Rio Tinto head claims tailings are not toxic

Shareholder's queries were met with inadequate responses from the Rio Tinto board at their annual general meeting held in Brisbane on 24th April 2008, including the outlandish claim by Paul Skinner that mine tailings dumping into the river from the notorious Freeport mine are not toxic.

"Mr Skinners response indicates that the board of Rio Tinto have some drastically inaccurate information on the nature and extent of the impacts of the Freeport mine, and that the company really isn't taking the destructive impacts of their operations seriously," stated Techa Beaumont, Executive Director of MPI who attended the meeting as a proxy for a Rio Tinto shareholder.


"Its time for Rio Tinto to take responsiblity for its role in what is arguably the most destructive mining operations on the planet; to be honest about the severe impacts at this operation and do something meaningful to stop the unsustainable practices. It is ridiculous and completely untenable for Rio Tinto to defend the mine's waste impacts as harmless," continued Ms Beaumont.

The company's toxicology testings and CSIRO studies confirmed the toxicity of the tailings to aquatic life in the downstream environment beyond any doubt (see below) and the Norweigan Government Pension fund- an investor in the company operating the mine divested from the company based on finding of 'severe environmental damage' caused by the practice of riverine tailings disposal.

Rio Tinto is viewed as directly responsible for the problems at this operation in as far as they provided the funding and profit from a massive expansion in rates of production at the operations - a change at the mine that lead to the enormous environmental destruction downstream of the operation and have make it impossible to responsibly manage the mine's enormous volumes of waste.

The chair refused to rule out the dumping of mine waste in rivers or oceans at the company's existing or new operations - practices know in the industry as 'riverine and submarine tailings disposal'despite industry trends towards outlawing these practices. Companies such as BHP Billiton have developed policies that indicate they will not utilise waterways as a dumping ground for mine waste and groups ranging from World Vision and Oxfam to the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union have supported a call for a ban on these practices.

media enquires: Techa Beaumont 0409 318 406

FUTHER INFORMATION

As a proxy on behalf of shareholders from the Rio Tinto Ethical Shareholders group, MPI raised issues relating to Freeport and also queried the company's ongoing majority stake in Bougainville Copper Limited, that operated the Panguna mine that lead to civil war on the small Pacific island.

The Panguna Landowner Association- Women landowners from the mine site who carry the traditional authority over land which is passed matrilineal in Bougainville called upon Rio Tinto to ensure that they were consulted at the earliest opportunity regarding future plans for the site. Discussions over the mine's future have proceeded between the Bougainville autonomous government and RIo TInto's subsiduary Bougainville Copper LImited (BCL) without any efforts to get the views or include the appropriate and rightful customary owners of the land. MPI conveyed their message directly to BCL's chair following the formal proceedings.

The company's financial reports did not include any estimation of liabilty for or future value of the Panguna operation, and states "the directors do not have reliable, accurate or objective information on BCL" despite a majority ownership of the company. (p52 Rio TInto Full Financial Statements 2007)

Other shareholder questions on the company's Hope Down operations in the Pilbara region of Western Australia expressed concerns regarding the threats posed to important cultural heritage sites of the local Indigenous traditional owners whose archeological significance has not yet been fully investigated. Initial research conducted rated the site as one of the most significant archeological finds in Australia.

Shareholder John Poppins requested information on the buffer zones that would be developed around the site, and also regarding the impacts caused by the dumping of potable groundwater from mine site dewatering processes into a creek system, leading to a loss of important cultural sites, natural ecosystems as well as the depletion of important water resources.


__________________________________________________________________________________
Excerpts from an independent report by WALHI -Friends of the Earth Indonesia on the Environmental Impacts of the Freeport Operation:

available at

http://www.eng.walhi.or.id/kampanye/tambang/frpt-report-may-06/

___________________________________________________________________________________

Tailings toxicity and aquatic impacts: Freshwater aquatic life has been largely destroyed through pollution and habitat destruction in the watercourses which receive tailings. The suspended solids from tailings (TSS) are directly harmful to fish gills, eggs, and organisms which are photosynthetic, predatory or filter feeding. Copper inhibits respiration in fish gills. Bioavailability and toxicity investigations have shown that much of the dissolved copper in river water affected by Freeport-Rio Tinto’s operations is indeed bioavailable and present at toxic levels. Dissolved copper at the range of concentrations found in the lower Ajkwa River is of chronic toxicity to most (30% to 75%) fresh water organisms. Actual toxicology testing by CSIRO and Freeport’s analysts shows tailings water and sediment are toxic to shrimp larvae (Caridina sp), adult river prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii), minnow larvae (Cyprinodon variegatus and Pimephales promelas), river algae(Chlorella), rainbowfish embryos and larvae (Melanotaenia spledida), and invertebrate animals Gammarus and Nassarius sp.

Heavy metals in plants and wildlife: Levels of toxic heavy metals selenium (Se), lead (Pb), arsenic (As), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn) and copper (Cu) are significantly elevated in Freeport's tailings compared to natural jungle soil. The concentrations of several of those metals in the tailings exceed US EPA and Australian sediment guidelines, and scientific phytotoxicity thresholds, indicating that toxic effects on plant growth are expected. Controlled tests and field sampling show that plants grown in tailings accumulate these heavy metals in their tissues, posing risks to wildlife that feed on them. At risk through exposure to metals from tailings in the food chain are:
• kingfishers and other fish-eating birds
• brush turkey, fantail and other birds that eat invertebrates in foliage or soil
• cassowaries and other large fruit-eating birds

At high risk through exposure to metals from tailings in the food chain are:
• mammals such as flying fox or similar-sized animals that feed wholly or partially on fruit
• mammals such as bats which feed on invertebrates in foliage
• mammals such as cuscus which feed on vegetation
• large mammalian omnivores such as pigs

Contamination of estuary food chain: Metals from tailings are contaminating the Ajkwa Estuary food chain. Areas which have received Freeport's tailings have significantly higher concentrations of toxic metals copper, arsenic, manganese, lead, silver, and zinc than nearby unaffected reference estuaries. Wildlife in the mangrove area is exposed through eating plants and invertebrates, which take up heavy metals from tailings sediment, particularly copper. Fish caught in the Ajkwa Estuary have higher minimum levels of copper in flesh than fish from nearby reference sites, and non-mobile aquatic animals living in the Ajkwa Estuary are contaminated with copper in their bodies at levels 100 times higher than normal, up to an extraordinary level of one gram per kilo. The ERA study predicts that small birds and mammals which feed exclusively on estuarine invertebrates may suffer reproductive impairment and reduced fitness, and larger predators (such as raptors) in turn will have less food available as these small birds and mammals become less abundant in the Ajkwa Estuary area.

Ecological disruption: Freeport states that “The estuary downstream of our tailings deposition area is a functioning, bio-diverse ecosystem with abundant species of fish and shrimp.” However, the presence of mobile species such as fish and shrimp in the Ajkwa Estuary is not proof that the estuary is healthy, nor that it is safe in the future. Dissolved copper is present in mangrove waters at levels which are of chronic toxicity to 30% - 90% of saltwater organisms. There are currently around 35% fewer species of fish, shellfish, crabs and polychaetes present in Ajkwa Estuary compared to the reference sites. The ERA predicts that up to 68% of aquatic species are at risk in the upper estuary.

The outer Ajkwa estuary, which includes the nearshore Arafura Sea, has between 40% to 70% fewer families of bottom-dwelling animals, and their biomass per area is half that of nearby reference estuaries. Besides these figures, calculation of technical indices of biodiversity confirms that there has been significant disruption to the ecology of the Ajkwa Estuary.

Impacts in Lorenz National Park: The World Heritage-listed Lorentz National Park wraps around the Freeport concession area, its area having been reduced to accommodate the mine. The Lorentz World Heritage Area is one of Indonesia’s conservation jewels. The alpine portion of the World Heritage site is affected by polluted groundwater from Freeport-Rio Tinto’s acid and copper producing waste rock dumps. Meanwhile, the coastal portion of the World Heritage site is affected by deposition of tailings. Around 250 million tons of tailings will be carried out of the Ajkwa Estuary and into the offshore Arafura Sea, and measurements show a plume of dissolved copper from Freeport's tailings already reaching 5 to 10 km offshore. Tailings are carried by the monsoon current along the coastline, and may come to form up to 20% of the future sedimentation in Lorenz National Park mangrove areas. The ERA found that mangroves and bottom-dwelling organisms in Lorenz National Park have elevated copper levels, with tailings the likely source, since upstream sites within the Park are unaffected.

Regeneration in the Ajkwa Deposition Area: Mine tailings, which will eventually comprise most of the 230 km2 ADA area, at depths of up to 17 meters, lack organic carbon and other key nutrients, and have very poor water holding capacity. Tests have shown pure tailings cannot support adequate germination or growth of most native or garden plants without intensive fertilisers, compost and/or the import of topsoil. Company efforts to rehabilitate a small and relatively shallow area of tailings have involved unsustainably high inputs and elaborate irrigation systems.

The large ADA area which has experienced dieback from tailings will not return to its original species composition after tailings deposition ceases. Native species which regenerate in tailings are neither especially useful to local communities nor representative of the diverse species which comprised the native jungle and riverine rainforest destroyed within the ADA.

Transparency: Freeport-Rio Tinto operates without transparency or sufficient regulatory oversight. There is no information and public discussion of the current management and future for the mine, including alternatives for waste management, and mine closure planning. Despite legal requirement for public access to environmental information, the company has not made key documents public, including the ERA, nor has it made public any independent external audits since 1999, breaching its environmental permitting requirements. The ERA underestimates key environmental risks, does not look at options for reducing waste disposal impacts, and the independence of the ERA peer reviewers is questionable.


Techa Beaumont, Mineral Policy Institute, Australia

--

Warning anger over New Caledonia nickel smelter waste pipe could turn violent

Posted at 08:03 on 10 April, 2008 UTC

There is a warning in New Caledonia that demonstrators could turn violent if the mining company, Goro Nickel, restarts work on its waste pipe.

A day of action is planned for Saturday against any further construction on the pipe which will dump waste into the lagoon.
Work on the pipe has been suspended since February but Goro Nickel wants to test the pipe between May and August, in order to start operations later in the year.

Our correspondent in Noumea, Claudine Wery, says it looks as though the protest will be peaceful but things could escalate.
“It should be a pacific demonstration because Goro Nickel suspended the installation of the pipe. But Rheebu Nuu and the Kanak leaders warn that young people were now ready to die for their environment if Goro Nickel wants to restart the installation of the pipe.”
Claudine Wery in Noumea

This has been a long and ongoing campaign for the Kanak peoples to defend the ingterity their environment. Tautoko & kia kaha for the day of action on Saturday.

see Kanak-led Opposition to Goro Nickel Widens in New Caledonia

Colorado AIM Call To Action: Newmont Mining Protest

Most of you know that Newmont Mining is the second largest mining
corporation in the world, and is based in Denver. Newmont operates on
every continent, except Antarctica, and almost every one of its
operations has negative impacts on First Nations people. In Peru,
indigenous activists have been beaten, imprisoned and killed in the
course of opposing Newmont's practices. The same can be said in Ghana
and Indonesia. In the U.S., Newmont, in collusion with the U.S.
government, is invading the territory of the Western Shoshone Nation
-- in violation of the Treaty of Ruby Valley of 1863. Next week, the
University of Denver, Graduate School of International Studies,
intends to honor Newmont in expectation of a huge corporate
contribution to the school.

The protest will be joined by Carrie Dann and Julie Fishel of the
Western Shoshone Defense Project. At the protest, the " Real
International Bridge-Builder Human Rights Award" will be awarded to
Carrie Dann, who will accept it on behalf of the Western Shoshone,
other indigenous communities, and all communities who have suffered,
but continue to resist, Newmont's policies and actions.

WHO: American Indian Movement (AIM) of Colorado, Global Response,
Rocky Mtn Peace and Justice Center, Stop Newmont Coalition, CU
Indigenous Support Network, and the Denver Justice and Peace
Commission are all protesting an award to be given by the U of Denver
to Wayne Murdy, CEO of Newmont Mining Company. Please join us!
WHAT: On Aug 30, at the black-tie Korbel Dinner, DU will be wining and
dining Denver's elite. This is a top-tier fund raiser for the Graduate
School of International Studies (GSIS), which touts its program on
International Human Rights. Newmont CEO Wayne Murdy will be presented
the "International Bridge Builder's Award." Former Secreatry of State
Madeleine Albright will be the keynote speaker.

WHY: To educate the public about Newmont Mining Corporation's myriad
human rights and environmental abuses in Indonesia, Ghana, Peru, San
Luis Valley in Colorado, Western Shoshone territory ( U.S.),
Australia, Romania and Mexico, and to let the University of Denver
know how inappropriate it is for Newmont to be receiving this award.

WHERE: The Denver Marriot on 17th and California, downtown Denver.

WHEN: Thursday, August 30th at 6pm

http://angryindian.blogspot.com/2007/08/fire-witch-rising-colorado-aim-call-to.html


Fire Witch Rising:

http://firewitchrising.blogspot.com/2007/08/colorado-aim-call-to-action-newmont.html

Trade: Environmentalists blast APEC plans

SUNS 4326 Wednesday 18 November 1998

Washington, Nov, 16 (IPS/Danielle Knight) -- Plans by Canada and the United States to open up trade in forest products among countries of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) spell
disaster for the regions forests, according to environmental organisations.

The North American countries intend pushing their demands for the deregulation of forest products at the two-APEC summit conference which opens Tuesday in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. Last week, environmental groups from Asia, Australia and the United States met at an alternative non-governmental organisation (NGO) meeting called the Asia-Pacific People's Assembly. They want negotiations on wood products halted until an independent assessment is made on the environmental and social impacts of timber trade deregulation.

"The United States may call itself an environmental leader, but first it should stop forcing its forest trade deregulation plans on other Asia-Pacific countries without assessing the environmental,
social, and cultural impacts on forest ecosystems and communities in the Pacific Rim," says Pat Rasmussen of the Washington-based American Lands Alliance.

The APEC summit, an annual gathering since 1993, brings together the leaders of nearly all of the countries bordering the Pacific including, for the first time, Russia, Vietnam and Peru.

Forest products are one of the nine sectors worth some 1.5 trillion dollars in global trade that APEC agreed last year should be the subject of early tariff reductions, as a prelude to the forum's
eventual goal of free trade by the year 2020.

Japan has angered U.S. trade officials by urging that several sectors in the APEC trade liberalization initiative, including wood, be excluded. U.S. trade officials maintain that reducing
tariffs will not harm the environment but environmentalists warn that accelerating trade in forests products will lead to deforestation.

The forests in many APEC countries, including Australia, Canada, China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea Thailand and the United States, are among the most endangered in the world, said
environmentalists at the People's Assembly. The Asian financial crisis, which has spread to Russia, is putting even more pressure on these ecosystems, they said.

>From Indonesia to Russia, multilateral and bilateral finance agencies continue to drive unsustainable logging, groups said.

"In Indonesia, IMF intervention has led to forest policy reforms that will accelerate forest destruction through conversion to large-scale plantations," says a statement released by environmental groups - including the Malaysian Nature Society and Friends of the Earth Australia, and WALHI, an Indonesian organisation.

"In Russia, government leaders are entering into deals to sell off natural resources for valuable hard currency."

"Rather than reducing barriers to trade, we must reduce barriers to sustainability," says David Gordon of the California-based Pacific
Environment and Resources Centre.

The driving force behind forest exploitation in the Asia Pacific is the ever increasing consumption of wood products, primarily - mostly by Western Europe, North America, and Japan. A reduction in
trade barriers on these products would encourage the production and consumption of such products because the lower price will make them more competitive with synthetic products, say environmentalists.

According to United Nations and government forecasts compiled by the Sweden-based Taiga Rescue Network, the global consumption of paper and paperboard is expected to continue to increase by 70 to 80 percent from 1990 levels (estimated at 45 kg per capita) until the year 2010.

The fastest paper consumption growth is expected for the Asia Pacific region - estimated to increase by 50-59 tonnes per year per capita between 1990-2010.

Forest product tariff reduction will have long-term effects on forest ecosystems and "liberalisation will affect the health of watersheds and communities," say environmentalists.

Because the loss of natural forest ecosystems in the Pacific Rim has a large impact on indigenous people these communities should be consulted when trade in forest products is negotiated, they add.

"This proposal has been developed in an undemocratic manner without full and active participation from local communities," says Paige Fischer with the Pacific Environment and Resources Centre.

"Traditional land-users can best steward the forests... sustainable development or conservation initiatives must include the informed consent and full participation of local affected communities and
indigenous peoples, both men and women."

Groups also are concerned that governments in the region are not taking precautions to protect indigenous communities from multinational corporations interested in patenting products
originating from these forest regions.

"We call on all governments, particularly the members of APEC, to come up with regulations at the local, national, and regional levels that will recognize and protect the rights of indigenous and
local communities over these resources," their joint statement says.

While local communities were not consulted on the most recent trade proposal, environmentalists say trade officials often look to the forest product industry for advice on policy.

The Industry Sector Advisory Committees, and other consultative bodies organised by U.S. trade officials are made up of industry representatives including the Washington-based American Forest and Paper Association (AFPA), which actively lobbies for the reduction of tariffs of trade products because it saves them money "The action by APEC is of critical importance to the U.S. forest
products industry, the largest in the world," says a statement by the association. "A global, tariff-free market for forest products is the number one international priority of AFPA."

Yorta Yorta homelands are at risk of further damage....

Yorta Yorta homelands are at risk of further damage....

More than one hundred thousand Red Gum trees along the Murray River are
at risk of being destroyed and turned into railway-line sleepers to
upgrade the Mildura railway line in Victoria. Precious, fragile River
Red Gum wetlands covering over 20,000 hectares will be destroyed in the
process.

It is a tragic, unnecessary and ill-considered waste - evidence shows
that concrete sleepers have a much lower greenhouse impact, last three
times as long, and cost much less.

The Victorian Premier Steve Bracks' Government is set to sign contracts
by the end of April 2007 for the supply of the Red Gum sleepers (some
300,000 sleepers in total) to upgrade the Mildura railway corridor in
Victoria. However, most of the sleepers will come from irreplaceable
Red Gum wetlands on both public and private lands in NSW.

The logging of River Red Gum forests in NSW is potentially illegal, with
various green groups investigating legal options to challenge the
logging.

Please click on the link to send an email to Bracks and Iemma. It'll
take you two seconds. (Simply type over my details as I believe they are
still in the link).

Ta!


http://www.melbourne.foe.org.au/letters/index.php?p=letter&l=9



"Restoring to us what is rightfully ours"

14 Protestors Arrested at Wiradjuri Lake Cowal Demonstration

by savelakecowal Monday April 09, 2007 at 05:51 PM

http://melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2007/04/143310.php

Fourteen protestors have been arrested at a demonstration in support of Wiradjuri Traditional Owners who want the Lake Cowal Gold Mine stopped.

Fourteen protestors have been arrested at a demonstration in support of Wiradjuri Traditional Owners who want the Lake Cowal Gold Mine stopped.

Around 100 Aboriginal and environmental supporters demonstrated at the Lake Cowal Gold mine, 47 kms from West Wyalong over Easter to protest against the desecration of traditional Wiradjuri lands and environmental damage caused by gold mining.

Some of the demonstrators locked themselves onto pieces of machinery, shutting down mine operations, while others occupied the mine's offices.

West Wyalong police charged the protestors with entering “inclosed land” under the obscure Inclosed Land Act 1901. The protestors were released on bail on the condition that they did not come within 10 kilometres of the mine.

Wiradjuri Traditional Owners have been holding convergences at Lake Cowal for a number of years as part of their campaign to raise awareness about the destruction of their ancient cultural heritage and their demands for the mine to be closed.

During yesterday's protest, a Barrick Gold mine manager refused to accept an eviction notice from Traditional Owner, Neville “Chappy” Williams. Mine Manager, Bill Shallvey, rudely refused to take the notice, the fourth issued to Barrick since 2002, shouting that Williams and his supporters were “misleading people”.

“Our Aboriginal People are being denied access to our sacred ground. Protestors from around the world are here to support our claim for access to our ancient lands. Australian Aboriginal Peoples have the oldest continuing living culture in the world. We Wiradjuri People are also being denied the right of spiritual and religious freedom under s.116 of the Australian Constitution,” Mr Williams said.

“Barrick is desecrating our sacred site and Dreaming Place and denying us access to our traditional lands. The company has moved or destroyed more than 10 000 artefacts including marked trees, damaging the integrity of the area forever.

“The company did a deal with five unauthorised Wiradjuri, who signed away the ancient inheritance of over 30 000 people of the Wiradjuri Nation. After signing the secret agreement with Barrick they discontinued their Native Title Claim over the area. Our Mooka and Kalara united families' claim is still active in the Federal Court and is proceeding towards determination. Our claim group is more than several thousand people who have bloodline back to Country over thousands and thousands of years.

“Despite Barrick's assertion that we are misleading people, what we are doing is our ancient cultural duty to protect our sacred Country for the generations to come. We are also raising awareness of the dangers of cyanide leach gold mining and the mine's excessive use of precious water in the middle of the worst drought on record. The fullest dams, in the very parched countryside between Condobolin and the mine, are the toxic tailings ponds west of the open cut pit, which extends into the lakebed.

“I am proud of the courageous and brave protestors who entered the mine, occupied its office and locked onto the conveyor belt, shutting down operations. They had my authority to enter our traditional lands.”

The Easter Sunday protest was the climax of the weekend of actions that included a Saturday morning demonstration in Condobolin outside the offices of the Wiradjuri Condobolin Corporation funded by Barrick under the secret agreement.

Attended by environmentalists from Bolivia, Canada, the United States, England, France, Germany, Iraq, Papua New Guinea and Switzerland as well as most Australian states, the campaign to protect Lake Cowal continues to gain international recognition as momentum grows in the fight to stop the desecration of Indigenous lands and the environmental destruction resulting from gold mining on all continents.

Activists are working towards international solidarity against Barrick on 2 May 2007, the day of its Annual General Meeting.

Contacts:
Neville Williams
0416 316 774

Ellie Gilbert
0427 795 639

http;//www.savelakecowal.org