Free Republic

Agency officials coached tribes on how to oppose Alaska’s Pebble Mine. Obama has repeatedly urged that science guide environmental decisions, regulators inside the Environmental Protection Agency secretly worked with tribal and environmental activists to preempt a full review of an Alaskan mine and veto the project before the owners’ permits could be considered, internal memos show. Charged with being neutral arbiters, EPA officials instead began advocating for a preemptive veto of the Pebble Mine project in western Alaska as early as 2008, long before any scientific studies were conducted or the permit applications for the project were even filed, ......

What’s the best state in America? I’m not sure I can answer that broad question, but I can address the more narrow issue of which state has the most economic freedom. Last month, for instance, I shared some data from the Canada-based Fraser Institute which showed that South Dakota was America’s most laissez-faire state, followed by Tennessee, Delaware, Texas, and Virginia (though all of them trailed the Canadian province of Alberta). And one year ago, I posted about a fascinating Mercatus study that ranked states based on total freedom (including, interestingly, a “bachelor party” variable). That research put North Dakota...

Rick Williams is a hero for trying to save the life of fellow Revenue-Virginius Mine worker Nicholas Cappanno in a mine accident Sunday that took both their lives, Cappanno’s brother, Eric Keep, said Monday. Cappanno, a 34-year-old Montrose resident, was new to the hard-rock mine industry, having worked at the Ouray County mine only a few weeks, Keep said. He died alongside Williams, his immediate supervisor in the newly reopened silver and gold mine just southwest of Ouray, in an accident that also injured 19 others early Sunday. “He worked in the gas patch for years, but that would take...

OURAY – A mining accident early Sunday morning at the Revenue-Virginius Mine in Ouray County has killed two miners and sent 20 to the region's hospitals. According to Ouray County authorities at approximately 3:20 p.m. Sunday, the rescue initiated for two miners who remained underground resulted in confirmation of two fatalities at the site by the County Coroner's office; the two men's identities have not been released. Twenty victims were taken to various hospitals in the region, with one victim reportedly in critical condition at Montrose Memorial Hospital. ... The historic Revenue-Virginius Silver Mine is located 6.9 miles south of...

On Tuesday, Barack Obama presented the Medal of Honor -- the nation's highest military honor -- to Army Captain William D. Swenson. But for the third time, Obama referred to "my military" during the ceremony, according to a transcript at the official website of the U.S. Army. "So, Will Swenson was there for his brothers. He was there for their families. As a nation, we thank God that patriots like him are there for us all. So, Will, God bless you and all the men you've fought alongside, and for everything you've done for us. God bless all of our...

In medieval times, when salt was precious, the mine brought great wealth to Poland. Over the centuries, the men who mined it filled it with religious and historical sculptures and underground chapels alongside their workshops. Older miners taught younger ones how to carve in salt. In modern times, mine officials invited artists to create other sculptures in the mine's passageways.Chapel of St. Kinga in the Wieliczka Salt Mine in Poland Screenshot from Google Street View

If you would really like to see what mining companies are faced with, take a few minutes to read and watch the report at www.wqow.com/story/22811032/video-shows-confrontation" There's new video showing how intense the battle has become over mining in northern Wisconsin. The video is of a confrontation in the woods. This week, we've seen the steps a company has taken to protect its proposed mining site along the Iron-Ashland County line. Armed guards from an Arizona security company were hired. Gogebic Taconite has had concerns ever since an incident with protesters last month. For the first time, we're seeing video believed...

The company building the mine in northern Wisconsin has hired armed guards to protect workers after a barrage of ecoterrorist leftists launched the threatening verbal assualt on mine workers. Liberal Democrat State Senator Bob Jauch of Poplar, WI, and Democrat State Rep. Janet Bewely of Ashland, WI were outraged that the mine company hired armed security. Jauch was one of the Democrat senators who fled to Illinois during Gov. Scott Walker's Act 10 proposal. Check out the video but be warned that there are a lot of "F" words, none of which were used by the mine workers.Wisconsin mine protesters

An out-of-state security company providing armed guards for a proposed mining site in northern Wisconsin is standing down at least for now after it was revealed that the firm isn't licensed to provide private security inside Wisconsin. A spokesman for mining firm Gogebic Taconite LLC said that his firm had asked Bulletproof Securities to withdraw its guards from the proposed mine area until it obtains a license to operate in the state. Bob Seitz of Gogebic made the announcement Wednesday afternoon after being contacted by a Journal Sentinel reporter earlier in the day, though Seitz said that Gogebic had first...

But a company spokesperson says they're simply trying to protect themselves from the types of protesters that vandalized the mine site on June 11th. 15 to 20 protesters raided the mine site in the Town of Anderson early that morning, throwing full soda cans and water jugs towards some workers. One of the protesters, who Iron County Sheriff's Deputies identified as 26 year-old Katie Kloth of Stevens Point, is facing a felony charge of robbery with use of force. A sheriff's report states Kloth forcibly stole a camera away from a Gogebic employee who was videotaping the protesters. The employee...

A number of miners in southern West Virginia employed by Mechel-Bluestone have received news this week not to come back to work until further notice, WVVA News has learned. A miner at one of the affected mines -- Double Bonus Mine on Pinnacle Creek Road in Pineville -- tells WVVA News that the miners there were told Thursday the mine was being idled until further notice. The miner says the affected workers were told they could file for low-earning unemployment and that a timetable for return was uncertain. At least four other underground and surface mines in the area were...

Ladies and gentlemen, as you know I’ve been very proud to be your president these last 4 years. Aaand, you know, while I’ve worked as hard between rounds of golf as I possibly could have during these tumultuous times, there simply wasn’t enough time for me to fix all the horrendous things George Bush did to make me inherit the worst economy the U.S. has EVER faced. Some say, ah, that no one man could have repaired all the damage my predecessor had done in 8 years, let alone 4. The important thing to remember is that none of our...

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement after learning that CONSOL Energy will temporarily idle, effective today, its Buchanan Mine in Southwest Virginia: “With this Administration’s ongoing war on coal, unfortunately, today’s extremely disappointing news doesn’t come as a surprise. Our economy is struggling. With current policies, the down economy is not going to improve soon. Obviously, this means that construction, including items built with steel, have been put on hold. This Administration has been clear about one thing, it is not serious about using our own energy resources, thus inviting other countries to increase their production of coal....

Zambian coal miners killed a Chinese mine manager and injured his colleague in a riot over wages at a mine known for tensions with the Chinese investor in southern Zambia, state media reported. "Wu Shengzai, aged 50, has been killed by protesting workers after being hit by a trolley which was pushed towards him by the rioting miners as he ran away into the underground where he wanted to seek refugee. He died on the spot while his colleague is in hospital," Southern province police commissioner Fred Mutondo told state news agency the Zambia News and Information Services on Sunday....

HONG KONG (Mineweb) - Talking to Duluth Metals Chairman and CEO, Chris Dundas at Mines & Money Hong Kong he remains extremely enthusiastic about his monster mining project in Northern Minnesota, USA which, if and when it comes to fruition, will become one of the world's great underground mining operations with a mine life probably well in excess of 100 years. Top engineering company Bechtel has been retained to undertake the preparation of the NI 43-101 Prefeasibility Study (PFS) on the initial project based primarily on the Nokomis section of this vast resource and the parameters under which Bechtel has...

Madison - In hope of pushing through controversial mining legislation, the Senate's top leader on Wednesday disbanded a special committee on the issue, but the move could instead prevent a bill from passing before the legislative session ends March 15. The decision by Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) to support the Assembly version of the measure comes amid a second round of recall elections that could result in Republicans losing their majority in the Senate. The Assembly bill weakens existing mining regulations, but supporters believe it provides adequate environmental protections and would spur development of a massive open pit...

In a speech at Macomb Community College in Warren, Mich., today, President Obama veered off his prepared remarks to take this shot at some of the "it's Obama's economy" critics: I love those folks who helped get us in this mess, and suddenly they say, "This is Obama's economy." That's fine. Give it to me. My job is to solve problems, not stand on the sidelines and carp and gripe.

A White House terrorism strategy released today says Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks aid in "advancing violent extremist narratives" and should be monitored by the government. The 12-page strategy (PDF), which outlines ways to respond to violent extremism, promises that: "We will continue to closely monitor the important role the Internet and social-networking sites play in advancing violent extremist narratives." President Obama said in a statement accompanying the report that the federal government will start "helping communities to better understand and protect themselves against violent extremist propaganda, especially online."

A team of archaeologists and others will return to a site southeast of the Dead Sea in late September, 2011 to continue investigations of what is now considered to be one of the largest copper mines of the ancient Middle East. Among other things, scientists hope to be able to identify the ethnicity or nationality of the people who actually controlled the mining and smelting operation during the 10th century B.C.E., the time period when, based on the Biblical accounts, scholars have traditionally dated the kingdom of Edom, as well as that of David and Solomon of ancient Israel. The...

After more than a year of review and negotiation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Jan. 13 that it rescinded the permit for Arch Coal Co.’s Spruce Fork No. 1 surface mine in Logan County. The mine would have unacceptable effects on the environment, the agency decided. “EPA is taking this action under Section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act because the discharges associated with the DA Permit in Pigeonroost Branch, Oldhouse Branch and their tributaries will have unacceptable adverse effects on wildlife,” reads the agency’s final determination. “In addition, the impacts downstream due to the destruction of those streams...