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Features
REGIONAL PROFILE
Australian Mining Technology
Despite a shortage of professionals, Australia continues to
lead the world in.....read more
By Steve Fiscor, Editor-In-Chief
LONGWALL MINING
Top Coal Caving
Austar’s longwall system offers opportunities in seams thicker than 4.5 meters.....read more
SURFACE MINING
Maximizing Mining Tire Life
An end to the mining tire shortage could be years
away. Experts offer advice on.....read more.
By Russell A. Carter, Managing Editor
BLAST HOLE DRILLING
What’s New in Blasthole Drilling
Reliability has always been key for drill builders and their customers, but intelligence......read more.
PLANT CONTROLS
Getting It Under Control
Namibia’s mine operators are focusing on efficiency, and doing it by the numbers.....read more.
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 Democrats Revive
Efforts
to Overhaul Mining Law -
During late July, the U.S. House of
Representatives Subcommittee on Energy
and Minerals held a hearing on H.R.
2262, the Hardrock Mining and Reclamation
Act of 2007, to consider updating
the Mining Law of 1872. Taxpayer advocates
and environmentalists have asked U.S.
lawmakers to overhaul a law they say
is out of date. According to the Washington
Post, they found stiff opposition
from mining industry officials and
Republican lawmakers at the hearing.
The bill, which was introduced by
Rep. Nick Rahall, a Democrat from
West Virginia and longtime advocate
of reforming the Mining Law of 1872,
would add an 8% royalty on hard-rock
mining operations and a number of
water and air protection rules. It
also would grant more discretion for
federal regulatory agencies to deny
mining permits when they identify
land conflicts ........ read
more
Steve Fiscor, Editor in Chief
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Rio
Tinto Tops Alcoa’s Bid for Alcan; Alcoa
Seen as Next Acquisition Target - Rio
Tinto and Alcan announced on July 12, 2007,
plans for an agreed acquisition of Alcan
by Rio Tinto for $38.1 billion in cash.
The offer provided Alcan shareholders with
a 65.5% premium over the company’s all-time
high closing share price prior to May 7,
2007, when Alcoa started the bidding with
a cash and share offer for Alcan. Rio Tinto’s
offer provided a 32.8% premium over Alcoa’s
offer, based on Alcoa’s.........
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PWCSizes,
Up the Booming Mining Industry - A report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), Mine—Riding the Wave,
published June 21, 2007, puts some numbers to the magnitude of the boom that the global mining industry
has been experiencing over the past four years. The annual study is the fifth in a series that began in
2003 for financial year 2002. The current study focuses primarily on aggregate 2005–2006 year-toyear
comparisons for 40 of the mining industry’s largest companies and also includes a table of five-year
trends, showing year-by-year aggregate gains in....... read
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NorilskCVRD
Control of LionOre - Norilsk Nickel announced
on June 29, 2007, that approximately 90% of
the common shares of LionOre Mining had been
tendered to its all-cash offer of C$27.50
per LionOre share. Norilsk extended its offer
to July 10 to allow remaining LionOre shareholders
additional time to accept the offer. The offer
valued LionOre at about C$6.8 billion..... read
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TeckCominco
Makes Friendly Bid for Aur - On July
3, 2007, Teck Cominco and Aur Resources announced
an agreed C$4.1- billion cash and share offer
by Teck Cominco to acquire all of the outstanding
shares of Aur Resources. Aur’s principal assets
are its 76.5% interest in the Quebrada Blanca
copper mine in Chile, its 90% interest in
the Andacollo copper mine and Andacollo hypogene
coppergold deposit under development in Chile,
and its 100% interest in the Duck Pond copper-zinc
mine....read
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Yamana Gold and Northern
Orion Seek Hookup with Meridian Gold
- On June 27, 2007, Yamana Gold and Northern
Orion Resources announced that they had entered
into a business combination agreement and
were making a concurrent proposal to Meridian
Gold with respect to the combination of the
three companies. Closure of the Yamana/Northern
Orion transaction was conditioned on successful
acquisition of two-thirds of Meridian’s shares
by Yamana ...... read
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NovaGold
Board Okays Galore Creek Construction
- NovaGold Resources said it has received
all necessary federal and provincial authorizations
and permits, allowing board of director approval
to start construction at the Galore Creek
copper-gold project in northwestern British
Columbia. The company said board approval
for construction activities was contingent
on receiving full regulatory authorization
for the project. Federal authorization was
posted to the Canadian Environmental Assessment
Registry on June 4, 2007. Significant mobilization
and other pre-construction activities had
been carried out over past months...
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Cameco Progresses with Cigar Lake Mine
Repair, Encounters Problem at Port Hope Conversion
Plant - Cameco Corp. reported in July
that it continues to make progress on its
phased plan to restore the Cigar Lake uranium
project in Saskatchewan, Canada, after a water
inflow on October 23, 2006, flooded the underground
development. The first phase of the remediation
plan involves drilling holes down to the source
of the inflow and to a nearby tunnel where
reinforcement is needed, pumping concrete
through the drill holes, sealing off the inflow
with grout and drilling dewatering holes.....
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Alcan Hires Bechtel to Conduct Kitimat Smelter Expansion Study
- Alcan Inc. announced that it has signed a contract with Bechtel to produce
a detailed feasibility study and preliminary engineering to confirm the cost
estimate and overall project and execution schedule of the planned expansion
of Alcan's Kitimat smelter as announced on August 14, 2006. Terms of the
contract were not disclosed. The contract with Bechtel aims to provide all
the planning, engineering and site investigation work necessary to submit to
Alcan’s board of directors for final approval of the project....
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Fort Hills Oil Sands Project Moves Forward with Design Decision
- Teck Cominco announced in late June that Fort Hills Energy L.P. has
adopted the formal design basis for its Fort Hills project, an integrated
oil sands mining project that includes a mine and bitumen extraction
plant 90 km north of Fort McMurray, Alberta, and an upgrader in Sturgeon
County northeast of Edmonton, Alberta. According to the company, this
milestone marks the partnership’s commitment to proceed with the front-end
engineering and design (FEED) stage. The FEED process will take about 12
months to complete, producing a definitive cost estimate and the basis
upon which the final go-ahead decision on the project will be made....
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Days of Unrest in Codelco’s Mines
- Editor’s note: The following is a special
report written by E&MJ’s South American
correspondent, Oscar Martinez, editor of Mining
Media’s Equipo Minero magazine.
A mobilization of workers such as had not
been seen for many years recently occurred
in Chile, when approximately 28,000 contractor
and subcontractor workers from various divisions
of copper producer Codelco, including El
Salvador, Andina, El Teniente, Ventanas
and Radomiro Romic, struck on June 25. Demonstrators
placed rocks and barricades to block access
roads leading to the mines. However, the
most serious incidents took place at El
Teniente, where a group of strikers entered
the mine facilities, knocked over a minibus
and a pickup truck, and burned eight buses
used to transport personnel ……
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Coeur d’Alene Mines, Bolnisi Gold
and Palmarejo Silver to Merge - Coeur
d’Alene Mines Corp., Bolnisi Gold NL and Palmarejo
Silver and Gold Corp. announced during early
May that they have entered into agreements,
which have been approved unanimously by their
respective boards of directors, as well as
a special committee of independent directors
of the Palmarejo board of directors, to merge
creating the world’s leading primary silver
producer. The agreement calls for Coeur to
acquire all of the shares of Bolnisi, and
all of the shares of Palmarejo not owned by
Bolnisi, in a transaction valued at approximately
$1.1 billion…. read
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CVRD, Hydro to Build Brazilian Alumina
Refinery - Companhia Vale do Rio
Doce (CVRD) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding
to develop a new alumina refinery in northern
Brazil with Hydro, a leading Norwegian producer
of aluminum. The refinery will be located
in Barcarena, in the Brazilian state of Para,
Brazil. “Participation in the new refinery
project is an important element of Hydro’s
strategy to expand our global primary aluminium
and raw materials production,” said Hydro
President and CEO Eivind Reiten…. read
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Rio Tinto to Spend $1.8 Billion on Yarwun Alumina Expansion
- Rio Tinto has approved a $1.8 billion expansion of the Yarwun alumina
refinery in Gladstone, Queensland. The expansion will more than double
annual production, increasing output by 2 million metric tons (mt) to 3.4
million mt by 2011. Rio Tinto’s operation at Weipa in northern Queensland
will supply bauxite to the refinery. The Yarwun expansion will have the
benefit of substantial scale efficiencies gained from the construction of
the first stage of the refinery….
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Atlas Looks to Fortescue Subsidiary
for Iron Ore Shipping Services -
Atlas Iron Ltd. announced in June that it
entered into a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) with Fortescue Metals Group that calls
for Fortescue, through its subsidiary The
Pilbara Infrastructure Pty Ltd. (TPI), and
Atlas to negotiate an agreement by which TPI
will provide Atlas with interim port handling
and ship loading services from March 2008
to March 2009 at a rate up to 1 million mt/y
of iron ore from Atlas’ Pardoo DSO (direct
shipping iron ore) project located 50 km east
of Port Hedland, Western Australia….
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China’s AnSteel to Invest in Gindalbie
Iron Ore Group - Western Australian
iron ore group Gindalbie Metals Ltd. announced
that it has reached agreement with its joint
venture partner in the Karara iron ore project,
Chinese steel and iron ore company Anshan
Iron & Steel Group Corp. (AnSteel),
for AnSteel to take a strategic equity position
in Gindalbie. Under an agreement signed
with AnSteel, Gindalbie will issue 65 million
shares at A$0.60 each to AnSteel’s Hong
Kong investment …. read
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Aluminum Producer RUSAL Spending
Billions to Boost Refining and Smelting
Capacity - United Company RUSAL,
the world’s largest producer of aluminum,
began construction in late July on the Taishet
aluminum smelter located near Irkutsk, Siberia.
The smelter project, with an annual capacity
of 750,000 mt of aluminum, will cost approximately
$2 billion. A feasibility study of the smelter’s
construction was conducted by Bechtel Corp.
with the assistance of specialists from
UC RUSAL’s engineering and construction
division. The Taishet smelter will comprise
four pot rooms equipped with RA-400 cells
developed by UC RUSAL’s Engineering &
Technology Center ….
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African Copper Inks Mining Contract
for Dukwe Copper - African Copper
has signed a five-year contract with Moolman
Mining Botswana, an operating group of Aveng
Ltd., to conduct mining at its Dukwe project
located 120 km northwest of Francistown, Botswana,
in southern Africa. According to the company,
the contract includes both mobilization and
demobilization of the mining fleet which at
full strength will consist of three….
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Katanga Mining’s Kamoto Mill Commissioned
- Katanga Mining Ltd. reported that commissioning
of the Kamoto concentrator began on schedule
in mid-July at its copper- cobalt mine complex
in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Commissioning
of the sulphide circuit will be followed
by commissioning of the oxide circuit. In
total, two mills and 88 flotation cells
will be operational in phase one. When fully
operational in 2011, the total capacity
of the concentrator will be 7.5 million
mt/y of ore……
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China,
Japan in Coal Price-Hike Deal -
Coal miners in the north of China have agreed
with Japanese buyers on a 2007 price hike
of about 28% for thermal coal, while other
suppliers have unprecedentedly refused to
join the deal, Shenzhen Daily reported.
Due to strong demand in China, which has
pushed up domestic prices to historic highs,
domestic miners are reluctant to sell much
of the fuel abroad, especially as the government
has scrapped tax rebates…. read
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Indonesia Targets Rise in Coal Production
- Indonesia’s largest natural resource firm
PT Bumi Resources Tbk and other coal producers
are increasing production. Japanese trading
house Itochu Corp. is considering building
a railway exclusively to transport coal on
Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of the island
of Borneo, jointly with the Indonesian government
to support the increasing output. According
to The Nikkei, the country’s coal production
is expected to grow 10% this year from…...
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| South
Africa’s Coal Unions Declare a Dispute
- NUM, Solidarity and UASA declared a dispute
with the Chamber of Mines on the third round
of coal mining wage negotiations held at
the Chamber of Mines offices in Johannesburg
during mid-July. Eric Nwedo, the chamber’s
negotiator for coal, indicated that the
Unions’ demands, put together, still have
significant cost implications for the companies.…...
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| CVRD
to Start Moatize Construction This Year
- Brazilian miner Companhia Vale do Rio
Doce plans to start construction on the
massive Moatize coal project in Mozambique
in the second half of the year, with production
expected in the second half of 2010, Reuters
reported. Roberto Castello Branco, CVRD’s
investor relations director, pegged capital
costs for the project at $1.6 billion. “We
will be able to produce about 14 million
metric tons of coal products per year, given
the reserves…... read
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Australian Mining Technology
Despite a shortage of professionals, Australia continues to lead the world in production and exports its know-how globally.
By Steve Fiscor, Editor-in-Chief
Australia has an abundant supply of mineral
resources. The country also has some challenges
with complex deposits in remote locations
and the associated logistical requirements
of getting those resources to market. Combine
those issues with a shortage of skilled professionals
to operate the mines, and one has an accurate
understanding of the Australian mining market.
But, even in the face of those challenges,
the country remains a leader and it manages
to export its services and expertise abroad…….
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 Top Coal Caving Longwall Maximizes Thick Seam Recovery
Austar’s longwall system offers opportunities
in seams thicker than 4.5 meters.
By Greg Duncan, Glenn Sobey and Tim Clarke
Introduced and improved over the last 20 years,
the Longwall Top Coal Caving (LTCC) method,
used for extracting thick seams (greater than
4.5 m), was recently launched in Australia.
More than 90 such longwalls already operate
in China. The method and technology was introduced
through a joint development between the Yankuang
Group of China and DBT. Despite the technical
and regulatory challenges associated with
the introduction of brand new technology into
the Australian industry, the first LTCC longwall
successfully commenced production in September
2006. The longwall is operating at the Austar
mine, which is owned and operated by......
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Maximizing Mining Tire Life
An end to the mining tire shortage could be years away. Experts offer advice on getting longer life out of your current inventory.
By Russell A. Carter, Managing Editor.
With demand for giant mining tires still exceeding
tire manufacturers’ production capacity by
as much as 30%, and the global population
of mining-class haul trucks expanding at an
unprecedented rate, the ongoing tire shortage
appears likely to persist at least through
the end of 2008 and quite possibly years beyond
that, even with new capacity coming online
in the near future. The shortage has resulted
in a sense of tire-care awareness among mine
operators that is probably unmatched in the
annals of modern mining, along with some fairly
bizarre economics…... read
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What’s New in Blasthole Drilling
Reliability has always been
key for drill builders and their customers,
but intelligence—in both equipment design
and drill program management— is becoming
a dominant factor for success.
As is the case with most of the world’s major
mining districts, these are good times for
the state of Nevada—the world’s fourth largest
gold producer following South Africa, Australia
and China, and the source of 78% of gold production
in the United States. Nevada’s mines produced
6.305 million oz of gold in 2006, down from
the 2005 production level of 6.85 million
oz. However, because the average price of
gold increased from $445/oz in 2005 to $603/oz
in 2006, the value of the state’s 2006 gold
production increased to approximately $3.8
billion, up from $3.05 billion in 2005.....
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Getting It Under Control
Namibia’s mine operators are focusing
on efficiency, and doing it by the numbers
The West African nation of Namibia has ample
resources of diamonds and uranium— two of
the most sought-after commodities in today’s
minerals market. In turn, Namibia-based producers
are seeking commodities of an entirely different
type: high-tech plant control, automation,
and reporting systems that will allow them
to maximize production and profit in the current
boom..... read
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 Transportable
Filtration System Offers Improved Application
Flexibility - BakerCorp’s new 10K
Specialty Media System is claimed to provide
improved operational flexibility for certain
filtration applications. The new filtration
system comprises dual vessels containing up
to 10,000 lb of media per vessel; an integrated
lead-lag pipe rack with backwash capability;
and a safety work platform conveniently mounted
on a compact skid…. read
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 New Operator Seat Dampens Vibration Automatically
- One of vehicle seating specialist Grammer’s recent product developments,
the Actimo Evolution seat—unveiled in 2006 and available in versions for
wheel loaders and dump trucks with controls on the left, or for excavators
with the controls in front and an interface for connecting a lever console—has
been joined by the….
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 Air
Compressor Line Offers Energy Efficiency
- Sullair has announced the availability of
its energy-efficient S-energy Series air compressors.
S-energy Series compressors are equipped with
low package pressure drop and an optimal cooling
system with a low-noise centrifugal cooling
fan. Variable-speed drive models are available
that yield optimum energy savings and the
additional dividends of operating consistency.……
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 Stable
Water Wagon Uses ADT Components -
John Deere's new 300D water wagon features
a low center of gravity due to its long, low
tank and an extended truck frame. According
to the manufacturer, the unit’s six-wheel-drive
Deere power train delivers excellent traction,
gradeability and fuel efficiency; a standard
transmission retarder extends brake life….
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 New Features for Mine Modeling Software
- Terex O&K recently released two new hydraulic
excavators: the RH 340-B and the RH 70. The
mining-class RH 340B— successor to the popular
RH 340, — is available in both front shovel
and backhoe configurations, each powered by
twin Caterpillar 3512C or optional Cummins
QSK 45 diesels, with both options delivering
2,240 kW (3,000 hp). The new model features
a more powerful hydraulic system with higher-capacity….
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 System
Ensures Safe Grounding to Dissipate Static
Charges - According to Cenelectrex,
the bonding connections provided on most special
purpose trucks, mobile service vehicles or
trailer-mounted equipment can easily fail
if not used properly or if they are not in
good working condition. Also, such equipment
is typically grounded through the equipment
it is serving, making it doubly difficult
to be certain that static electricity will
be safely dissipated…. read
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 New
Wheel Loader Boosts Productivity and Fuel
Economy - Volvo Construction Equipment
says that field testing of its new flagship
wheel loader—the 54-metric ton L350F— achieved
an 18% increase in productivity and 46% better
fuel economy than its predecessor. These improvements,
according to the company, are due to the L350F’s
new Tier 3/Stage IIIA Volvo engine, stronger
hydraulics, an improved lift arm, a new Volvo
transmission with lockup, and new axles….
read
more
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 Durable
Work Clothing - Swedish work-clothing
maker Blaklader has introduced its internationally
known product line to North America. Representative
of what the company calls “unique, durable
and innovative” products is the Blaklader
line of pants, available in a variety of materials
and with features that include reinforced
utility pockets that are easily accessible….read
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 Faster,
Sturdier Boomer S1 D on the Way -
Able to drill faces up to 31m2 in cross section
quickly and accurately, the Atlas Copco Rocket
Boomer RB 281 has proved an excellent choice
for many kinds of mine around the world and
has been very successful. But technology moves
on and the company will shortly launch a replacement,
the Rocket Boomer S1 D—built on a new carrier
offering higher ground clearance and higher
tramming speed…. read
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| SEPTEMBER 9-13, 2007:
Dam Safety '07, Austin, Texas, USA Contact:
Association of State Dam Safety Officials;
Tel: 859-257-5140; Fax: 859-323-1958; E-mail:
info@damsafety.org
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| SEPTEMBER 10-14, 2007:
Extemin 2007, Lima, Peru Contact: Mariel
Sovero; Tel: (51-1) 313-4160; Fax: (51-1)
313-4160; E-mail: msovero@iimp.org.pe
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| SEPTEMBER 12-14, 2007:
International Symposium on Rock Slope Stability,
Perth, Western Australia. Contact: Australian
Center for Geomechanics; Tel: 618 6488 3300;
Fax: 61 8 6488 1130; Web: http://www.slopestability.com
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| SEPTEMBER 18-21, 2007:
SIMINERA 2007–International Salon of Mining
Works and Exhibition, San Juan, Argentina
Contact: Exposium América Latina S.A.; Tel:
54 11 4328 5886; Fax: 54 11 4328 5859; E-mail:
info@siminera.com.ar;
Web: http://www.siminera.com.ar |
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| OCTOBER 22-24, 2007: World Gold 2007, Cairns, Australia
Contact: Alison McKenzie; Tel: 61 3 9662 3166; Fax: 61 3 9662 3662;
E-mail: conference@ausimm.com.au |
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| OCTOBER 31–NOVEMBER
3, 2007: Mining Indonesia 2007, Jakarta,
Indonesia. Contact: Maysia Stephanie;
Tel: 62 21 316 2001; Fax: 62 21 316 1983/4;
E-mail: maysia@pamerindo.com;
Web: www.pamerindo.com
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| NOVEMBER 5-11, 2007:
2007 Alaska Miners Association Annual Convention,
Anchorage, Alaska, USA. Contact: AMA;
Tel: 907-563-9229; Fax: 907-563-9225; E-mail:
ama@alaskaminers.org;
Web: www.alaskaminers.org
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| For a full calendar of
mining industry conferences and events -
click
here |
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 BHP
Billiton announced that Marius Kloppers
will succeed Chip Goodyear
as CEO in October. The company also reported
that Chris Lynch has retired
from the board and from the company, and Chief
Legal Counsel and Head of External Affairs,
John Fast, also is retiring
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 Newmont
Mining Corp. announced the retirement of Wayne
W. Murdy as CEO, and the appointment
of Richard T. O’Brien as
CEO and president. O’Brien also was elected
to the board of directors. Murdy will continue
to serve as chairman of the board until the
end of 2007.
Top
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 Silver
Standard Resources Inc. announced the appointment
of George N. Paspalas as
senior VP, Operations. The company also announced
that President Robert Quartermain
has been elected as the new president of the
Silver Institute. |
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 Michael
Johnson was recently named the environmental
planning and permitting service director for
Kleinfelder, Inc. |
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 The Canadian
Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum
(CIM) honored several individuals in April.
The CIM Distinguished Service Medal was awarded
to John S. Cooke, former
publisher of The Northern Miner. The Inco
Medal was presented to Terry A. Lyons,
chairman of Northgate Minerals Corp. The Selwyn
G. Blaylock Medal was presented to Russell
E. Hallbauer, president and CEO,
Taseko Mines.. |
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 Cleveland-Cliffs
Inc. announced the appointment of William
C. Boor as senior Vice President,
business development. The company also announced
that President and CEO Joseph A. Carrabba
has been named chairman of the board.
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 Gindalbie
Metals Ltd. announced two additions to its
senior management team: David Stokes
to the newly created role of general counsel
and company secretary and Greg Kaeding
as community relations and environmental manager.
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 Dr.
Fanus Viljoen has been named technical
specialist diamonds for Mintek’s Mineralogy
Division. |
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