Montana and British Columbia turn scrappy over coal mine runoff

How would you decide in a dispute (fight, war) between the United States and Canada? Now miners can express their opinion on an international struggle between the two nations over issues fundamental to the mining industry. The US State Department will take time off from Afghanistan and Iraq to address the fight between the US and Canada—or so the news report tells us.

Lots of water is no excuse for a dam failure

The web is awash in the flood of news about the failure of a bauxite mine tailings dam burst in Brazil. It seems that heavy rains were the immediate cause. The 30-m, i.e., 90-ft high dam gave way and water and mud rushed out. There is no excuse for the failure of a dam. There is equally well no excuse for the failure of the mining press and others to report that it was a water impoundment that failed—it was not a tailings dam.