In the previous post, I listed what I felt were the 10 most important resource-related stories from 2010. Coming up with Items 1 and 2 (Haiti Earthquake and BP Spill) was not difficult; on a list of top stories ranked by AP editors, the BP Spill was #1 and the Haiti Earthquake #5. Picking the additional items was not too difficult, either, as there was a long list of news items from the year. This week, I’ll list some others I feel are notable. Even if not still in the news in 2011, these items can influence the way we think about resources, not to mention, provide topics for future posts.
First, let’s start with two events that are reminders of the power of nature to disrupt where we live and what we do:
Chilean Earthquake
On February 27, a magnitude 8.8 earthquake in Chile caused widespread destruction, killing nearly 500 people.
Iceland Volcano Erupts
The Icelandic volcano with the name newscasters dread, Eyjafjallajokull, erupted in April, throwing off an ash plume that caused massive disruptions to a flights across Europe. The disruptions were quickly forgotten as a different kind of eruption occurred later that month in the Gulf of Mexico.
Next, we have several items with the common thread of Green Energy development:
Offshore Windfarm Approved
In April, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar approved the Cape Wind project, in Nantucket Sound off Massachusetts. This, the first offshore wind farm in North America, has faced opposition, notably that from the late Senator Kennedy. 1.2.
Solar Farms Advance
In October, Secretary Salazar approved plans for a $6 billion solar-thermal plant in California. In December, Secretary Salazar and Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced a comprehensive environmental analysis (Programmatic EIS)that has identified ‘solar energy zones’ on public lands in six western states. 3.
Chevy Volt versus Nissan Leaf
Throughout the year, stories ran on planned release in 2011 of new electric vehicles (EVs) from Chevy and Nissan. Given that both have several hundred pounds of lithium in their respective batteries, the following news item seemed significant:
Afghanistan's Lithium
In June, NYTimes ran an article announcing “the United States has discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, ... including critical industrial metals like lithium.” Some speculated that Afghanistan could become the Saudi Arabia of lithium. 4.
In the next several items, regulations and the battle over carbon emissions appear as a common thread:
Climate Change Meeting in Cancun
In December, the UN Climate Change Conference was held in Cancun, Mexico. Reports were that the conference resulted in an agreement aimed at limiting global warming by establishing a $100 billion/year fund by 2020 to assist poorer countries. There was no agreement on how to extend the Kyoto Protocol, or how to fund the fund.
States Ban Fracking
Hydraulic fracturing, aka frac’ing, fracing or fracking; media convention favors use of ‘fracking’. This method for improving recovery of natural gas gained attention in March, 2010, when the PBS documentary, Gasland, took aim at the impacts on groundwater. In October, Pennsylvania Governor Rendell banned further drilling on state lands. In December, New York Governor Paterson replaced a six month moratorium with a temporary ban. 5. 6.
Battle Over Mountaintop Mining
Coal mining in Appalachian states faced opposition as EPA determined adverse impacts from a proposed mine in West Virginia. Governor Manchin announced that the state is suing EPA over the decision. 7. 8. 9.
EPA to regulate CO2 in 2011
In March, EPA moved under the Clean Air Act towards regulating greenhouse gases (GHGs), including carbon dioxide. The move will no doubt be met with a corresponding release of GHGs in 2011 on Capitol Hill. 10. 11.
EPA approves E15
In October, EPA granted a partial waiver to allow fuel and fuel additive manufacturers up to 15 vol% ethanol (E15), pleasing some, including the State of Iowa. 12.
EPA Backs Off Hazardous Designation of Coal Ash
A dam failure in 2008 that spilled 5 million cubic yards of ash from a Tennessee Valley Authority facility raised awareness of the physical by-products of burning coal for electricity. In May, EPA reflected on its stance, with the statement, "After extensive discussions, the Administrator decided that the options [for designation] merited consideration for addressing the formidable challenge of safely managing coal ash disposal." 13.
Yucca Mountain Dead
In January, 2010, director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy, Carol Browner, declared dead the government’s decades-old Yucca Mountain Project for nuclear waste disposal, and announced a new commission to study alternatives for handling the nation’s spent nuclear fuel. 14.
As if we didn’t already know it, the next two items are reminders that mining is a dangerous business:
Ecuador Miners Lost
In an unhappy anthesis to the Chilean Mine Rescue story, in October four miners were trapped by a cave-in at a gold mine in southern Ecuador and later found dead. 15.
Lead Poisoning from African Gold Mines
Mining in Nigeria was blamed for lead poisoning in Nigerian villages, where miners use hand methods and no environmental controls to recover gold from lead-rich rock. Lead poisoning has been blamed for deaths of 284 children and elevated blood-lead levels in thousands more. 16.
Following the above, the next two items are considered ‘wins’ on the year by environmental groups:
Gold-Copper Mine Stopped
In November, Canada blocked plans by Taseko Mines for an open pit gold-copper mine near Williams Lake, B.C.. Cited were objections the project would destroy two nearby lakes and portions of a stream by filling them with mill tailings. Taseko reported having spent $100 million and 17 years working on the project. 17.
Bauxite Mine Stopped
In August, the Indian Government blocked plans by the aluminum miner Vedanta, for a mine in the eastern state of Orissa, due to objections that the mine would remove a mountain on sacred tribal land. 18.
Finally, the last two remaining items didn’t seem to fit in anywhere above:
Battle over Mining Tax
In May, the Australian government moved to increase taxes on the mining sector, alarming many, including three of the world’s biggest, BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, and Xstrata.19. 20.
Canada Blocks BHP Bid for Potash
In November, BHP Billiton of Australia, the world’s largest mining company, was blocked in its $39 billion bid for the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, the world’s leading supplier of the nutrient potassium to agriculture. It’s nice to be big, but not too big. 21.
Besides involving BHP, the last two items above are examples of the role big business plays in producing the resources we need. Which reminds me to write soon about resource awareness as seen through the movie Avatar. In the meantime, next week I will try focusing on the supply side of rare earths.
Thanks for reading.
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