Welcome to the latest issue of MINE Magazine.
This month, we return to the Brumadinho disaster, to consider the legacy of the infamous tragedy. With the US Securities and Exchange Commission filing a lawsuit against Vale, alleging that the miner knew of safety missteps ahead of the accident, we ask how we should view Vale and those affected by the collapse, three and a half years after the event.
The lawsuit also has the potential to set a new precedent for the mining industry, with federal bodies taking private firms based in other countries to court a rarity. Under what authority is the commission acting, and could this inspire a wave of international appeals, complaints and lawsuits that could make the mining industry, and its consequences, truly global?
Elsewhere, we consider the plight of some of the world’s most important minerals. From nickel in the Philippines to a growing supply gap in the world’s critical minerals industry, the mining sector has never been under more pressure to align mineral supply with national and private interest, which could generate a range of new stresses and tensions.
We also speak to Propeller Aero about the status of sand mining, assess the problems and potential at the Donlin Gold mine and consider the growth of lithium around the world, as industrial leaders look for ever more diverse commodities to meet the world’s changing mineral demands.
For all this, alongside our usual range of news and Ukraine updates, read on.
JP Casey, editor
