Other Projects/Reports

A guide to support the expanded use of Citizen Environmental Rights in Magadan and Eastern Russia This Guide is compiled to help citizens of Magadan Oblast become familiar with their environmental rights, and to encourage them to participate in public decisions that are related to mining activities in their area.

Mining and Mineral Development Management Policy in the Selenga River Watershed This paper provides an introduction to the scope of mining activity in the Selenga River watershed in both Russia and Mongolia. The Selenga River is the primary tributary to Lake Baikal and drains an area the size of France. The most significant past and current mine sites in the watershed are identified, environmental consequences of those operations are described and options for policy action to address environmental and social impacts are considered. The paper is in proceedings of: Science for Watershed Conservation: Multidisciplinary Approaches for Natural Resource Management Conference Convened by United States Geological Survey (USGS), Institute of General and Experimental Biology, Siberian Division -Russian Academy of Sciences, and Mongolian Academy of Sciences, September 1 - 8, 2004, Ulan-Ude, Russia and Ulanbaatar, Mongolia

A waste containment dam break spilled 160,000 cubic meters of coal ash into the Partizanskaya River and the Nahodka Bay watershed from a ring dike disposal site near Partizansk in the Russian Far East 200 kilometers east of Vladivostok in May 2004. Observations and Selected Photos have been compiled to identify concerns raised during a site visit by Research Director Paul Robinson at the request of ISAR-FE (Institute for Social Action in Russia - Far East) and colleagues in the region. Partizansk Information on the Web provides additional background on the Partizansk area.

"Comments and Recommendations Submitted to Environmental Assessment Panel Reviewing Decommissioning Proposals for the Elliot Lake Uranium Mine Tailings Management Areas" is a ten point analysis of the closure plans for the large uranium waste sites in Ontario prepared by Paul Robinson in 1995 for the Canadian Environmental Assessment Panel Hearings on the Decommissioning. The "Comments" includes a critique of the sub-aqueous disposal aspects of the Elliot Lake decommissioning proposals. These comments were prepared on behalf of Northwatch, a community-based environmental organization with general offices in North Bay, Ontario.

"A Model Mine Shows Its Cracks: An Independent Report on Environmental Problems At The Kubaka Gold Mine in the Russian Far East," by Julie Edlund, David Gordon and Wm. Paul Robinson for Pacific Environment and Resources Center, with technical assistance from Southwest Research and Information Center.

Copy of research paper on uranium and thorium mines in the Chita region of Siberia and their associated environmental and health problems on behalf Baikalwatch, a project of the Earth Island Institute and the Baikal Center for Ecological and Citizen Initiatives in Irkutsk, Russia titled: "Environmental Damage and Policy Issues in the Uranium and Gold Mining Districts of Chita Oblast in the Russian Far East: A Report on Existing Problems at Baley and Krasnokamensk and Policy Needs in the Region" (91k document) completed November 1996.

EVALUATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY CHANGES PROPOSED FOR THE LA OROYA SMELTER COMPLEX IN CENTRAL PERU: FINAL REPORT February 1, 1999. Submitted to: Sociedad Peruana de Derechos Ambientales (SPDA).

Synopsis of trip can be found in The Workbook.

Partizansk web links. Partizansk is a city in Primorski Krai in the Russian Far East 240 kilometers east of Vladivostok and 40 kilometers north of Nahokda. It is located on the west side of the Partizanskaya River, the main tributary to Nahodka Bay. The Partizansk area has been the site of active coal mining since the late 19th century. Mines in the area extracted more than 1,000,000 tons per year through the 1980s and 1990s, though coal mining has ceased since the end of the Soviet Union. It is home to a large coal-fired electric power plant that consumed up to 3,500 tons of coal per day since it began operating in the early 1950s. The ash from the coal burned in the plant has been a disposed of behind a circular dam located on the floodplain of the Partizansk River. In May 2004, portion of the dam broke and coal ash flowed out of the breach (hole) reaching the Partizansk River and Nahodka Bay.

Pacific Environment and Resources Center (PERC) works to protect endangered ecosystems and prevent irresponsible development around the Pacific Rim through grassroots advocacy, environmental education and law and policy analysis.

WISE Uranium Project is part of World Information Service on Energy - WISE International, a worldwide network of safe energy activists. This very comprehensive and frequently updated site covers: Environmental and Health Impacts of Uranium Mining and Milling; Decommissioning of Uranium Mines and Mills; Reclamation of Uranium Mine Wastes and Uranium Mill Tailings. The site has strong depth of information and a comprehensive list of links to resources around the world.

The Natural Resources Canada, Minerals and Metals Sector home page is a site for the federal mineral agency of Canada. The site includes mining-related links; a directory of specialists; access to gopher databases; and information on world production data for selected metals and on monthly production of Canada's leading minerals.

Mineral Policy Institute bills itself as Australia's only group dedicated solely to researching and campaigning on mining issues. They conduct research, collate information, produce company profiles, and campaign for improved management of the minerals sector. They seek to stop exploration and mining in inappropriate areas or where the impacts are unacceptably high. MPI publishes Mining Monitor, a quarterly 16-page newsletter about the social, economic and environmental impacts of the mining industry.

Friends of the Earth is a national, non-profit advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the planet from environmental degradation; preserving biological, cultural, and ethnic diversity; and empowering citizens to have an influential voice in decisions affecting the quality of their environment -- and their lives.

Sustainable Energy and Anti-Uranium Service (SEA-US) is an Australian website with information about problems caused by uranium and nuclear energy; Australia's experience with uranium and nuclear power; nuclear history and timeline for both Australia and the world; the struggle of Australian Aborigines against uranium waste on their lands; "Uranium Deposits and Mines: Past-Present-Future?"; "Poorly Engineered Tailings Dams," links relating to uranium and alternative energy; a detailed glossary; and a detailed uranium discussion guide.

From Voices of the Earth

Southwest Research and Information Center
105 Stanford SE
PO Box 4524
Albuquerque, NM 87196
505/262-1862
fax: 505/262-1864

For further information contact Info@sric.org.