The Denver Post reports that Federal officials in Commerce City, Colorado are trying to contain contamination in the South Platte River near one of Suncor Energy's refineries. What material is leaking and where it is actually coming from is still to be determined. The EPA has emergency response crew working on the scene. Booms and barriers have been set up to contain the spill, which was first reported on Sunday.

The legal battle between Codelco and Anglo American is escalating. Yesterday, Chile’s state-owned copper company lodged a so-called pre-judicial preparatory measure in the 17th Civil Court of Santiago, seeking details of Mitsubishi’s purchase of a 24.5 percent stake announced on Nov. 9. The measure aims to ultimately annul the $5.39 billion deal between Anglo and Mitsubishi. While this was happening, London-based miner filed a legal action to annul Codelco’s “protection petition” presented Nov.14, which prevents Anglo from keep selling part of its assets.

Bloomberg reports that Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) has released its 2012 forecast on commodities. The document predicts commodities may rally 15 percent in the next 12 months, foresees an “overweight” recommendation on raw materials and expects Brent crude to surge to highest level since 2008. In contrast, JPMorgan Chase & Co cut commodities to “underweight” last week, quoting policy failures in the U.S. and crisis-hit Europe.

De Beers' second mainland China standalone was opened earlier this week. De Beers Diamond Jewellers has opened a second store in China, in The Friendship Mall in Tianjin, its second standalone in six months.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced that eight mines around the country have received letters putting them on notice that each has a potential pattern of violations of mandatory health or safety standards under Section 104(e) of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977. The PPOV screening from which these letters resulted represents the second since MSHA established the current criteria and procedures in September 2010. The eight mines that received letters are as follows: (Click on the headline to read the list and rest of story)

A small group of protestors converged on Lynas Corporation’s annual general meeting in Sydney yesterday in opposition to the company’s rare earth refinery in Malaysia.

Remember those pictures and videos of cars and trucks bobbing down a surging river in Brisbane? It could happen again. Business Standard reports that severe weather could be on its way to Queensland towards the end of the year: La Niña —a weather phenomenon characterised by unusually cool sea surface temperatures, leading to heavy rains in the Pacific region such as the Queensland floods — has re-emerged but is expected to weaker than last year, metrological agencies have said, adding that the La Niña could strengthen in intensity moving into 2012.

North American stock exchanges are on a tear today after central banks made more funds available to lenders, giving investors hope for a way out of the European debt debacle. The markets were also cheered by better than expected private sector job growth in the United States. The mining-heavy S&P/TSX Composite was up 2.5% to just over 12,000 at time of writing. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 384 points, or 3.3%, the most on a closing basis since Aug. 11, according to Bloomberg. Spot gold was up $32 from yesterday to $1747 which is just above the 20-day moving average of $1744, noted Kitco. Silver was up marginally to $32.86 from yesterday's $31.92, while benchmark copper was up more than 5% to a two-week high of $7,885/tonne. Zinc, lead, aluminum and nickel were also up from Tuesday.

The much anticipated socioeconomic study released today by Chmura Economics & Analytics on behalf of the Virginia Coal & Energy Commission identifies major economic benefits for Virginia and the Southside region from proposed uranium mining and milling.