Petition Tag - mining

The last 5 miles of Avra Valley Rd in pima county is so terrible, that some of the workers have had to replace certain parts on theirs vehicles prior to the average repair date. As car parts are rather expensive along with the repairs it is very costly for the workers to maintain vehicle stability.

Some workers have commented that they have to get alignments every couple months to prevent vehicle breakdown. The road can be considered dangerous for drivers to drive down as there are many holes and uneven paches in the pavement.

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For the past 7 years, Nancy Sullivan and Assoc, a group of PNG ethnographers, have been recording and conserving the enormous cave art system that riddles the northern escarpment of Mt MacGregor as it falls down the headwaters of the Arafundi and the Karawari Rivers.

Some of the people we work with are amongst the last nomadic hunter gatherers in PNG, and the continue to live in these caves with stencils and images that date back, we believe, 20,000 years. As yet we haven’t had the expertise to confirm their age, but they are very similar to caves found in Borneo and Western Australia which have been dated to that era. Our efforts are fully endorsed by the National Museum and Art Gallery in Port Moresby, and we have written numerous articles on their importance. The National Geographic Society, which assists us with small grants, published a story about the Meakambut people in the Februaru 2012 magazine.

A company called Pristine No 18, which is partly owned by Rimbunam Hijau, has now applied for an ELA 2008 covering the majority of these historic caves and the rainforest where the Meakambut still live and thrive. But the Meakambut and the entire Penale tribe are adamantly against the exploration. They know that once Pristine #18 has invested in exploration, they will find it impossible to evict them from their lands and forests. And they know what is at stake: Our company, Nancy Sullivan & Assoc, has spent the past 7 years paying all the school fees (and now project fees), establishing a primary school, and bringing health services (in regular patrols by a pediatric surgeon from Wewak) to the area. This is our quid pro quo for allowing us to study their caves and ultimately produce a book about them. Thus far we have received Guggenheim, Rockefeller and Christensen Fund grants, as well as National Geographic support. Our interest in the region is sincere and longstanding; we have a project that should continue for decades yet and provide these communities with the income from scientists and community development for their future.

For more information about the company and what we do, please see www.nancysullivan.net and for images of the work we do in the caves, please see the following: www.nancysullivan.typepad.com/weblong_2014/04/the-meakambut-penale-ewa-alamblak-and-sumariop-get-a-check-up.html

For details about the Pristine # 18 meeting in the village recently, see our blog:
www.nancysullivan.typepad.com/weblong_2013/03/rh-descends-on-the-meakambut.html

We have had the support of Ludwig Schulz, the late Angoram MP, and a wide swatch of his constituency who have benefitted from our work.

For the MRA representative who attended the meeting, we understand that Pristine #18 has 2 weeks to assemble an exploration application for the Ministry’s approval. We seek to circumvent this right away, in the interest of all the Penale as well as the Ewa and Sumariop people whose precious caves and histories will be disturbed by this venture.

Please support us in a campagn to keep RH and commercial mining out of these forests and away from the NATIONAL CULTURAL PROPERTY within them. The Ewa people of the upper Karawari have suffered at the hands of art dealers who emptied their caves of carvings before independence and left them with next to nothing as compensation---while their father’s carvings continue to fetch 6 figure prices on the Oceanic art market and can be seen in museums across the US and Europe. They too would be victims of this short term greed if the exploration went forward.

More info: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2012/02/karawari-cave-people/jenkins-text

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TO THE HONOURABLE THE SPEAKER AND MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF NEW SOUTH WALES.

This Petition of citizens of Australia draws to the attention of the House:

· present and potential negative impacts of the Coal Seam Gas Mining (CSG) industry on water quality, farm lands, the environment, communities, residents’ health, property values and tourism;

· that CSG mining produces green house gas emissions – particularly from large scale methane leakage – such that CSG mining has a global warming impact that is as bad as if not worse than coal, over a twenty year period;

· that CSG mining is proven to lower the fresh water table.

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TO THE HONOURABLE PRESIDENT AND MEMBERS OF THE SENATE IN PARLIAMENT ASSEMBLED.

This Petition of citizens of Australia draws to the attention of the Senate:

· present and potential negative impacts of the Coal Seam Gas Mining (CSG) industry on water quality, farm lands, the environment, communities, residents’ health, property values and tourism;

· that CSG mining produces green house gas emissions – particularly from large scale methane leakage – such that CSG mining has a global warming impact that is as bad as if not worse than coal, over a twenty year period;

· that CSG mining is proven to lower the fresh water table.

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TO THE HONOURABLE THE SPEAKER AND MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

This Petition of citizens of Australia draws to the attention of the House:

· present and potential negative impacts of the Coal Seam Gas Mining (CSG) industry on water quality, farm lands, the environment, communities, residents’ health, property values and tourism;

· that CSG mining produces green house gas emissions – particularly from large scale methane leakage – such that CSG mining has a global warming impact that is as bad as if not worse than coal, over a twenty year period;

· that CSG mining is proven to lower the fresh water table.

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There is a small group of land owners in Schoepps Valley who are applying to Buffalo County for a Conditional Use Permit to mine sand in Schoepps Valley.

If you are at all familiar with sand mining, you know it is detrimental to all property owners in the area other than the land owners making a profit from it.

If you are not familiar with it, please educate yourself as it will negatively affect your current quality of life and property values.

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For years miners in Australia have been getting away with not paying a fair share of tax for Crown-owned minerals. It's about time they did.

We hold this sentiment:

‎"There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own. Nobody. You dug a mine out there - good for you.
But I want to be clear.
You moved your goods to market on the roads and ports the rest of us paid for.
You hired workers the rest of us paid to educate.
You were safe in your factory or mine because of police forces, fire forces and military forces that the rest of us paid for.
You didn't have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your mine or have a country would invade.
Now look.
You dug a mine and it turned into something terrific.
You mined Crown-owned minerals; you need to pay a fair price for the national collective’s inheritance that you are profiteering off.
Now you keep a Big Hunk of it.
But part of the underlying social contract is you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along."

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=432228250136549&set=a.223592677666775.73092.223583594334350&type=1&theater¬if_t=photo_comment

http://www.facebook.com/KeepCalmAbbottisnotPM

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A WA company, Mantle Mining, is currently undertaking test drilling in Bacchus Marsh as part of a plan to dig a huge, open-cut coal mine, then dry and export the coal to India. They currently have an Exploration License (EL) which includes Bacchus Marsh and 386 km2 of the surrounding area.

In order for the brown coal to be exported, it must first be dewatered, and Mantle are planning to team up with Melbourne-based coal technology company Exergen to carry out this process.

The exploration phase is also being underwritten by WA micro-finance company Cygnet Capital. Bacchus Marsh locals are mobilising against the project, with the Moorabool Environment Group (MEG) leading the local campaign.

More info about the project is available at Coal Watch.

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The Beach and the Sea Monster
Once upon a time there is this big Sea Monster that ate the sand dunes of the coastal area of Sta. Catalina, Ilocos Sur like a sandwich. For the Sea monster, the sandwich was so nutritious because of its HIGH MINERAL content! The black sand and its magnetite fillings made it so delicious, and made the sea monster to have big bites.

This was allowed because nobody drove away nor stopped the Sea Monster. The bites left 6-7 feet deep scar and around 5-7 big bites. The biggest bite is that bite that reach the tip of the main road going to the beach.

The people remained waiting for the coming again of the Sea Monster and its worst bite. .... And the people remained to be living in fear ever after. The end (Miriam Javier-University of Northern Philippines-Center for Environmental Education and Sustainable Development).

There are a total of 158 applications for mining of magnetite, onshore and offshore.

However, the fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) wants the DENR to deny the applications. The group is afraid that the massive extraction of the mineral will cause environmental imbalance in rivers and coastal areas that may further degrade the environment and cause the economic dislocation of small fisherfolks whose livelihood depend directly on fishing in the municipal waters.

Pamalakaya said there are 15 magnetite mining applications in the onshore and offshore areas of San Juan (two offshore), Bacnotan (two offshore), Balaoan (two offshore), Luna (one offshore), Bangar (one offshore, one onshore), Pugo (one onshore), Burgos (one onshore), Santol (one onshore) and Sudipen (one onshore) in La Union province.

The group also learned that there are 57 blacks and mining applications in Ilocos Sur province, with four in Tagudin, four in Sta.Cruz, five in Sta. Lucia, four in Candon City, four in Santiago, four in San Esteban, five in Sta. Maria, five in Narvacan, eight in Santa, five in Caoayan, four in Sta.Catalina and four in Vigan City.

Pamalakaya noted that 86 applications for magnetite mining in Ilocos Norte province are pending before the MGB which cover the towns of Badoc (six), Pinili (three) Paoay (three), Laoag (three), Currimao (four), Bacarra (three), Pasuquin (13), Burgos (four), Bangui (one), Pagudpud (two), Batac (one), Banna (five), Nueva Era (seven), Marcos (six), Solsona (three), Carasi (five), Dingras (five), Vintar (six), Adams (two), Piddig (three) and Dumalneg (one).

Pamalakaya said the Vancouver based Canadian firm Colossal Mining holds five individual exploration and mining permits which will cover 80 percent of offshore magnetite mining for iron in the North Western Luzon along Lingayen Gulf encompassing the provinces of La Union, Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte, including its offshore activity in Cagayan province.

The group said the exploration and mining permits given to Colossal Mining would allow it to explore at least 15,700 hectares of offshore areas in North Western Luzon.

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Asbestos is a known carcinogen. Asbestos was once widely used worldwide, but it is now banned or restricted in more than 50 countries. According to WHO estimates, more than 107 000 people die each year from asbestos-related lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis resulting from occupational exposure. About 125 million people in the world are exposed to asbestos at the workplace.

Despite the fact that Asbestos is dangerous, the Asbestos industry has been on an expansion spree and increasing their capacity and production in India. False information is spread about the safety and controlled use of Asbestos whereas it has been cited by agencies like WHO and ILO that safe use of Asbestos is not possible and there is no safe exposure limit. The only way to prevent Asbestos related disorders is to stop using Asbestos.

Although India has banned the mining of Asbestos, it continues to import and use the deadly substance. India imported more than 350,000 metric tons of Asbestos in 2010 primarily from Russia, Canada and Kazakhstan.

No attempts have been made by the Government to identify and locate probable victims of Asbestos related disorders and there is no official statistics available. The industry is owned by Government officials who influence decision making.

• Kerala human rights Commission had ordered the removal of all Asbestos Roofing sheets from schools in Kerala.

• Hon’be Supreme Court in 1995 had ordered compensation to Asbestosis victims, maintenance of medical records and personal protective equipment to all workers.

• International agencies like International Agency for Research in Cancer (WHO), Collegium Ramazzini, InternationalLabor Organisation have categorised all forms of asbestos as human carcinogens and have called for global phase out.

• The National Institute of Occupational Health has studied the working conditions and health of miners and mill workers in asbestos mines/milling factories of Rajasthan and Cuddapah-AP and have found cases of asbestos related diseases amongst the present and ex-workers.

• ITRC had studied working conditions in the asbestos mines and mills of Rajasthan and had found cases of asbestosis amongst men, women and children.

There is a body of evidence which unquestionably proves that asbestos (and its products) cannot be mined, manufactured and used safely anywhere in the world. The developed world, for instance Japan, UK, France, are facing epidemic with thousands of deaths every year due to asbestos related diseases. 75% of occupational deaths in Quebec-Canada (world's largest chrysotile asbestos mining area) are due to asbestos.

You can view the film “India’s Asbestos Time Bomb” by visiting

http://worldasbestosreport.org/articles/iatb/iatb_film.php

India’s Asbestos Time Bomb, a monograph written by leading experts which quantifies the country’s asbestos scandal, is available online at:

http://ibasecretariat.org/india_asb_time_bomb.pdf

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Australia is a country rich in natural resources. This is our sovereign wealth that really should belong to Australia’s people. They are national assets that should be used wisely for the benefit of the people.

Presently, our natural resources and all the wealth created from them is being given away for a song to mainly foreign mining corporations, who send billions in profits overseas.

The Australian mining sector has alarmingly reached 83% foreign ownership. In the next five years foreign owners will earn about $265 billion from their investments in Australia's mineral resources; and $50 billion of this will be sent overseas as dividends to those foreign owners.

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The market value of product that results from strip mining sea dunes make it very difficult to not invest in such endeavours. These endeavours are destroying the prettiest parts of our coastline leaving toxic and poisonous remains for who ever is unfortunate enough to be there.

Shareholders and Politicians are the only people who benefit from this short sighted destruction of endangered species habitat in wetlands and quickly disappearing indigenous forest.

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Chhattisgarth state is witnessing a rapid growth on industrial and mining sector with large mineral rich tribal areas being handed over to Corporates for captive mining purposes even at the cost of causing hardships to tribals and causing huge environmental losses to the state and its people.

Mining and more particularly Open Cast Mining causes huge environmental damages but in the name of development, the destruction is defined as necessary. Growing unrest in tribal areas is also a great concern.
Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh has stated time and again that no minerals will be allowed to go out of Chhattisgarh but will only be permitted for value addition within the state.

At a recently held seminar at the prestigious Constitution Club at New Delhi, organized by Nai Duniya, a national level Hindi newspaper, Chief Minister Shri Raman Singh is quoted as having said that not even a quintal of iron ore is allowed to go out of Chhattisgarh. What we understand is that he means to say that no minerals are allowed to go out of Chhattisgarh.

However, the situation is entirely different at the ground level. Huge quantities of Bauxite are regularly transported round the clock out of state by Hindalco and also by Vedanta group companies. Be it from their Samri or Menpat mines in Sarguja District or Daldali mines in Kawardha district.

When BALCO plant was closed for few months after the worst chimney disaster of its type in the entire world, huge quantities of bauxite were also diverted to Vedanta at their Niyamgiri plant in Orissa.

After the denial of the mandatory environmental clearances by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, Chief Operating Officer Mr. Mukesh Kumar has also stated that they continue the productions with bauxite sourced from Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. As such, it is no more a secret or any matter of investigation but needs action from the state authorities to ensure that no bauxite or for that matter any other minerals do not go out of state and are used for captive consumption only.

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This petition supports objection to coal mining in the Southern Highlands.

In a media release dated 7 October 2010, Member for Goulburn, Pru Goward stated "There may be coal in the ground here, but that does not mean that local living standards, livelihoods, and clean water should be put at risk."

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Our aim is two-fold:
1) (WE'VE WON THIS ONE - WENLOCK RIVER DECLARED WILD BY THE QLD GOVT - 4 JUNE 2010) To have the Wenlock River declared a 'wild' river under the Wild Rivers Act 2005, &
2) To deny mining rights to Cape Alumina Pty Ltd to mine bauxite (or any other resource) in the Wenlock River basin and Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve.

Our reasoning is as follows:
The Wenlock River is one of Australia's last few remaining, true wild rivers. It retains its unique and irreplaceable attributes untouched and undamaged by man. It is home to the largest diversity of freshwater fish species of any Australian river. It is home to the largest breeding population of salt water crocodiles on the planet. It is also home to other endangered species such as the Red Goshawk. The Wenlock must be declared 'wild' under the Wild Rivers Act 2005 to ensure it is protected and doesn't become another victim of man's waterway greed, like the Murray Darling River system.

The bauxite plateaus present in the Wenlock River area, and particularly in the Coolibah Springs complex are vital to the overall hydrology and resultant ecology of the area. If the bauxite is removed, the entire system will fail, it is that simple. It can never be replaced, regardless of the amount of 're-vegetation' promised by Cape Alumina Pty Ltd.

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In June of 2008 Mathy Corporation swooped in and purchased approximately 378 acres of pristine wilderness and farmland, and began plans for a large-scale mining operation. Since this time our community has been in a battle to save Iver's Mountain from the plague of non-metallic mining that seems to be sweeping across the state of Wisconsin.

Located in Laketown Township in Polk County, Wisconsin, Iver's Mountain is known for its scenic beauty, and geologic and ecological significance. This site sits at the confluence of the Superior Lobe and the Grantsburg Sub-Lobe of the glaciers that retreated from Wisconsin. Glacial Striations and grooves can be observed on Iver's Mountain. The ridge is marked with Precambrian basalt knobs that have been in place for more than a billion years.

Iver's Mountain area gives protection and habitat to a wide variety of animals and plants. The mountain is a bedrock glade that provides the environment necessary for the survival of species like the threatened Brittle Prickly Pear Cactus. It is also habitat for the Northern Prairie Skink, a species listed as rare in Wisconsin. In Addition, the mountain's habitat has been a sanctuary for threatened species such as the Karner Blue Butterfly, the Trumpeter Swan, Osprey, bullfrog and the Blanding's Turtle. The eagles and Osprey have thrived in this area, nesting on the mountain and by the surrounding bodies of water.

In the shadows of the mountain are the Trade River, Forsythe Lake and the wetlands that surround them. Springs flow down the sides of the mountain to nourish the wetlands that protect the Trade River and Forsythe Lake. If the mining were to take place these springs would be eliminated. The Trade River, a cold water community, runs through the property and along the south side of the mountain. The Trade River is part of the threatened Lower St Croix River Watershed.

This operation will include high-powered wells and blasting that will deplete and contaminate the ground water. We are concerned about how this will effect our wells and the surrounding bodies of water.

If the proposed mining takes place it will leave two giant holes in the landscape, approximately 2000 feet long, 800 feet wide, and 100 feet deep. Along with being an ugly blight on the landscape it will destroy the natural habitat for many species of animal and plant life.

Basalt is commonly known as Trap Rock and is not a scarce resource in the area of Polk County as Mathy Corporation would like to lead you to believe, in fact Dresser Trap Rock Company, which has been a part of the Polk County community for many years and is located about 20 miles from Iver's Mountain has said to have 400 - 1000 years left of basalt.

The Natural beauty of the state of Wisconsin is under increasing threat of destruction due to Non-Metallic mining. It is time for citizens to say no to further environmental destruction. If the destruction of Iver's Mountain is allowed to happen a piece of our nations natural history will be lost forever. A mountain can not be reclaimed.

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http://www.lavaseportages.com/

On Monday July 13th North Bay City Council passed a motion approving the re-zoning of Concession 16 Lot 30 (geographic Twp. of West Ferris) from Rural (A) to Rural Extractive Industrial. All reference to buffer zones were excluded in recognition of the fact that approval of any aggregate extraction activity on this Crown land is the responsibility of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.

If application for a quarry permit is made for this land, which is adjacent to the central undeveloped core of the historic La Vase portage route, there will be public consultation. If such an eventuality occurs, we and our partners in the protection and development of the Portages, the North Bay Mattawa Conservation Authority, will continue to work actively to ensure the preservation of the unique natural and historic values of the Portages.


J. Fred McNutt

FOLVP Chairman

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Centennial Coal has submitted a proposal to begin an Auger Mining Operation between the suburbs of Awaba and Blackalls Park. The community is very concerned, as this mine will be an 'Open-cut mine using Auger mining techniques'. Open-cut mining is a prohibited development in the City of Lake Macquarie.

Major concerns are:

*Degradation of the environment. Risk of contamination of creeks, waterways and wetlands. Damage to the habitat of local fauna.

*Noise pollution from machinery and blasting. Especially those residents who live near the site.

*Mine dust or Particulate Matter is a major concern. The smallest of these dust particles can be drawn deep into the lungs. This type of dust puts at risk infants, the elderly, asthma sufferers, diabetes sufferers and anyone with repiratory health issues. The dust can also hover in the air for long time. It is then spread to further suburbs by winds.

Around 80,000 local residents will be affected by this proposed mine.

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The Russian Bank VTB is Planning to fund the disastrous project of mine exploitation in Teghut, Armenia

The exploitation of the Teghut mine will have an immense negative effect on nature, life and health of the people of Armenia, as well as on the prospect of sustainable development for the country. The exploitation of this mine cannot be justified for any economic, social or environmental reasons.

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Банк ВТБ собираетса профинансировать экологически бедственную программу по разработке и эксплуатации Техутского месторождения.


Разработка и эксплуатация Техутского месторождения будет иметь колоссальное отрицательное воздействие как на природу Армении, так и на жизнь и здоровье людей, и в следствие чего, на устойчивое развитие страны. Данная эксплуатация не выгодна не в экологическом, не в социальном и не в экономическом аспектах. Эксплуатация Техутского месторождения повлечет за собой:

Полный текст >>

ՎՏԲ-ն պատրաստվում է ֆինանսավորել Թեղուտի հանքավայրի շահագործման աղետաբեր ծրագիրը

Թեղուտի հանքավայրի շահագործումը հսկայական բացասական ազդեցություն կունենա Հայաստանի բնության, մարդկանց կյանքի և առողջության, ինչպես նաև երկրի կայուն զարգացման վրա: Այս հանքավայրի ներկայիս շահագործումն արդարացված չէ ո’չ բնապահպանական, ո’չ սոցիալական և ո’չ էլ նույնիսկ տնտեսական տեսանկյունից: Թեղուտի հանքավայրի ներկայիս շահագործումը նշանակում է`

Կարդալ ամբողջը >>

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Mining uranium from open pits or by underground excavation results in large stockpiles of radioactive and toxic waste rock and tailings. These mines and waste sites contaminate water and result in the release of radon gas into the atmosphere for centuries, even millennia. These wastes will be a toxic inheritance that our children and their children will need to manage in perpetuity.

Uranium Mining Poses Health Risks
People living around uranium mines are at risk of exposure to radioactive materials released into water and air as gas or dust. Uranium miners are exposed to greater amounts of radiation than considered acceptable to the general public. Miners who are exposed to high doses of radiation or low levels of radiation over long periods are 2 to 5 times more likely to develop lung cancer.

Uranium Mining Pollutes Waterways and Groundwater
Uranium mines, mills, and waste sites release radioactive contaminants, heavy metals, and other pollutants into watercourses and groundwater. Effluent from uranium mines and mills is classified as toxic by the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. Extracting uranium by leaching the ore from the ground using harsh chemicals - sometimes thought to be less damaging than open pit or underground mining - will result in groundwater contamination that cannot be avoided.

Uranium Air Pollution
Uranium mining and waste storage sites release radionuclides, radon gas, and heavy metals into the atmosphere. Milling, which uses acidic or alkaline chemicals to refine uranium, results in the release of greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide, volatile organic compounds, and carbon dioxide.

Uranium Mining Poses Risks to Wilderness and Wildlife
Aside from direct damage to landscapes and watercourses, uranium mines create contaminated zones polluted by radioactive waste and heavy metals. Fish sampled from lakes around uranium mines in Saskatchewan have concentrations of nickel, cadmium, and other heavy metal that are up to 43 times higher than normal levels. Caribou that consume lichens from around uranium mines are laden with radiation, with consequences for consumers of caribou meat.

Nuclear Power Fuelled by Uranium Undermines Efforts to Combat Climate Change
Nuclear power plants fuelled by uranium are barriers to combating climate change. This is because nuclear power plants are too costly and take too long to construct to address our urgent need to combat climate change. Ratepayers in Ontario are currently paying back billions of dollars for cost over-runs at their nuclear power plants. Even when risk to human health and the environment are not taken into consideration, using nuclear energy to reduce a tonne of greenhouse gas is seven times more expensive than natural gas and one and a half times more expensive than wind power, according to data from CIBC World Markets and the Ontario Power Authority.

Taken from: http://www.sierraclub.ca/atlantic/programs/economies/uranium/action_letter.htm
where you can also send a letter.

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We the United Miners of the Etheridge Shire, draw to your attention the unfair, illegal and unjustified rate increases - without the Statutory Right to Appeal - on mining tenures.

The Etheridge Shire is located in Far North Queensland. It has a long and colourful mining history.

In the early 1980's our local Government commenced charging rates on mining tenures but without supplying any services. These rates have progressively increased with CPI.

On 15th August 2007, without any consultation with the community, ( as set out by law within the Local Government Act) the Etheridge Shire Council increased mining rates - in some instances over 1000%.

While this increase may have been sparked by record global commodity prices there is virtually no active mining within the Shire.

These rate increases are not sustainable and even if people decide to drop their mining tenures, that have possible cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars, they will still have to pay mining rents and rates for another 3 to 5 years to comply with the new mining and EPA regulations and bureaucratic red tape within the system.

The Etheridge Shire Council has also taken it upon themselves to remove the peoples Statutory Right to Appeal. The Etheridge Shire Council has also taken it upon themselves to rescind the right to pay off rates by installments.

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August 4, 2006

In many places, pollution from mining operations damages marine habitats and contaminates seafood consumed by local people, threatening our oceans and ultimately ourselves and our future.

In the Philippines, Bicol's immensely beautiful marine environment and its fragile sea creatures face a grave threat—toxic pollution and siltation caused by mining operations in Rapu Rapu Island in Albay.

The pristine waters of the Bicol region are acknowledged as the feeding grounds and migratory route of the whale shark, the largest fish in the sea. It is also home to five of the seven known marine turtles in the world, and its rich seagrass beds and mangroves, which make for a high marine biodiversity index, have turned the area into exceptionally rich fishing grounds for the region's fishermen.

The Philippine government allowed Australian firm Lafayette Philippines Inc to start the extraction of gold, silver, copper and zinc within Rapu Rapu in April 2005 despite strong opposition from local and national groups concerned that toxic mine tailings will be released into the sea. Clearly, the island is a dangerous place for a mine: not only is it situated along the country's typhoon belt, but also along a major fault, making it a high-risk area for mining catastrophes. During its few - months of operation, the mining company showed negligence and government agencies, such as the Environmental Management Bureau and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, failed to act on behalf of the people and environment. In October and November 2005, cyanide and other contaminants from the mine spilled into the sea and around the island, resulting in massive fish kills.

On May 19, 2006, a government-commissioned report recommended canceling the license of Lafayette in Rapu Rapu and a moratorium on all mining at Rapu Rapu. Greenpeace is running a petition to President Gloria Arroyo to follow the recommendations of the Rapu Rapu Factfinding Commission.

The Greenpeace petition calls for permanent closure of the mine and obligation or Lafayette to clean and rehabilitate the mine site so that further damage can be avoided.

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Sept. 30 could be the beginning of economic doom for our coal producing states if Congress does not take action to extend a federal program that mining reclamation supports 45,000 retired miners benefits.

The Abandoned Mine Land, or AML, is a program created in 1977, when it passed the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act.

Under the program, coal operators pay 35 cents tax per ton of surface-mined coal and 15 cents per ton of underground-mined coal. The money is used to clean up coal mines that were abandoned before 1977.

If that happens, thousands of abandoned mine sites — mostly in West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Kentucky — would go unreclaimed.

Currently the AML is languishing on capital hill and set to expire at the end of September
Without congressional action, the coal tax that funds mine cleanups would expire Sept. 30.

As a result, more than $2 billion worth of high-priority coal reclamation will remain unreclaimed, leaving millions of people who live, work and recreate in the nation's coalfields to continue to be exposed to the many dangers these areas represent.

Tax payers of coal producing states could be forced to pay for the clean-up, instead of the coal operators. The state is already in a budget crisis and paying for this would sink the Bluegrass in to a much deeper deficit - one that potentially we would never find our way out of.

Lawmakers and Interior's Office of Surface Mining have showed great humanitarianism by allowing AML money to fund infrastructure projects like health-care benefits (UMWA Orphan Funds) for retired miners who have fallen between the cracks by coal corporation bankruptcies.

On Aug. 31 in Lexington, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge William Howard finalized the decision allowing Horizon Natural Resources to file bankruptcy, thus voiding union contracts providing health care coverage for nearly 3,000 employees, including 2,300 retirees -- many of whom suffer from black lung as a result of their working years at Horizon. Many of these affected by the decision are Kentuckians who's only hope for health care is for the AML to continue.

Cutting off the health care benefits provided by the tax could not only devastate thousands of retired coal miners lives, but also be detrimental to the state's local economies who's doctors and pharmacies main source of income is treatment of these miners.

Congress Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., with support of House Democrats, took the first step Sept. 14 to stave off the end of the federal program. Sen. Byrd won Senate Appropriations Committee approval to extend a tax that funds the cleanup program for another nine months, but so far no outward support has been shown by House Republicans to save the issue.

The current extension calls for 9 months, but House Republicans have agreed to this measure by cutting the tax 75% - a drastic reduction in the amount of money to fund the miners health care plans and for money to repair the environmental damage done by the coal operators.

The far reaching effects of letting the AML languish and die could spell disaster for the all coal producing states if an extension is not granted.

I will use this issue to evaluate your commitment to working families in America. I await your prompt response.

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Mr. Richard Schermerhorn would like to buy approximately ten acres of land on Moon Hill and Bay Roads, and use it for a sand mining operation. This would affect the rural residential setting in which it is located, creating dust, noise and diesel pollution, environmental and neighborhood stress, a likelihood that it could hurt water sheds and aquifers in the area. This is located on a corner noted for accidents already.

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This petition is to make major companies stop killing and destroying the gorilla habitiat for coltan, and also to create gorilla-friendly products.

Recent price rises of this ore has lead to wide scale unregulated mining of it in the forests of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the same forests that were home to 86% of the worlds eastern lowland gorillas.

The forests are being destroyed and gorillas are being killed and snared for 'bushmeat' to feed the hundreds of miners and to sell at markets. Recent reports indicate that up to 90% of eastern lowland gorillas may have been killed in the last 3 years. Fears are that without immediate political action, they may be headed towards an inescapable extinction.

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