Mining

A look at media in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. With Mbuyi Tshielantende and Patrice Nyembo of the Congolese Community of Australia and their plans for an online platform based on the West Papua Media website. We also talk to Journalist Shant Fabricatorian who was in DRC last year.

We look at the Union push for a national asbestos authority to be established, the conflicts of interest with the Environmental Authority’s assessment of the James Price Point gas hub, and we head to Rio for the International Uranium film festival, the week after Rio plus 20 Earth Summit.

We look at the emotional impacts of fly-in fly out work arrangements for workers and their families, the most recent Intergovermental Panel on Climate Change report – and an update on clashes at James Price Point gas project site in Western Australia.

We look at the health effects of living near an aluminium plant, electronic waste, and the latest, surprising update for coal seam gas in inner Sydney.

Last week we looked at the defamation case Lynas Corporation has brought against local community groups in Malaysia, who are campaigning against their planned rare earths refinery in Kuantan. This week we look at how the raw earth concentrated will be transported to Malaysia. Also, Alkane Resources is planning a rare earths mine in Dubbo. And we look at open cut coal mining at Boggabri.

Orica’s troubled Kooragang Island plant is closed for maintenance, and with nowhere to store 3000 tonnes of explosive ammonium nitrate - Orica boarded it onto a cargo ship and sent it out to sea. And in Malaysia, Australian mining company Lynas Corp planning to operate a controversial rare earths processing plant in Kuantan, is suing a local campaign group and an alternative news website for defamation. And unlike Australian law, Malaysian law has no cap on damages that can be awarded for defamation.

The Federal Court gives the go ahead for the expansion of the Olympic Dam uranium mine in South Australia. Kevin Buzzacott, Arabunna elder from Lake Eyre, was taking on BHP Billiton, the State of South Australia, and the Federal Environment Minister. And in Argentina the Government has renationalised one of the countries largest oil companies. President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has taken back the country’s largest oil company, seizing a controlling share from Spanish Repsol.

NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell has introduced legislation to overturn a longstanding ban on uranium mining in the state.

A look at industrial pollution, environmental regulations and communities affected by contamination. Mining companies are dumping waste tailings into oceans and rivers, the NSW EPA is overhauled, and we hear about the Newcastle community affected by the Orica spills.

Canadian miners Nautilus minerals has won approval from the PNG government to embark on a large commercial project more than a thousand metres underwater – mining mineral deposits around hydrothermal sulphur vents on the sea floor. The Solwara-1 project is the first commercial operation of its kind.