Malaysian rare earth protesters take on Aussie mining company

[phantom power]

Lynas Corporation plans to ship tens of thousands of tonnes of rare earth to a refining plant in Malaysia.

The very obvious question the members of the Malaysian delegation asked me was why was this company shipping this ore from Western Australia 5000 kilometres to Malaysia.

We all felt we knew the answer. Lynas would find it hard to go against public opinion in Australia to set up a refining plant that would result in radioactive by-products. Rare earths, a group of about 17 metals, are normally found with thorium and uranium.

I was told how Lynas is already not following their obligations under Malaysian laws, which are actually already quite minimal in providing protection for locals and the environment. The company is yet to disclose their waste management plans and the Detailed Environment Impact Assessment is not available on the internet.

...

Support is building for the campaign. Many locals remember the big protests more than 20 years ago against a similar plant operated by Mitsubishi. It was closed in 1992 and the company is now involved in a $100 million cleanup. The site of this rare earth refinement is regarded as one of Asia's largest radioactive waste cleanup sites.

http://lee-rhiannon.greensmps.org.au/content/news-story/malaysian-rare-earth-protesters-take-on-aussie-mining-company

[kristopher]

1. My Visit to An American Rare Earth Metals Mine

My Visit to An American Rare Earth Metals Mine

The electronic future is buried under the ground in Missouri
By Rebecca Boyle
Posted 03.10.2011

A chunk of magnetite guards the office door at the Pea Ridge iron mine near Sullivan, Mo., a mascot of the mine’s past and future. When Jim Kennedy bought the mine in 2001, he’d planned to restart production on a high-grade iron ore deposit. He didn’t realize he was sitting on a mother lode of 600,000 metric tons of high-grade rare earth elements -- elements the U.S. is desperately hungry for. Four years ago, he almost threw away reams of documents describing Pea Ridge’s deposit. “Nobody bothered to tell me about it,” he said.

At present, the U.S. is almost totally reliant on China for rare earth elements, which are used to make lasers, guided missiles, efficient batteries, and other technologies of the future. But China has recently slashed its exports of these materials, promising new regulations over their production, while raising prices — and the hackles of numerous national governments. As scientists work on possible alternatives to rare earths, some think renewed domestic production of the minerals could loosen China’s grip over 95 percent of the world’s rare earth supply.

Right now, the Pea Ridge mine is a quiet, muddy place with rusting mills, storage sheds cluttered with cracked core samples, and a marshy lake full of mine tailings. But when it’s renovated and reopened, Kennedy hopes to become only the second rare earth producer in the western hemisphere. He envisions a bustling mine producing billions of dollars of rare earths, feeding the renewable energy and defense industries. He has a few hurdles to clear before that dream becomes reality.

Related Articles New Nanocomposite Magnets Could Reduce the Demand for Rare Earth Elements
California Mine Will Reopen to Meet U.S. Demand for Rare Earth Materials
With China Clamping Down on Rare-Earth Metals, Japanese Manufacturers Devise Clever Alternatives

Rare earths are recovered just like other metals — from rocks removed from the ground that are broken up, milled and processed into purified forms. It’s a water-intensive, toxic process, but Kennedy says his mine has plenty of rare earths in the mile-long, 100-foot-deep lake of tailings, a slurry-like waste byproduct of almost 40 years of iron mining. He aims to start mining the lake’s 22 million tons of waste by the end of the year and restart underground mining in 2012.


On the frigid day I visited...

http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-03/rare-earth-mine

[kristopher]

2. Seabed Rare Earth and Precious Metal Mining

Seabed Rare Earth and Precious Metal Mining

by Justin Dove, Investment U Research
Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Rising prices in precious metals and China’s monopoly in rare earth elements are leading to creativity and innovation in mining.

For instance, Japan reported last month that they found extremely rich deposits of rare earth minerals on the seabed of the Pacific Ocean. In the map below, the rich deposits of rare earth elements and yttrium are shown to be numerous throughout the Pacific.

“The deposits have a heavy concentration of rare earths. Just one square kilometer (0.4 square miles) of deposits will be able to provide one-fifth of the current global annual consumption,” said Yasuhiro Kato, Associate Professor of Earth Science at the University of Tokyo...

http://www.investmentu.com/2011/August/seabed-rare-earth-element-mining.html

[kristopher]

3. "MolyCorp Minerals, The Rare Earth Company"

Rare Earths, or “Green Elements,” are critical to enabling and furthering the many green energy technologies, high tech applications and defense systems on which our nation’s economy, security and future depend. We refer to these as “Rare Earth Dependent Technologies” because they cannot be produced without Rare Earth materials.

Currently, Rare Earth Dependent Technologies are nearly 100% reliant on Chinese-sourced materials. While in recent years China has managed to supply the entire world’s demand for Rare Earths, a dramatic shift is beginning to take place. As global requirements for Rare Earths continue to grow considerably (fueled primarily by the development and deployment of green energy technologies like hybrid vehicles, energy efficient lighting and wind power), China’s own domestic use of its resources is also soaring—with internal consumption presently at about 60% of production and rising rapidly.

The best plan for ensuring the future security of America’s Rare Earth Dependent Technologies is developing a strong domestic Rare Earth industry based on the responsible use of our own strategic reserves.


Fortunately, the U.S. has one of the world’s largest and richest Rare Earth deposits at Molycorp Minerals’ facility in Mountain Pass, California. At Mountain Pass we are producing certain Green Elements and plans are in place to bring the facility back into full production following an extensive modernization and expansion project. With appropriate federal assistance for research, development and capital costs, Molycorp Minerals is prepared to move forward to reestablish domestic manufacturing capacity on an expedited basis.

http://www.molycorp.com/

Etc, etc, etc....