• commerce About a decade ago, the U.S.’s largest copper mine was discovered in Arizona – 7,000 feet deep and with enough copper to cover a fifth of the nation’s supply. It could also create thousands of jobs, and politicians have been helping make it happen.
• nature Unfortunately for the mining companies and politicians, the area includes Oak Flat Campground, popular with both campers and rock-climbers (and federally protected from things like this). As a result, the move is very unpopular with Arizona residents.  source

• 11 people were on the plane that went missing over Cameroon
• eight were mining executives, six for Sundance Resources
• one was a billionaire, Aussie mining magnate Ken Talbot source

• It’s this shepherd’s lucky day. He’s standing on so much lithium that he could power your laptop’s battery for decades to come. He doesn’t have to herd livestock in the worst place in the world anymore. There are $1 tRILLION dollars worth of precious metals to mine for. This is big. It could change the entire war and might even be enough to defang the Taliban, if it’s handled correctly. And it could make the value of Glenn Beck’s gold tip downward. (Thank God.) Some more details on the amazing find:

• $1
  trillion the amount of money the country is currently standing on
• $12
  billion the size of Afghanistan’s gross domestic product last year

Some obvious questions

• What’s down there? Lots of stuff, including iron, copper, cobalt, gold and lithium. An internal memo says Afghanistan could be the “Saudi Arabia of lithium.” Wow, nice metaphor.
• how long will it take? It might take a few years to put together the things needed to help Afghanistan take advantage of their vast resources. And the U.S. is already there.
• Current economic driver? Opium. Lots and lots of opium. Part of the reason terrorism is so strong in the region is because so much money comes from the opium trade and narcotics trafficking.

Did Afghanistan mine before?

• This is a country that has no mining culture. They’ve had some small artisanal mines, but now there could be some very, very large mines that will require more than just a gold pan.
• United States Geological Survey geologist Jack Medlin • On the sheer lack of mining history n the country. So why wasn’t this discovered before? Well, there were hints of it in prior Soviet-era documents, but for whatever reason, the potential was overlooked. No longer. The U.S. has spent too freaking long in this country not to start mining it for what it’s worth. It’s estimated that it’s going to take decades to reach their full potential of mining. This’ll be fun to watch. It’ll make their opium crops seem like a waste of time. source

• Every place I’ve ever worked, safety has been a distant second to production. If you take 30 minutes out of the day doing it right, that takes a lot out of the tonnage of the mine.
• Kentucky-based miner Billy Brannon • Regarding safety standards for miners. In the wake of the Upper Big Branch mine disaster last week, which killed 29, many are questioning whether the government’s regulatory administration, The Mine Safety and Health Administration, has enough teeth to properly take on organizations like Massey Energy. Unlike the EPA and FDA, the MSHA doesn’t make its investigators law enforcement officers, and the fines the group offers are mere pittances – $168,393 for Massey, for example. source

• 9.8% dip in price just this
  morning alone source

• West Virginians are tough, we will bind together.
• West Virginia Rep. Nick Rahall • Regarding yesterday’s mine explosion in Montcoal, where 25 miners died. A day after a much happier ending for a mine explosion in China, where over 100 miners were rescued, the community around Performance Coal Company is in mourning, largely unable to rescue those inside the mine due to high methane levels making it hard to breathe and raising the chances of another explosion. The mine, by the way, has a long history of safety problems and just last year, parent company Massey Energy had to pay $382,000 for safety violations. source

• The controversy stems from a bauxite mining project backed by China. Late Tuesday night, Google noted a series of cyber-attacks which seem to be targeted at Vietnamese people from around the world. While the attack isn’t as sophisticated as the China attack which led to Google leaving that country last week, it certainly left a mark on what Google calls “an important and emotionally charged issue in the country.” source

• Don’t know the Rio Tinto four? You will. The Anglo-Australian mining company is the latest focus of China’s razor-sharp focus, after four employees – including one Australian national – were charged with bribery and stealing business secrets. This comes about a month after Google suspected the country of hacking its Gibson. Sounds like somebody’s looking for a fight. source