Western Railroad Discussion > Another Big California Mine /Employer Endangered

Saw this in connection with the partial closure at Trona. Rio Tinto owner of US Borax since 1967 is exploring the sale of the Boron mine in eastern Kern County. The County Board of Supervisors is exploring options to keep the massive one thousand employee mine in operation. I am unable to post the link ,but information may be found on mining.com.. Bill Webb  



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/07/26 12:46 by spider1319.

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That's most unfortunate.Borax had been arriving BNSF and Santa Fe's Watson yard since I was a child. Mostly in large cuts on the normal train but I have seen a few unit trains arrive as well.
JB

We used to get a lot of it for 10th Avenue Terminal in San Diego on the San Diego train out of San Bernardino usually in unit trains.Bill Webb

Yes, I actually got called off the LA engineer extra board to work a midnight switch job to spot it up. Profitable night.
JB

A quote from Rio Tinto regarding the mine in Borax, CA:
"A spokesman for the facility, owned by English-Australian multinational Rio Tinto, cited retaliatory tariffs imposed by China on the area’s largest mineral export, borax."
B

Is Boraxo hand cleaner even still available?  I haven't seen it for years.

Where are the 20 mule teams??

a737flyer Wrote:
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> Is Boraxo hand cleaner even still available?  I
> haven't seen it for years.

Haven’t seen the hand cleaner, but we buy the laundry borax with the 20 mile team on the box.

Nathan

Posted from iPhone

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81tUq-4NpVL._AC_UL320_.jpg
Check Amazon
RB

Although China has suspended its retaliatory tariff on US soybeans (back to the "usual" 20%, down from 55%), US soybeans remain much more expensive than importing Brazilian soybeans into China. Soybeans are a profitable rail hauled export product, too.

In addition, China has launched large investments (billions) into converting farms into soybean production in order to gain some independence from importing soybeans in reponse to the tariff moves. It is a logical response that should have been considered in the planning.  

doge_of_pocopson Wrote:
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> In addition, China has launched large investments
> (billions) into converting farms into soybean
> production in order to gain some independence from
> importing soybeans in reponse to the tariff moves.
> It is a logical response that should have been
> considered in the planning.

I think your narrative is underestimating what's really going on.

Burning fossil fuels (ships, planes) to move goods thousands of miles across oceans is NOT a sustainable way to trade if those goods can be produced locally. Biggest beneficiaries of globalism (forcing long distance trades) are those in the middle, starting with the shipping companies and financial organizations "facilitating (taking a big cut)" the process. This also involves exploitation of labor cost differences and currency exchange rates. I said it long time ago here on TO (deleted, so no proof) that globalism is a failure, and recent speeches at a (unnamed) conference in European echo that.

As usual, I like to guess and speculate, not rely on "facts" or say "safe things" out of fear of being wrong. The fact that Kern County is looking to help the operations means they think this is a temporary setback. Anyways, I'm doing a total reset on how I understand the global economy, if you want to know where I'm coming from.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> Although China has suspended its retaliatory
> tariff on US soybeans (back to the "usual" 20%,
> down from 55%), US soybeans remain much more
> expensive than importing Brazilian soybeans into
> China. Soybeans are a profitable rail hauled
> export product, too.

UP stated recently they foresee more soybeans and soybean meal riding their rails this year.

Keith_Kevet

Posted from Android

Keith_Kevet Wrote:
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> Lackawanna484 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Although China has suspended its retaliatory
> > tariff on US soybeans (back to the "usual" 20%,
> > down from 55%), US soybeans remain much more
> > expensive than importing Brazilian soybeans
> into
> > China. Soybeans are a profitable rail hauled
> > export product, too.
>
> UP stated recently they foresee more soybeans and
> soybean meal riding their rails this year.
>
> Keith_Kevet
>
> Posted from Android

Union Pacific has adjusted its forecasts for many products as tariffs go up, and adjusted them again as tariffs go down.  Wait until the next tariff uproar and they will ago up.  Or go down. Change is always happening.

As my frequent sparring partner notes, many view globalism as a failure.  Even those who made a lot of money from it. And those who lost their jobs because of it.  Union Pacific is adjusting, based on its outlook for the near and more distant future.

Keith_Kevet Wrote:
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> coach Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The President's tariffs are only hurting us and
> > the railroads.  He is a 1-man wrecking crew,
> > who's never worked a hard day in his life.
>
> If you don't understand the reasons why there were
> tariffs on Chinese products in the first place
> then that's a you problem.

If the pendulum is allowed to swing way too far to one side, causing problems, allowing/forcing/making the pendulum swing way too far to the opposite side also causes problems.

DJT got into office the first time because the pendulum had continued to go to way out on one side way to far. Sadly, he moved it way too far to the opposite side. Hence, why he was not reelected for consecutive terms.

The same thing is going on now. 

Oh, and who allowed the pendulum to swing out way too far to one side, John Q Public.

> And you know China is still addicted to coal,
> right?

Has absolutely nothing to do with the subject at hand.

Keith_Kevet Wrote:
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> And you know China is still addicted to coal,
> right? Why aren't you upset about that? Because
> it's out of sight, out of mind?
>

At the same time they're also addicted to renewables... and are far outpacing the rest of the world on that front. Once they get enought they can throttle back on the fossil fuels. They have a plan....
 

callum_out Wrote:
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> Soooooo, countries (groups of countries, our
> "friends" in Canada. half the rest of the world
> we've propped up) should be able to
> post tariffs on our goods and dump theirs into
> this country at zero and you think Trump has it
> wrong? That certainly does explain
> the liberal globalist mind.
>
> Out 

The US and its major trading partners have had relatively low tariff rates with each other for decades. Raising the tariffs to allow for reduced income tax to the wealthy is what this administation is doing. It's bad economic policy and it hurts us in the middle class.

exhaustED Wrote:
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> Hmmm someone banging their drum here with blinkers
> on.... the so called liberal global administration
> also put up tariffs significantly on Chinese
> exports such as solar panels, car batteries,
> steel, aluminum etc. etc..

Um, say what? You do not place tariffs on exports. Tariffs are placed on imports.

longliveSP Wrote:
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> Um, say what? You do not place tariffs on exports.
> Tariffs are placed on imports.

Oh really, i really didn't know that....

Maybe you didn't realise the fact that exports at one end ..... actually become.... imports.... at the other end. Amazing isn't it?

SVM owned or leased 10th Avenue Terminal . I wonder if they still export out of San Diego.Seems like it has been awwhile.Bill Webb