Hot Off the Presses: 2010 Blasters' Library Catalog
from the ISEE
Start checking your mailbox for ISEE's 2010 Blasters' Library Catalog. This year's catalog includes new additions to the Blasters' Library such as the Micrometer Crack Response to Vibration and Weather by Dr. Charles Dowding. Make sure to check out updated pricing and new editions of classic reference publications. More

Diamond as Big as the Ritz Cracker
from The National
Half the size of a man’s palm, it looks at first glance like a piece of unusually thick broken glass. But the gem recovered last week at the Cullinan mine east of the South African capital of Pretoria is one of the 20 largest diamonds ever found. More

EPA to Delay 79 Coal Mining Permits in 4 States
from The Associated Press via Google
President Barack Obama's administration put the brakes on 79 applications for surface coal mining permits in four states, saying they would violate the Clean Water Act. The action is the administration's latest attempt to curb environmental damage from a highly efficient but damaging mining practice known as mountaintop removal. More

Touching the Void
from Mining Australia
Unstable voids and cavities in underground shafts can pose serious risks to the safety of workers as well as the viability of whole mine sites. After drilling and blasting is carried out in shafts and tunnels, an authorized surveyor is required to accurately assess the structure of the voids and cavities. More

Mayor has a Real Blast at Quarry
from Leicester Mercury
A mayor may be asked to open restaurants, unveil exhibitions and present awards but rarely do they get the chance to blow something up. Charnwood's first citizen Roy Brown, however, attended an explosive civic event when invited to detonate 6,000 tons of high-powered charges at a quarry. More

Blasting at Quarry Hill is Halted, For Now
from The Burlington Free Press
Quarry Hill has not seen the last of blast-related tremors, developers at the South Burlington, Vt., residential project say. Halted by an order from the Vermont Natural Resources Board last week, heavy-duty road construction through a rock ledge just south of Staples Plaza will continue as soon as Act 250 paperwork is amended to include the use of explosives at the site, developer John Larkin said. More

Spills, Looming Regulations Spur Natural Gas Industry Toward Disclosure
from The New York Times
The natural gas industry is moving to disclose information about chemicals used in controversial extraction technologies in the wake of spills at drilling sites in Pennsylvania and as New York is proposing new regulations. More

Powertech Revising Uranium Mining Permit Applications
from The Rapid City Journal
A company that wants to mine uranium northwest of Edgemont is going ahead with its plans despite having to re-do applications for state and federal permits. Powertech USA has already submitted a revised application to the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission and is working on revisions to its application for a state permit. More