For campaigners in this pastoral countryside adjacent to a world heritage site, a decision this month by the High Court of Australia was the culmination of a years-long legal battle against a global corporate giant.
Biden's comments on Tuesday were the clearest to date about the rubric administration officials deploy when determining whether or not to support a proposed US mining project.
West Texas Intermediate traded near $94 a barrel and Brent climbed near $96 as the Kremlin announced Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to officially recognize separatists in eastern Ukraine.