environmental damage News

Brazil’s Burst Dam Disasters Blamed on Cheap Storage of Mining Waste

The deadly collapse of a Vale SA tailings dam in Brazil is serving as a wake-up call for an industry that regularly cuts costs by storing mining waste in the cheapest possible way. The slurry of ground rock and effluents …

Brazil Dam Disaster Could Delay Settlement for 2015’s Samarco Mine Disaster

Brazil’s deadly tailings dam collapse is likely to complicate a settlement for a similar disaster less than four years ago at the Samarco iron ore mine, owned jointly by Vale SA and BHP Group, investors said on Tuesday [Jan. 29]. …

Allianz Has Reinsurance Exposure to Vale Dam Disaster: Sources

German insurer Allianz may have to cover some of the costs of the dam collapse at Vale’s Corrego do Feijao mine in Brazil, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Allianz’s Global Corporate & Specialty division (AGCS) leads a …

Brazil Weighs Management Overhaul at Vale After Mine Disaster; Death Toll Rises

Brazil’s government weighed pushing for a management overhaul at iron ore miner Vale SA on Monday as grief over the hundreds feared killed by a dam burst turned into anger, with prosecutors, politicians and victims’ families calling for punishment. By …

Collapsed Brazil Mining Dam Kills at Least 58, in Echoes of 2015 Disaster

Brazilian rescuers searched into the night on Sunday for hundreds of people missing after a burst mining dam triggered a deadly mudslide, as the death toll rose to 58 and was expected to keep climbing more than two days after …

Australia Court Narrows Class-Action Suits Against BHP over Brazil Mine Disaster

The Federal Court of Australia on Tuesday ordered that the number of class-action lawsuits against BHP Group over a Brazilian mine collapse be narrowed to one from three. BHP is facing legal challenges over the 2015 collapse of the Fundao …

BHP Readies for Largest English Group Lawsuit over 2015 Brazil Mine Disaster

Mining giant BHP says it will fight an unprecedented English lawsuit filed by hundreds of thousands of Brazilians for multi-billion pound damages over Brazil’s worst environmental disaster. SPG Law, a British offshoot of a U.S. litigator, represents 240,000 individuals in …

Sulphuric Acid Leak at Vedanta India Copper Smelter Could Damage Environment

Vedanta Ltd. said on Wednesday a sulphuric acid leak from a tank at its southern Indian copper smelter was severe and inaction could lead to serious environmental consequences. The district administration had said on Sunday the leak was minor, and …

Aluminum Producer Norsk Hydro Denies Brazil Refinery Contaminated Local Waters

Aluminum producer Norsk Hydro denied on Monday its Alunorte alumina refinery in Brazil had contaminated local waters, contradicting the findings of a Brazilian public health group. Citing an internal study and a report commissioned from green consultancy SGW Services, Hydro …

China to Require Polluters to Pay for Environmental Damage

China plans to roll out nationwide by 2020 a system that forces polluters to repair damage to the environment or pay compensation, the official Xinhua news agency reported late on Sunday. The move, which extends a scheme already piloted in …