Indonesian crunch could prompt rethink of protectionist mineral export policy – by Jewel Topsfield (Sydney Morning Herald – April 23, 2015)

http://www.smh.com.au/

The Indonesian government’s push to increase revenue from the troubled mining industry by 50 per cent this year could force it to rethink bad policies, according to a lawyer from an Indonesian firm specialising in mining law.

The Indonesian mining industry is facing tough times due to the plummeting prices of some of its key exports including coal, tin and nickel and protectionist policies that ban the export of unprocessed minerals.

Coal production dropped by 21 per cent in the first three months of 2015 compared to the same period last year and mineral producers are laying off workers, mothballing high-cost mines and postponing capital expenditure.

Australian miners with exposure to Indonesia include BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, Newcrest Mining and Cokal Ltd.

“The current difficult economic times for the mining industry and the government are going to force a change of policy,” Bill Sullivan, from Indonesian law firm Christian Teo Purwono & Partners, told a forum in Jakarta.

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Freeport-McMoRan Crowned With Tarnished Copper – by Tim Maverick (The Wall Street Daily – April 21, 2015)

http://www.wallstreetdaily.com/

The price of the world’s most important base metal, copper, continues to hover near a five-year low as copper miners struggle with waning demand from their biggest customer, China.

The current price, near $2.70 per pound, is down roughly 40% from the all-time highs reached in 2011. China accounts for about 40% of overall global copper demand. But, consumption there has slowed as its once red-hot property market cools.

So, when Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) said that it’s going full speed ahead with a vast expansion plan, investors started scratching their heads. Especially since the company recently announced a dividend cut for the first time in seven years!

The company is already the world’s largest listed copper miner, and its goal is to become the overall No. 1 producer, passing up Chile’s state-owned Codelco.

Competitors in the industry, such as Teck Resources (TCK) and Anglo American plc (AAUKY), are delaying their expansion plans for copper.

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NEWS RELEASE: Federal Budget invests in essentials – Mining industry welcomes renewal of program funding in key areas

OTTAWA, April 21, 2015 /CNW/ – The Mining Association of Canada (MAC) expressed satisfaction with the federal government’s renewal of funding for key areas such as environmental assessment, the Major Projects Management Office, Aboriginal education and training, and geoscience.

“Given the current financial situation and the need for fiscal discipline, I am pleased to see the federal government renew investment in critical areas,” stated Pierre Gratton, MAC’s President and CEO. “The government has also made some strategic investments in innovation, marine safety and infrastructure that should pay dividends over time.”

Mining now accounts for a large majority of federal environmental assessments. Support for the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, and other federal permitting departments, is essential to ensure the timely and effective review of major mining projects. As the largest employer of Aboriginal Canadians on a proportionate bases, the mining sector is also an active partner in several Aboriginal mine training programs across Canada.

Budget 2015 renews investments for the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Strategies program, the Skills and Partnership Fund and for Indspire.

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Southeast depends on its rivers – by Matt Lubov (Juneau Empire – April 22, 2015)

http://juneauempire.com/

Southeast Alaska’s livelihood is dependent on its marine ecosystem, especially its salmon runs. As a fishing guide and resident, I know that fishing is Southeast Alaska’s livelihood. While the majority of our most productive salmon rivers — such as the Taku, Unuk and Stikine — have their headwaters in British Columbia, we need to ensure BC manages its side of the rivers properly to ensure healthy fish runs across all of Southeast Alaska.

Alaska residents should be extremely concerned about BC’s plans for massive industrial development in these headwaters. KSM, Red Chris, Tulsequah Chief, New Polaris, Big Bull, Schaft Creek, Galore Creek and more mines are already proposed or in development. The scale of this development is massive, and despite the implications of Mount Polley, BC is going full-speed ahead.

While these mines plan on only being in production for a handful of years, their tailing ponds are immortal and must be controlled for my entire lifetime, my kids’ lifetime, my grandkids’ lifetime, my great-grandkids’ lifetime … and, well, you can get the point.

I urge Gov. Bill Walker and Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott to act as soon as possible before much of this development becomes a done deal. We need real action from BC to improve its mining practices and long-term guarantees that BC mining won’t harm us downstream. We need to know that a Mount Polley-type of disaster won’t happen in the Taku, Stikine or Unuk.

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Federal budget 2015 promises funds for Ring of Fire, forestry – (CBC News Thunder Bay – April 22, 2015)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay

Tuesday’s budget also extends mining exploration tax credit

The federal budget holds plenty of funds for northwestern Ontario, according to Natural Resources Minister Greg Rickford.

Rickford, the Conservative MP for the riding of Kenora, said the government will spend $23 million over five years for chromite processing. Chromite is the key mineral in the Ring of Fire mining development area. There were other mining benefits, as well.

“We’ve extended the mining exploration tax credit and expanded the definition of mining exploration expenses to include the costs of community consultations and environmental assessment process to be 100 per cent deductible, effective immediately,” he said on Tuesday.

The Conservative government tabled the federal budget on Tuesday with a $1.4 billion surplus, down from $6.4 billion projected a year ago and $1.9 billion in November.

The budget also includes $86 million over two years for small forest companies to spend on innovation and expanding markets.

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Zinc bull story to keep rolling – by Kip Keen (Mineweb.com – April 22, 2015)

http://www.mineweb.com/

Base metal is full of surprises (and not always good).

Zinc has started to show signs of life again. In recent weeks the spot price of zinc crossed over $1/lb, up from a one-year low around 0.90/lb.

It seems the prospect of a growing zinc deficit is back in play. The notion of zinc deficit, long forecast by analysts and base metal miners, has already created one false dawn.

With such a deficit in mind, zinc fever caught the market in late 2013 and persisted to mid 2014, driving the price from near $0.80/lb to around C$1.10. LME zinc stocks had peaked after all and begun to fall. Yet eventually so did the price of zinc.

The market realised it may have gushed and rushed on zinc a little early. There was the fact that the stocks were really quite high to begin with, so they would take time to shrink.

Indeed they’re still shrinking and are about half the early 2013 peak. So zinc came back down to earth, plumbing $0.90 this year. Now, the question is, with zinc surging again is this time any different?

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UPDATE 4-BHP blinks as iron ore prices fall, delays output boost – by James Regan (Reuters U.S. – April 22, 2015)

http://www.reuters.com/

SYDNEY, April 22 (Reuters) – BHP Billiton is slowing down its expansion plans in iron ore, the first big miner to pull back as a global supply glut sends ore prices tumbling.

The world no. 3 producer said it would delay an Australian port project that would have boosted output by 20 million tonnes and buoyed annual output to 290 million tonnes by mid-2017.

While BHP’s pullback is small compared with overall seaborne iron ore trade of around 1.3 billion tonnes, it is viewed as significant given BHP’s position as an efficient producer.

“It is probably more a symbolic posturing position by BHP, but it also likely signals the bottom of the iron ore market, given this action is being taken by one of the lowest cost producers,” said Mark Pervan, head of commodities for ANZ Bank.

Some analysts said the move suggests BHP expects ore prices to rise later in the decade, when it hopes to control a greater share of the global seaborne trade than it does now.

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With mine layoffs coming, Iron Rangers prepare for hard times – by Dan Kraker (Minnesota Public Radio News – April 22, 2015)

http://www.mprnews.org/

The Iron Range – Every year, Doug Ellis sells hundreds of pairs of expensive steel-toed boots to miners, and a lot of hunting rifles.

“My business is built on mining money,” said Ellis, who owns the Virginia Surplus sporting goods store. “It’s what drives all these towns.” Ellis has operated the store in Virginia for 25 years, through three downturns in the mining industry.

People on the Iron Range are used to the booms and busts of the cyclical mining industry. But the latest downturn has Ellis and many others worried. They’re bracing for the impending layoffs of 1,100 mineworkers later this spring. The job losses likely will significantly affect a regional economy that relies heavily on mining.

The loss of 1,100 jobs on the Iron Range might not seem like much compared to the 3,100 jobs that Target eliminated in the Twin Cities last month.

But in a region where mining makes up about 30 percent of the economy, the impact of the layoffs is enormous, said John Arbogast, vice president of the United Steelworkers union Local 1938 at Minntac in Mountain Iron. “On the Iron Range, mining is everything,” Arbogast said.

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Sudburians a happy lot, study finds – by Jim Moodie (Sudbury Star – April 22, 2015)

Sudburians – Suzanne from We Live Up Here on Vimeo.

http://www.sudburians.com/

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

Life ain’t all bad in the Nickel City. In fact, it’s great, judging by a new report from Stats Canada. A study released this week shows Sudbury is at or near the top of Canadian cities when it comes to citizen contentment.

Data for the report — titled How’s Life in the City? — was compiled through surveys conducted from 2009 to 2013, with respondents asked to rate their level of life satisfaction on a scale of 0 to 10.

Of the 33 metropolitan areas sampled in the study, Sudbury boasted the highest percentage — 45% — of individuals who rated their life satisfaction as 9 or 10.

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The happiest city in Canada is . . . Sudbury – by Robin Levinson King (Toronto Star – April 22, 2015)

Sudburians – Jason from We Live Up Here on Vimeo.

http://www.sudburians.com/

The Toronto Star has the largest circulation in Canada. The paper has an enormous impact on federal and Ontario politics as well as shaping public opinion.

Many assume that wealth is a sign of happiness — but early research shows that health and community belongingness are better at predicting life satisfaction.

Sudbury has the most happy people out of any city in the country. But Heather McTaggart already knew that.

Although she left the town in her early 20s, she moved back in 2012 to study midwifery at Laurentian University. “I keep moving away,” she said. “But I had to come back to Sudbury.”

With its giant smokestack and remote location at the top of Georgian Bay, few would consider Sudbury a must-see destination.

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Mick Davis says commodities prices close to bottoming out – by James Wilson and Neil Hume (Financial Times – April 21, 2015)

http://www.ft.com/intl/markets/commodities

Lausanne – Mick Davis, one of the mining sector’s most prolific dealmakers, on Tuesday declared that commodities prices were close to bottoming out, and signalled that this may be the year his X2 private equity vehicle starts buying assets.

The sector has been eager to see how the former Xstrata chief executive would invest after he raised up to $5.6bn to fund his ambition of building a mid-tier diversified miner.

At the FT Commodities Global Summit in Lausanne, Mr Davis said there were now “squeaks of distress” from some companies, with plunging commodities prices hitting corporate valuations. “Are we towards the bottom of the market? Yes. Whether we have reached the bottom of the market, I would not know,” he added.

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Could have used more training: Superintendent – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – April 22, 2015)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

Looking back to June 8, 2011, Keith Birnie said he would have liked to have had more training for his role as superintendent at Vale’s Stobie Mine.

Birnie had only been on the job four weeks when supervisor Jason Chenier, 35, and hourly worker Jordan Fram, 26, were killed by an uncontrolled run of muck while working on the 3,000-foot level of the mine near the No. 7 ore pass.

Earlier that day, Birnie had toured the mine with friend and mentor Larry Lauzon, a retired mining superintendent at Stobie Mine whom Birnie said was “coaching” him about safety. He invited Lauzon in “as a different set of eyes” to help him do his job more effectively.

Birnie, who now works in a different capacity for Vale, testified at the second day of a coroner’s inquest into the deaths of Chenier and Fram.

The two-man, three-woman jury heard that water was an ongoing issue at the 100-year-old mine. Because of large indentations on surface from two defunct open-pit mines, water pours into Stobie from above and seeps in from below.

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King Solomon’s Mines (Mining Themed American Movie – 1935)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

King Solomon’s Mines is a 1937 British adventure film directed by Robert Stevenson and starring Paul Robeson, Cedric Hardwicke, Anna Lee, John Loder and Roland Young. The first of five film adaptations of the 1885 novel by the same name by Henry Rider Haggard, the film was produced by the Gaumont British Picture Corporation at Lime Grove Studios in Shepherd’s Bush. Sets were designed by art director Alfred Junge.

Although versions of King Solomon’s Mines were released in 1950 and 1985, this film offering is considered to be the most faithful to the book. [1] Nonetheless, if you read the book you will quickly realize how dissimilar the book is from the movie, for instance; the addition of a white female lead (the novel had an interracial romance subplot) and some musical interludes deliberately added to give Paul Robeson a chance to sing. In contrast to later adaptations, it does depict Allan Quartermain (not Quatermain, as in the book) as a dispassionate, professorial type uninterested in romance, as in the book.

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Billy Elliot (Mining Themed British Movie – 2000)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Billy Elliot is a 2000 British dance drama film written by Lee Hall and directed by Stephen Daldry.[2][3] Set in north-eastern England during the 1984-85 coal miners’ strike, it stars Jamie Bell as 11-year-old Billy, an aspiring dancer dealing with the negative stereotype of the male ballet dancer, Gary Lewis as his coal miner father, Jamie Draven as Billy’s older brother, and Julie Walters as his ballet teacher.

In 2001, author Melvin Burgess was commissioned to write the novelisation of the film based on Lee Hall’s screenplay. The story was adapted for the West End stage as Billy Elliot the Musical in 2005; it opened in Australia in 2007 and on Broadway in 2008.

Plot[edit]
The film is set in the fictional County Durham mining town of Everington during the 1984-85 UK miners’ strike, and centres on the character of 11-year-old Billy Elliot, his love of dance, and his hopes of becoming a professional ballet dancer.

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