MINING.COM Staff Writer

The Washington Post (July 28, 2008) - The federal government is "putting the public's health and safety at risk" by not cleaning up safety and contamination hazards at abandoned mines on public land in the West, the Interior Department's inspector general said.

Mining Journal (July 25, 2008) - Cameroon is luring a flood of new mining investors who it hopes will invest over US$10 billion and create over 27,000 jobs in the central African nation over the next few years, a top mines ministry official said.

Charleston Gazette (August 1, 2008) - Governor Joe Manchin's top mine safety officials blasted the federal government's version of a rule to require emergency rescue chambers in the nation's underground coal mines.

BHP Billiton announced that it plans to spend US$4.8 billion to expand its Pilbara iron ore operations in Western Australia.

Metso, in partnership with UPM and the University of Oulu, is launching a technology program in Kajaani, Finland, to develop measuring and control solutions for the renewing chemical wood processing industry.

The world’s largest producer of iron ore, Vale, plans to invest US$250 million to restart the Moatize coal mine in Mozambique. Vale has been the concession holder on coal mining in Moatize since 2004, when it paid over US$123 million for the license. The company expects coal production to begin in 2010 and 2011. The reserves are estimated at 2.4 billion tons of coal, making the Moatize mine the largest in the country.