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Another Canadian Mining Company "Does its Dirties" to a Sovereign Country - Shame!!!

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Dec 11 at 3:08  PM Infinito Gold is threatening a $1 billion lawsuit against Costa Rica for rejecting a toxic, open-pit gold mine after massive protests from local citizens. Tell Infinito Gold to drop its lawsuit against Costa Rica. Dear Larry, Infinito Gold, a Canadian mining company, just  slapped Costa Rica with a $1 billion lawsuit because the nation decided to protect its rainforests rather than host an open-pit gold mine. Costa Rica’s  rainforest is lauded as one of the most beautiful in the world , and is home to many endangered species, including the green macaw. Officials considered approving the gold mine, but the use of toxic chemicals such as cyanide -- which often leaks into and pollutes nearby lakes and rivers -- was  far too great a risk to allow the project to move forward. A subsidiary of  Infinito Gold has announced that a massive lawsuit against Costa Rica is “imminent”, so we need to act now.  If thousands of us stand together against thi

NAFTA Environmental Body Asks Ottawa to Respond to Oilsands Waste Concerns

The Canadian Press  A North American trade body has asked Ottawa to respond to allegations that it has failed to enforce its own laws when it comes to oilsands waste known as tailings. Full story here.

Exploration Company to Lose Drilling (Fracking) Licence Near Newfoundland's Gros Morne Park

InfoTel Multimedia An oil exploration company says it will lose its licence next month to drill wells near Gros Morne National Park in western Newfoundland. Details here.

Ottawa to Designate Crude Oil as Highly Dangerous

The Globe and Mail The federal government will, for the first time, designate crude oil a highly dangerous substance and introduce tougher safety and testing measures for shipping oil by rail.  Details here. Related: " Have Our Servants Become Our Masters? "

Food and Drug Administration in the US Moves To Phase Out Widespread Use Of Antibiotics In Meat

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Huffington Post Citing a potential threat to public health, the Food and Drug Administration moved Wednesday toward phasing out the use of some antibiotics in animals processed for meat. Details here. PigsKichiroSato/AstdPrs.jpg

Fracking Protest Leads to Bigger Debate Over Indigenous Rights in Canada

Aljazeera A single campaign in one of   the country's smallest provinces is now a flashpoint for land rights of First Nations communities. Full story here.

Earth's Atmosphere to Take Beating at World Cup

Associated Press The World Cup may be great for planet soccer, but it isn't so good for planet Earth. Details here.

The Government of Canada Shuts Down "World Class" Collection on Freshwater Science and Protection.

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TheTyee.ca Dismantling of Fishery Library 'Like a Book Burning,' Say Scientists. Details here. Gimli, Manitoba on Lake Winnipeg. PLT photo

Another Canadian Mining Company Faces Criminal Allegations

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OCCRP A subsidiary of the Canadian mining company, Gabriel Resources, is under investigation in Romania for money laundering and tax evasion. According to The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project  (OCCRP) ,  Romanian prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into Rosia Montana Gold Corporation (RMGC). It holds a license to exploit the largest open-pit gold mine in Europe. The project has been stalled in recent years amid widespread protests throughout eastern Europe, mainly from people concerned about its environmental impact.             These photos show the kind of environmental mess created by mining which has gone on in the area since the time of the Romans. (l.) An old mine machine crumbles into dust. (r.)  Acid rock leakage seeps from a drainage pipe.   Gabriel says it will clean things up because it is committed to "responsible mining and sustainable development."  (Photos by Gabriel Resources.) The proposed mine is no stran

The Harperites Approve Yet Another Tarsands Mine, Thumbing Their Noses at Mother Earth and First Nations People.

The Canadian Press  Shell Canada's Jackpine oilsands mine expansion plan has received the go-ahead from Ottawa, despite the environment minister's view that it's "likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects." Details here.

A New Study Hints at Further Trouble Ahead for Earth's Embattled Forests

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by Larry Powell Trees around the world, including places like Canada's boreal forest, are dying from drought induced by our changing climate - and have been for years. This has been recognized in peer-reviewed studies, including one by a team of experts at the University of Quebec, published in the respected journal, NatureClimateChange,   two years ago. The Canadian Rockies. PLT photo But a more recent study, this one reported in the Canadian Journal of Forest Research  suggests further trouble ahead, this time in another eco-system. This time, a team of US researchers analyzed the relationship between growth and climate on the six most abundant subalpine tree species (growing on the higher slopes) in California's Sierra Madre mountains - and how that relationship evolved for well over a century.  In an e-mail to PLT, one of the researchers, Christopher Dolanc of the University of California, Davis, states, "Increasing drought-stress may eventually stun