West Quebec residents fear prospecters' race for lithium

[phantom power]

Stelmine Canada Ltd., a Montreal-area mineral exploration company has staked claims on 5,200 hectares of private land near Wakefield in La Pêche, Gatineau, Cantley and around Meech Lake in Chelsea.

The company is also searching for 14 rare earth elements used in military and high-technology applications because the minerals are sometimes found together.

...

Lisa Hopkins of Val-des-Monts said property owners have discovered unknown prospectors drilling horizontally onto their land in their search for minerals.

“All my neighbours are affected by the mining claims and I may be, too,” Hopkins said. “North of here they came with bulldozers and dug up everything with no letters, warnings or anything.

“They left the place a total disaster and didn’t fix anything. You feel that you shouldn’t own or develop anything because you could be left completely in ruins and destroyed. It surprised me that we only own the surface rights and people can come and dig here.”

...

“For many years China produced 95 per cent of the world’s rare earth elements, but a month or two ago it announced that it would restrict their exports,” Lemay said. “If China limits its exports, the prices will go up.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Residents+fear+prospect+race+lithium/2506654/story.html

[madokie]

1. I've often wondered if we own the mineral rights here where we live

or over at our old home place. How would a person find that info?

[phantom power]

2. Hmm. I know I'd start with municiple or county govt.

I know that mineral rights are frequently owned by oil and gas companies in NY and PA. I wonder if one corporation can sell mineral rights to another corporation?

"Here, Mr. Lithium company, I'll sell you the mineral rights to these properties!"

[madokie]

3. I think they can do that

no link of course but I remember reading years ago something about mineral rights and how the corporations swindled many people out of their minerals, oil and gas. The Osage tribe here in ok didn't sell theirs then and still own them and if you are a member of their tribe you get an allotment each year, not sure if its monthly or what. I have friends who are Osage and they get checks but I've always figured it was none of my bidness so I never inquired about it.

As my dad would say for every one of them out there there is two hands trying to get into your pocket and get your money, talking about our corporate overlords here. Advice I hold dear because over the years it's kept many a dollar in my pocket where they belonged.