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Monday, September 14, 2009.

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Shannon de Ryhove.

Making headlines today:

The results of a probe into the cause of the accident at diversified resources group Exxaro's Zincor refinery, in Springs, which claimed the lives of three workers and injured a further 12, would be released in about four weeks.

Zincor teams were restoring the electricity supply, which was damaged in the explosion last week, and by early this week management expects to make a decision on when to restart production.

The refinery's daily zinc metal production capacity is about 300 tons.

The group says that it is keeping customers informed of developments and plans are being made to meet their requirements over the short-term.

The US government continues to put the squeeze on coal mining companies for their environmental impact. It announced on Friday that 79 proposed surface coal-mining projects in Appalachian states have been identified for further, detailed reviews of their pending permits.

The initial review by the Environmental Protection Agency concluded that all 79 projects, in four states, would likely cause water quality impacts requiring additional review under the Clean Water Act.

The review targets a practice known as 'mountaintop mining', commonly used in Appalachia, in which the top of a mountain is removed by blasting, to expose underlying coal seams. Excess rock and soil is often dumped in nearby valleys and streams.

Critics say the process pollutes rivers and water supplies and the Obama administration has made it clear it wants to crack down on the environmental review of permits for surface coal mining projects in Appalachia.

Also making headlines:

JSE-listed Pamodzi Gold has five days to respond to the IDC's liquidation application.
South Africa's Hernic Ferrochrome boosts its ferrochrome output.
Cleveland-based Cliffs Natural Resources boosts its coal and iron-ore sales outlook.
And, ASX- and JSE-listed Firestone Energy underwrites a 25-million-Australian-dollar capital raising to fund a South African coal study.

That's a round up of news making headlines today. For more on these and other stories please visit miningweekly.com.