Judge Elton Pupo Nogueira ruled that Vale is responsible for fixing all the damages, although he did not set a monetary value for compensation.

Brazil has a backlog of more than 20,000 areas where mining rights expired or were otherwise lost by their previous holders, equivalent to roughly 10% of the areas with pending mining permits.

The 16 Psyche and other asteroids will probably be mined for their metals. But once they start hitting the market in large quantities, they’re unlikely to be precious for much longer.

The move was a precautionary action after it ran a new risk evaluation of a dam close to the mine.

The commodity’s rally has been so strong it’s triggering warnings that the gains have taken the market beyond fundamental drivers and prices are likely set for a pullback.

The Senate panel asked for implementation of a 40% royalty charge on high-yield mines and recommended the indictment of several Vale executives.

Vale’s attempt to reduce costs resulted in heightened tolerance for risks, according to the report.

Alcoa last week said it expects the smelter to be fully operational within 10 months if the offer was accepted.