Joomla! site syndication http://www.rem-mag.com Sun, 05 Feb 2012 09:33:54 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.rem-mag.com/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png http://www.rem-mag.com Joomla! site syndication http://www.rem-mag.com/index.php/Top-Stories/Ontario-Mining-Association-adds-three-new-member-companies.html The Ontario Mining Association's (OMA) membership has expanded with three companies joining the industry organization: Exp Services Inc. (http://www.exp.com), Layfield Group (http://www.layfieldgroup.com) and Stillwater Canada Inc. (http://www.stillwatercanadainc.com) (SCI). This boosts the number of companies belonging to the OMA to 77.The OMA represents the mining industry in the province and its members are involved in various aspects of environmentally responsible exploration, production and processing of mineral resources in Ontario.Brampton, Ont.-based Exp Inc. is the new name, which was launched in April 2011, for the Trow Global Group of consultants. The company offers consulting engineering and other technical and strategic services to man-made and natural environments. Its six key areas of practice are buildings, earth and environment, energy, industrial, infrastructure and sustainability. It is working with a number of Ontario mining companies and it has numerous offices across North America and in select locations around the world. The Layfield Group started in the 1950s as a plastics supplier in Edmonton. In 1978, the product line was diversified to include environmental systems such as liners for tailings ponds, construction materials and packaging. It has been working with the mining industry for more than 30 years. Today, the Layfield Group has about 250 full-time employees. Offices and manufacturing facilities are located in Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver in Canada and in Seattle and San Diego in the United States. The company has a broad range of specialized products including geotechnical fabrics and environmental containment systems. Stillwater Canada Inc. has been formed by Stillwater Mining Co. to bring the Marathon platinum group metals and copper project into production. Stillwater Mining is based in Montana and is the largest primary producer of platinum group metals in North America. SCI's project is located about 10 kilometres north of Marathon in Northwestern Ontario. Plans envision an open pit mining and milling operation. With current reserves, the mine life is expected to be more than 11 years. SCI anticipates supporting about 300 jobs during the construction of the project and 130 to 250 jobs when in production. The company hopes to receive all governmental approvals by 2013 with commercial production to start in 2015. Platinum group metals are rare precious metals used in auto catalysts, fuel cells, hydrogen purification, electronics, jewelry, dentistry, medicine, water treatment and other applications. www.exp.com (http://www.exp.com)www.layfieldgroup.com (http://www.layfieldgroup.com)www.stillwatercanadainc.com (http://www.stillwatercanadainc.com) Site Content - Top Stories Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:22:39 +0100 http://www.rem-mag.com/index.php/Top-Stories/Lind-Equipment-appoints-electrical-sales-agent-in-Alberta.html Lind Equipment (http://www.lindequipment.net/) has appointed Calgary-based ElectriXwest Agencies (http://www.electrixwest.com/) as its electrical sales agent in Alberta. ElectriXwest Agencies will continue to build Lind Equipment’s presence in Alberta and serve electrical distributors’ demands for high quality, fairly priced portable electrical equipment for the toughest workplaces. Using a combination of outside sales to demonstrate Lind’s products to end-users and distributors, and a strong background in technical specification to work with engineers, ElectriXwest is well poised to help Alberta to Work Confidently with Lind Equipment’s products. “We are very excited to have the ElectriXwest Agencies team as our partner in Alberta,” said Brian Astl, vice-president of sales for Lind Equipment. “The combination of well-trained, attentive sales representatives in Edmonton and Calgary makes for an excellent platform from which to deliver the world class customer service that Lind Equipment’s clients expect from us.” www.lindequipment.net (http://www.lindequipment.net/) www.electrixwest.com (http://www.electrixwest.com/) Site Content - Top Stories Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:56:04 +0100 http://www.rem-mag.com/index.php/Top-Stories/U.S.-rejects-Keystone-XL-in-current-form-but-TransCanada-can-resubmit.html WASHINGTON — Trapped by an untenable Feb. 21 deadline imposed by Congress, U.S. President Barack Obama rejected TransCanada’s proposed $7-billion Keystone XL pipeline on Wednesday in a decision his Canadian counterpart greeted with “profound disappointment.” It quickly became clear, however, that the rumours earlier in the day of Keystone’s death had been greatly exaggerated. When he called Prime Minister Stephen Harper to break the news, Obama took pains to point out that TransCanada was free to submit an amended plan — one that would reroute the Alberta-to-Texas pipeline around an environmentally sensitive aquifer in Nebraska. “The president explained that the decision was not a decision on the merits of the project, and that it was without prejudice, meaning that TransCanada is free to re-apply,” Harper spokesman Andrew MacDougall said. And though Harper “expressed his profound disappointment” at the decision, MacDougall said, “he indicated to President Obama that he hoped that this project would continue given the significant contribution it would make to jobs and economic growth both in Canada and the United States of America.” Indeed, Keystone XL is more delayed than dead: the move lets the White House reclaim control of the approval process after Republican lawmakers attempted to force Obama into green-lighting the politically charged project in late December. TransCanada (TMX:TRP) was not surprised by the announcement, and quickly confirmed plans to submit an amended proposal. “This outcome is one of the scenarios we anticipated,” company CEO Russ Girling said in a statement. “While we are disappointed, TransCanada remains fully committed to the construction of Keystone XL.... We will re-apply for a presidential permit and expect a new application would be processed in an expedited manner to allow for an in-service date of late 2014.” A release from the U.S. State Department, tasked with making a decision on Keystone XL because it crosses an international border, said the pipeline was not currently in the national interest of the United States. But the decision “was predicated on the fact that the department does not have sufficient time to obtain the information necessary to assess whether the project, in its current state, is in the national interest,” the statement said. In Edmonton, Alberta Premier Alison Redford said she had spoken to TransCanada about the province helping it with a new proposal. “One of the things that we talked about is whether or not in these current circumstances it might be worth coming up with a plan where we can work together,” Redford said. “TransCanada certainly did agree that we needed to talk about that. We haven’t gone any further than that, but we certainly, quite honestly, made the offer.” Redford said she plans to make another visit to Washington to discuss the pipeline. She also said the decision doesn’t mean Alberta will focus more or less on the U.S. or on any other market for its bitumen. Bob Schulz, a professor with the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary, said Wednesday’s announcement was more politics than policy. “It clarifies when the clock starts,” he said. “(Obama) is saying the clock starts again. ... It’s a political manoeuvre to get around the 60 days.” That didn’t prevent Republican presidential hopefuls Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich from pouncing on a political opportunity that was largely the GOP’s making. “President Obama’s decision to reject the Keystone XL crude oil pipeline is as shocking as it is revealing,” Romney said in a statement. “By declaring that the Keystone pipeline is not in the ‘national interest,’ the president demonstrates a lack of seriousness about bringing down unemployment, restoring economic growth, and achieving energy independence. He seems to have confused the national interest with his own interest in pleasing the environmentalists in his political base.” Campaigning in South Carolina, Gingrich also let loose, calling the decision a “stunningly stupid” one that would force Canada to forge energy partnerships with China. “These people are so out of touch with reality, it’s as if they were governing Mars,” he said. The project met with massive opposition in Canada and the U.S. in part because the original route travelled through the Ogallala aquifer in Nebraska. Other critics have taken issue with so-called “dirty oil” from Alberta’s oil sands, while still more say Keystone XL embodies North America’s ongoing dependence on fossil fuels. The Obama administration — trapped between a job-starved economy and a core constituency with strong environmental leanings — said last year it would not make a final decision on Keystone until after the 2012 election. Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird says the controversy proves the need for Canada to diversify its energy markets. “We strongly believe Keystone is in the best interest of both countries; a lot of jobs can be created,” Baird said. “It’s the best way to secure energy security for the United States, and obviously it’s all about jobs and economic growth for Canada. We’ll continue to be an active supporter of the project.” Site Content - Top Stories Thu, 19 Jan 2012 01:05:28 +0100 http://www.rem-mag.com/index.php/Top-Stories/Petroleum-mining-associations-support-Canada-streamlining-regulatory-process.html The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (http://www.capp.ca) (CAPP) and the Mining Association of Canada (http://www.mining.ca) (MAC) welcome and support federal Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver’s call for regulatory reform to improve the federal government’s project review process, which he described as “slow, complex and cumbersome.”CAPP president Dave Collyer said the existing federal regulatory framework imposes conflicting requirements and creates complex, uncoordinated processes for the review of projects. This cumulative regulatory burden is too often characterized by duplication, delays and incremental costs that undermine economic viability without contributing to better environmental protection.“The three broad themes that must underlie regulatory reform are balancing environmental and economic considerations, improving governmental coordination and tightening process timelines and effectiveness,” he said.With more than $137 billion of capital investment expected in Canada's mining sector over the next five years, an effective and efficient regulatory system is now more important than ever. MAC members are committed to responsible development and welcome rigorous and timely regulation. We agree with the Minister's assertion that viable, responsibly developed mining projects should not die in the approval phase due to unnecessary delays, said Pierre Gratton, president and CEO of MAC. The mining industry's ability to bring prosperity to communities across Canada is directly linked to an efficient and effective regulatory process. We'll be hiring over 100,000 people in the coming decade, but only if we can have projects approved and built in a timely fashion. Demand for our natural resources is stronger than it has been in generations — we should capitalize on that demand for the benefit of all Canadians. Regulatory competitiveness is key to Canada’s oil and gas industry attracting investment capital, growing employment and the economy. Concerted broadly based regulatory reform is required to advance Canada’s competitive position. Regulatory reform represents a significant opportunity to improve competitiveness while ensuring responsible environmental outcomes.“It is important to look for ways to reduce administrative burdens on both the public and private sector while improving environmental performance and providing companies with efficient, timely and predictable regulatory processes,” Collyer said. “Such an initiative requires scope and reach across federal departments and coordination with provincial governments.”In his open letter, Oliver said, “We believe reviews for major projects can be accomplished in a quicker and more streamlined fashion. We do not want projects that are safe, generate thousands of new jobs and open up new export markets, to die in the approval process due to unnecessary delays.”www.mining.ca (http://www.mining.ca)www.capp.ca (http://www.capp.ca) Site Content - Top Stories Thu, 19 Jan 2012 01:04:22 +0100 http://www.rem-mag.com/index.php/Top-Stories/Nexen-invests-in-Science-and-Technology-Centre-in-Fort-McMurray.html Nexen Inc. (http://www.nexeninc.com) announced it is proud to invest $1 million over four years to support the implementation and development of a new Science and Technology Centre at Father Patrick Mercredi High School in Fort McMurray, Alberta. This new state-of-the-art facility, which opened September 2011, has innovative educational programming for students in grades 7 through 12.The Science and Technology Centre gives students access to educational opportunities not currently available in Northern Alberta. The five main areas of focus are Engineering, Industrial Technologies, IT Essentials, Health Sciences and Photography/Multi Media. Working at individual workstations, students can learn about industrial robotics, pneumatics, hydraulics, structural engineering, electrical control and much more. We are very excited about this investment which brings cutting-edge educational programming to school-age students in Fort McMurray, said Tony Mankowski, Nexen's vice-president at its Long Lake operations. Not only does the centre teach students new skills in areas that may open doors to exciting careers, it also helps our business by introducing potential future recruits to technical fields highly sought after in the oil sands industry. The goal for both senior and junior high programs is to create a classroom environment that motivates, inspires and engages students by providing them with real-world opportunities. These classroom opportunities will help them to make informed life and career choices about post-secondary education, options for local employment and other possibilities in the Wood Buffalo region.The Science and Technology Centre is just one of a number of significant educational investments Nexen has made benefitting the Wood Buffalo Region. In October 2011, Nexen announced a pledge of $750,000 to boost a new campaign launched by the Keyano College Foundation. Nexen is supporting the first phase of the planned Oilsands Trades Technology Centre which will allow Father Patrick Mercredi High School students to continue to pursue their high school programs in a post-secondary setting in their home community.www.nexeninc.com (http://www.nexeninc.com) Site Content - Top Stories Thu, 19 Jan 2012 01:02:19 +0100