@ips.org>.    For
  information  about  print or  broadcast reproduction please
  contact the IPS coordinator at <online@ips.org>.

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3. Info Request Re Sustainability in Mining

dipretor                       sci.environment             8:04 AM  Feb 27, 1998
(at sgi.net)                                              (From News system)

I need to come up with definitions relating to the concept of
sustainability.  The context is the Bureau of Land Management's
regulation of the environmental effects of hard rock mining on public
lands.

The general principle I am trying to flesh out follows:

"The productivity and quality of ALL non-mineral resources (air, water,
soil, natural ecosystems, scenic values, etc.) should be sustained
through and beyond the conduct of all mining activities to the greatest
extent possible, using the best available technology and without
financial burden to the taxpayer."

Does anyone know of any definitions of sustainability or any of its
variants that have credibility and can be applied in the nitty-gritty
world of hard rock mining?  Our goal is to produce suggested regulatory
language.  Thanks.
--
Richard S. diPretoro
Registered Professional Geologist
1157 Uptegraf Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15218-1133

412/371-6233 voice and fax
888/201-6252 toll-free
dipretor@sgi.net

You are as young as your spine is flexible.
Yoga saying

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4. Stop tritium production in TVA reactors

From nirsnet@igc.apc.org  Fri Mar 13 09:38:47 1998
Date: Fri, 13 Mar 1998 09:34:44 -0800 (PST)
From: Michael Mariotte <nirsnet@igc.apc.org>

Dear Friends,

Attached are NIRS' comments on the DOE's program to produce tritium at
reactors owned by the Tennessee Valley Authority. We hope they are
self-explanatory. The DOE's request for comments is available on NIRS'
website (www.nirs.org) in the military-industrial-utility complex section.

We invite you to sign on to these general comments and we also encourage you
to submit your own specific comments. The comment deadline is March 20.
However, because of our travel and time constraints, we MUST have all
sign-ons to these comments by noon, Tuesday, March 17. In addition, we
cannot change the wording of these comments, thus if you don't like the
wording, please submit your own comments.

If you would like to sign on, PLEASE INCLUDE your name, title (if any),
organization name (if any), city, state, country, in that order. We are
working on a very difficult time schedule and will simply be pasting in this
information. We apologize for all the constraints, but we're a little
overwhelmed at the moment... Thanks for your help. Comments follow.

Michael Mariotte
NIRS

The above-signed organizations appreciate the opportunity to comment upon
the Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for
the Production of Tritium in a Commercial Light Water Reactor.

Before we get into specifics about this proposed EIS, it is necessary to
submit some general comments:

The DOE has not made the case that commercial nuclear reactors are needed to
produce tritium, are desirable to produce tritium, nor that the TVA reactors
cited are the best possible to produce tritium. Indeed, we believe that if
it is necessary to produce tritium (which we severely question) commercial
nuclear reactors are likely to be the least economic and effective means of
producing this substance.

The proposal for the EIS does not even address the issue of nuclear
proliferation, nor does it acknowledge that the only reason that only TVA
reactors are being considered is because it is only they which may be able
to circumvent existing law regarding manufacture of weapons material from
commercial uranium.

This DOE program, if implemented, would in one fell swoop undercut five
decades of work against nuclear proliferation and would say to the entire
world that there is absolutely no distinction between commercial and
military nuclear programs.

We find it very nearly impossible to believe that the DOE would pursue this
course at this time, when the world is awash in nuclear weapons material,
some of which may not be well-guarded; when the "superpowers" are
dismantling nuclear weapons; and when we are trying to move to a nuclear
free Earth.

Yet the proposed EIS does not even address these fundamental issues of
international law and U.S. nuclear policy.

As for the specifics of the proposal, we offer the following comments:

First, it makes no economic, environmental, military or any other sense to
complete Bellefonte for tritium production. This option must be nixed
immediately. Completing Bellefonte as a tritium production reactor is
clearly the "most-cost" option and could cost taxpayers $10 Billion or more.
Please do not forget that Bellefonte is not completed and under terms of its
construction license must obtain an operating license from the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission. This operating license entails substantial public
hearing rights. As has been made clear to previous potential purchasers of
Bellefonte, we expect these hearings to be vigorously and vehemently
contested. The Bellefonte design is faulty, large numbers of worker
harrassment and construction deficiency complaints have never been fully
investigated or litigated, and we expect every possible avenue to be pursued
to ensure that this deficient nuclear reactor never threatens its neighbors.

If the DOE intends to use Bellefonte as both a tritium production and MOX
fuel use reactor, then it must say so in this proposed EIS, otherwise the
EIS is meaningless. However, we adamantly oppose the use of MOX fuel in any
commercial nuclear reactor, including Bellefonte and we intend to use every
appropriate means to stop implementation of the MOX policy.

As for tritium production at either Watts Bar or Sequoyah, we point out two
central facts; first, this proposed EIS is premature, tritium testing at
Watts Bar began only in October 1997 and is scheduled to proceed for 18
months. The DOE is jumping the gun by issuing this proposed EIS before the
results of the testing are in. Second, as mentioned above, it is absolutely
unacceptable for the U.S. to produce nuclear weapons material in commercial
nuclear reactors. This would be a violation of the Atomic Energy Act, and
would make a mockery of non-proliferation policy. It would encourage foreign
countries to embark upon their own, barely-disguised, nuclear
weapons/commercial reactor programs, with potentially catastrophic
ramifications for the United States.

We urge the DOE to save taxpayers some money and itself a lot of headaches,
and pursue only the No Action alternative.

Because the basic premise of this proposed EIS is faulty and its
implementation would be illegal, we believe there is no reason to comment
upon the specific scoping issues outlined by DOE.

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5. FYI: Announcing US EPA Clearinghouse Web

Solloway.Chris                   env.justice              10:31 AM  Mar 12, 1998
(at epamail.epa.gov)

The United States Environmental Protection Agency has created a home
page designed to promote "Community-Based Environmental Protection" (CBEP).

CBEP is a policy framework within EPA that:

     *  addresses the environmental priorities and economic well-being of
     communities;

     *  facilitates partnerships and stakeholder involvement;

     *  incorporates long-term ecosystem and human health concerns;

     *  highlights the positive correlation between economic prosperity and
     environmental well-being; and,

     *  sustains biological diversity of ecosystems.

...........................................................................
.............................................................
The web site focuses on providing the following types of information:

Tools: Maps and Mapping Resources, Databases, Geographic Information
Systems, Planning and  Assessment Guides, Visualization Tools,  etc...

Financial Resources: Grants and Technical Assistance from various sources.
(Soon to be in a searchable database format.)

Case Studies: Examples of sustainable development approaches in communities
around the U.S. (Soon to be in a searchable database format.)

Publications and Documents: A large and comprehensive library of useful
publications and other documents.

Links to Related Sites: Comprehensive, well-organized set of Internet links
to other similar organizations and related activities.

***Please point your browser to:  http://www.epa.gov/ecocommunity

...........................................................................
.............................................
Questions or comments can be addressed to:

Christopher Solloway
Office of Sustainable Ecosystems and Communities
US Environmental Protection Agency
Mail Code: 2182
401 M Street SW
Washington, DC 20460
voice 202.260.3008
fax     202.260.7875
solloway.chris@epamail.epa.gov

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6. FYI: Research for Justice

datacenter                       env.justice              11:01 AM  Mar 12, 1998

Dear Colleague:

We are writing to let you know that our organization, The DataCenter, has
received several foundation grants to provide research services to groups
engaged in environmental justice campaigns. This means we can provide our
research services to your organization on a pro-bono basis (i.e. cheap or free).

Our primary area of research is corporate accountability. We dig up the dirt
on corporations that are directly threatening communities and workers; and
can also provide general background information on a corporate target, such
as subsidiaries, stockholders, state of incorporation. We also research
environmental issues, labor issues, money and politics, and human rights abuses.

Here is a brief sample of environmental justice groups we've done research
for  in the past months: Environmental Health Coalition, Ancient Forest
Rescue, Chemical Weapons Working Group, Communities for a Better
Environment, Banwaste, and Louisiana Labor Neighbor Project.

We have a staff of 5 information professionals, a repository of critical
press, clippings files, and access to on-line vendors such as Nexis/Lexis
and Dialog. Visit our web site for more information: www.igc.org/datacenter/

If you think your organization could use critical information on a campaign,
give us a call to discuss your needs.

Call us soon! 1-800-735-3741, or 510-835-4692, fax: 510-835-3017

Yours in Justice,

Celia Davis, Leon Sompolinsky, Catherine Powell, Lisa Kleven, Anna Couey

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7. EVENT: 22 March 1998 - World Water Day

ddejong                   Infoterra Discussion Group       7:12 AM  Mar 14, 1998
(at simplex.nl)

Dear all,

The sixth annual World Water Day (WWD) will be celebrated on 22 March 1998.
As per the recommendations of the 17th meeting of the ACC Sub-Committee on
Water Resources, UNICEF and the United Nations Division of Economic and
Social Affairs (UNDESA), will  take the lead in organizing the observance of
World Water Day in 1998. IRC is acting as a focal point for information
dissemination about WWD activities.

The theme 'Groundwater - the Invisible Resource' was selected for 1998 as
the UN system has expressed its concern about three principal gaps in
groundwater management which have enormous implications for sustainable
development :

1. The accelerated degradation of groundwater systems, through pollution of
aquifers.

2. The lack of both professional and public awareness about the sustainable
use and economic importance of groundwater resources generally.

3. The economic implications of not resolving groundwater demand and supply
management

Nearly half of the world's population depends on  groundwater sources for
drinking water supply and for other uses. In India nearly 50 percent of the
irrigated land depends on groundwater. Almost 80 percent of the world's
rural population receives a safe supply of water only because it comes from
a groundwater aquifer safe from surface pollution.

In celebrating  World Water Day this year it is important to consider three
premises:

 - The importance of groundwater is not generally recognized; it is in fact
taken for granted. Yet, if the entire world's water supply were based on
treated surface water, then the cost would be increased by 20 times.
Groundwater is affordable and close to the community who can manage it.

 - The protection of  groundwater from pollution,  particularly  biological
contamination, will become critical in the coming years due to the
increasing problem of lack of adequate sanitation. Promotion of
environmental sanitation is not possible without a linkage with groundwater
quality control and protection.

 - Conflicting uses of groundwater, e.g. for drinking for households,
irrigation for farmers and/or water for cities, can only be tackled through
dialogue between all stakeholders.

In the five years since its inception, the WWD has been successfully
celebrated in a majority of countries.  Many countries have been able to
promote awareness of major issues at the national and local levels.  The
event has provided opportunities to national health authorities and water
agencies to organize a large number of educational activities on the
benefits of clean water, and on the problems of water supplies.  On a
country-by-country basis,
comprehensive programmes for WWD have been developed, which have attracted
attention and participation at the highest political levels, as well as at
the level of school children and the media.

This sixth celebration will allow countries to broaden the scope of their
activities. WWD has proven to be an important vehicle for mobilising a
majority of the population about the importance of water management and
conservation, while reinforcing to the authorities the urgency of addressing
water problems in urban marginal and rural areas.

As 22 March is a Sunday this material together with local feature articles
could be interesting for weekend editions of newspapers in your country.

For more information check out the World Water Day 1998 page on the IRC
website:  http://www.oneworld.org/ircwater/WWDINDEX.HTM

Kind regards

Dick de Jong
Public Information/Advocacy Manager
IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre
PO Box 93190
2509 AD The Hague
The Netherlands
tel.: +31-70-30 689 68 / 30 689 30
fax: +31-70-35 899 64
E-mail: jong@irc.nl
World Wide Web: http://www.oneworld.org/ircwater/

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