New landscape for BC mining environmental reviews

Coal miner Alpha Natural Resources Inc (ANR.N) cut its 2011 shipment forecast, citing reduced demand from the key Asian steel market among other things, sending its shares down 10 percent and dragging down the whole sector. The news came as another major coal producer, Walter Energy (WLT.N) (WLT.TO), lowered its sales forecast for the second half of this year, because of weather and problems at some of its mines. Walter's stock dropped 10.1 percent to $67.42 and Alpha shares were down 12.1 percent at $23.65 on Wednesday afternoon on the New York Stock Exchange. Arch Coal (ACI.N) shares were down 8.8 percent at $16.44 and Peabody Energy (BTU.N) stock was down 4.6 percent at $40.91.

EthicalOil.org ran commercials about the treatment of women in Saudi Arabia on the Oprah Winfrey Network late August and has now been dragged in front of Canada's advertising authorities by the Kingdom, handing the controversial website a PR victory just as it was beginning to look as if its message was being drowned out by Hollywood celebs protesting oil sands pipelines.

Mercator Lines has acquired 50 per cent stake in a coal mine in Indonesia's Kalimanthan province for about USD 30 million (Rs 145 crore), a top company official said today.

Without international agreements to limit greenhouse gas emissions, a new energy report sees world coal consumption taking off, rising from 139 quadrillion Btu in 2008 to 209 quadrillion Btu in 2035. The U.S. Energy Information Administration released its International Energy Outlook 2011 on Monday. While OECD countries, like the U.S., Canada, Australia and Japan, show a flat to declining consumption in coal, the non-OECD countries, namely China and India, show the demand for coal-powered energy exploding.

A strike appears imminent at Rio Tinto's Rssing Uranium Mine in the Namibian-Naukluft Park (pictured) after workers unhappy over production bonuses on Wednesday voted unanimously in favour of industrial action that could cripple operations at the mine responsible for some 5% of world production. Management said the demands were unreasonable and defeat logic. The industrial action takes place at a difficult time for the uranium industry with the spot price recently falling below $50 – levels last seen immediately after the nuclear accident at Fukushima. The sector has lost some 40% of its value since the Japan disaster and the first deal of what is expected to be widespread consolidation in the industry is already shaping up to be a classic David and Goliath fight.

Rapid Extraction Using Alkaline Leaching Could Benefit the Economics of Project

Three years before it has yet to really produce coal, the northern Galilee Basin is already fully booked to Indian and Chinese coal mining companies. The Australian Newspaper said India's Adani Group already owns some 7.8 billion tones into the Queensland coal field, and is poised to pay an additional US$1.3 billion for a 7.9 billion-tonne coal tenement. While Australian billionaire Clive Palmer owns some 3.7 billion tones into the field, which reports say he is developing with Chinese business partners. The northern Galilee basin has a total of 20 billion tonnes production capacity.

China's position as the world's economic engine is being reinforced as expectations for growth in developed markets wane, but so is the risk a decline in its appetite for metals and minerals may mean the Asian giant won't offset any Western slowdown.

MPX Energia SA, the energy company controlled by Brazilian billionaire Eike Batista, said it’s targeting China as the “main market” for the coal it will produce in Colombia.