Olympic Dam an unprecedented attack on Australia’s environment
BHP Billiton’s Olympic Dam mine expansion will leave an uprecedented environmental legacy THE AUSTRALIAN, BY:PAUL CLEARY October 11, 2011 FUTURE generations of Australians will have to contend with an unprecedented environmental legacy from the expansion of Olympic Dam’s copper-uranium mine, but our system provides no way of compensating them.
BHP Billiton’s open-cut expansion of mining to extract an estimated $800 billion in mineral wealth will leave behind an above-ground heap of radioactive tailings spread over 44sq km and as high as the Sydney Opera House.
After 40 years of production, the mine will also leave behind a toxic crater measuring 4km wide and more than 1km deep.
Both legacies pose significant risks to ground water, according to BHP’s environmental impact statement . . . although these were dismissed yesterday by Environment Minister Tony Burke.
Under Australia’s federal-state system, the South Australian government has no incentive to set up a future fund so that it can compensate future residents for having to live with much less mineral wealth, and with the environmental costs of this development. Nor has the federal government or opposition shown any interest in measures to compensate our grandkids, and their descendants, for having used our inherited mineral wealth to inflate our standard of living….. the mineral resources rent tax won’t collect any of the above-normal profits earned from developing one of the world’s biggest ore deposits, because it only taxes coal and iron ore production. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/opinion/counting-the-cost-of-bhps-olympic-dam/story-e6frg9if-1226163362958
Radioactive birds may arrive in Tasmania in seasonal migration
Mutton bird radiation warning, ABC News, September 30, 2011 Tasmanians are being warned not to collect dead mutton birds for research. A recent Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association newsletter describes research into mutton bird exposure to radiation from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant. It says the birds will soon be migrating back to Australia after many spent winter in the Sea of Japan.
The article says people can help researchers by collecting freshly dead mutton birds, freezing them and handing them over to their local Parks and Wildlife office or museum. But the department says it is not seeking samples and discourages people unfamiliar with wildlife from collecting them. A spokeswoman says suggestions of radiation exposure in birds is being further investigated. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-09-30/20110930-muttonbird-radiation-warning/3193736?section=tas
Radioactive dust storms from uranium mine will threaten Australia’s cities
Dust storm envelopes Coober Pedy, South Australia – September 27 11, Christina Macpherson Dust storms can travel thousands of km, from South Australia – the Olympic Dam uranium mine area, to three capital cities, and even to New Zealand.
These winds travelled similarly to the 2009 Red Dust storm and went across to NSW and through Victoria. Coober Pedy is just East of Emu Field.
Weather forecast was : A vigorous front moving across South Australia 28 September 2011, with west to southwest winds averaging 60-km/h with damaging wind gusts in excess of 80 km/h
RED DUST STORM TWO YEARS AGO to the week was: Forecast September 2009 A vigorous front moving across South Australia 22-25 September [2009], with west to southwest winds averaging 60-70 km/h with damaging wind gusts in excess
of 90 km/h.
This time around, Australia’s capital cities have been lucky. Not like two years ago, when dust covered dozens of towns and cities in three states, affecting Adelaide , Melbourne and blanketing Sydney. The dust from the Olympic Dam region might have carried radioactivity – the uranium mine then , and now, an underground mine.
But what happens when Olympic Dam uranium mine becomes the world’s biggest open cut mine?
Similar wind storms will happen. But then the winds will be carrying the radioactive dust from BHP Billiton’s massive mountain of tailings. The waste rockpile (overburden) will be an enormous mountain on the landscape, 150 metres high and up to 8 kilometres wide.
BHP Billiton themselves admit – or is it boast ? – that this giant mine will alter the region’s weather patterns – to such an extent that aircraft flight paths will have to be changed.
Wake up, city-dwelling Australians – the radioactive threat of Olympic Dam means that Coober Pedy’s dust storms will concern you, too
Research to benefit the Giant Cuttlefish, or the Giant Non Australian BHP Billiton?
In South Australia, a Flinders University team is doing the USA’s bidding, as Professor Pam Sykes pushes U.S. funded research into making low level ionising radiation look good.
Now we have another research team in South Australia,, funded by Australian governments, investigating the giant cuttlefish. We must wonder to what extent this research is geared at truly studying this unique and beautiful animal, and its specialised habitat. This is a species that will be lost to the world, made extinct by a change in the salt/freshwater balance in the upper Spencer Gulf.
The proposed desalinationn plant – needed for BHP Billiton’s expansion of Olympic Damn uranium mine – would make that change, and make that extinction of an iconic Australian species.
Will the new research study really lead to the protection of the giant cuttlefish, or the protection of the giant Non Australia – BHP Billiton? – Christina Macpherson
Federal and state funds for cuttlefish research, ABC News, September 15, 2011 Research into giant cuttlefish in South Australia’s upper Spencer Gulf will receive $105,000 in federal and state funding.
SA Fisheries Minister Michael O’Brien says a monitoring and evaluation program will look at population biomass, water quality and habitat. There has been some recent concern that fewer cuttlefish are in the upper Gulf.
Concern also has been expressed about the possible effects of discharge if a desalination plant is built in the area. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-09-15/giant-cuttlefish-research-funding/2900668
Why Toro’s uranium mining plan at Wiluna should be stopped
Key concerns with Toro’s plan to mine uranium at Wiluna,
by Mia Pepper and Jim Green, 9 sept 11,
* Traditional Owners are opposed to the construction of a uranium mine at
the significant sacred site of Lake Way. Toro has not completed
Archeological and Ethnographic studies and does not already have a
comprehensive Aboriginal Heritage Management Plan.
* Uranium exported from Wiluna will at best end up as high-level nuclear
waste. At worst it will end up as fissile (explosive) material in nuclear
weapons, or in a nuclear disaster such as that unfolding in Fukushima,
Japan.
* Toro does not accept responsibility for its own application, stating
that it has “not fully verified the accuracy or completeness” of its
application.
* Lake Way is home to a unique population of Stygofauna − a
newly-discovered species of subterranean crustaceans.
* Toro has not factored in recent advice from the International Commission
on Radiological Protection that radon is twice as carcinogenic as
previously thought.
* Transport plans are presented as a “preliminary draft” and the company
plans to transport its toxic, radioactive product over many thousands of
kilometres, from Wiluna to Adelaide and Darwin.
* Uranium mining and tailings disposal in this region will occur below the
water-table and will be connected to aquatic ecosystems. There is a
significant risk of contaminating the aquatic ecosystems with changes in
water chemistry, including the mobilisation of radioactive compounds.
* The legal requirement for tailings management at the Ranger uranium mine
in the NT is effective isolation for at least 10,000 years. The minimum
standard should be the same for Wiluna.
* There has not been a calcrete uranium deposit mined in Australia and
there is only one calcrete deposit presently being mined worldwide. There
is a lack of expertise and experience in engineering and mine design for
these deposits.
* Wiluna has a number of operating mines close to town and in the region.
Despite current mining activity, Wiluna still suffers from extreme
poverty, homelessness, unemployment, violence and other social problems.
Lynas Rare Earths plant to be highlighted in documentary on ionising radiation
Japanese filmmaker to highlight Lynas controversy, Free Malaysia Today, G Vinod, September 6, 2011“….A foreign documentary on the nuclear meltdown in Japan will also highlight the controversy over the Lynas rare earth refinery in Malaysia.
PETALING JAYA: A Japanese filmmaker plans to include the Lynas rare earth controversy in his upcoming documentary on nuclear radiation which is scheduled to be released in October 2011.The filmmaker, Shunji Iwai, decided to highlight the plight of the people in Gebeng, Pahang after hearing about the matter from his Malaysian counterpart, Tan Chui Mui.
Lynas Corporation Ltd plans to build a RM700 million rare earth refinery in Gebeng, to facilitate transportation of its mining products from Western Australia’s Mount Weld to the plant in Gebeng. The plant is expected to be operational by end of this year.
However, the community in Gebeng are up in arms against the project fearing radioactive contamination in the area surrounding the plant. Although the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had said the mine would be safe, Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh dismissed its report, saying that most of the findings were made based on data given by Lynas itself…….
Tan herself would be directing a few parody educational video called “Survival Guide in Radioactive Village” to create awareness among the public on the Lynas scare. The documentary is scheduled for release in October for the Japanese market. It will subsequently be released to the global audience via the Internet…http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/09/06/japanese-filmmaker-to-highlight-lynas-controversy/.
Call to stop transport of radioactive rare earths through Fremantle
Carles moves to ban rare earth ores in Freo – The West Australian, 5 Sept 11,Fremantle MP Adele Carles has called for the transportation of rare earth ores through Fremantle to be halted immediately because she is concerned about potential radioactivity.In a position that puts her at odds with her partner, Transport Minister Troy Buswell, and the State Government, the independent MP has claimed the rare earths, which are mined by Lynas Corporation at Mt Weld near Laverton, could be a hazard to public health and safety…..
The term “rare earths” refers to a range of metallic elements that are used in a range of modern products including high-powered magnets for wind turbines, electric hybrid vehicles, computer hard discs, smartphones and flat panel displays.
The ore contains thorium and uranium oxides, albeit at levels regulators say do not pose a radiation risk…..
Ms Carles said she was concerned Lynas’ proposal “looks like the Magellan experiment all over again”, referring to the problems Magellan Metals has had in complying with its environmental management plan to export lead carbonate through Fremantle……
Ms Carles yesterday hosted protestors from Malaysia, who are opposed to Lynas building a processing plant in Kuantan, the capital of Malaysia’s Pahang state. The protestors are concerned that the strategically important plant – the only rare earths processing facility outside China – could leave the area a toxic site…..Carles moves to ban rare earth ores in Freo – The West Australian
As Australia’s groundwater declines, BHP BIlliton should not extract GAB water for free
It is within the power of the Federal and South Australian governments to require, as a condition of consent to the BHP Billiton proposal, that at the time the desalination plant is commissioned, the company will surrender any and whatever licence it has to extract water from the Great Artesian Basin ….
It is our submission that, as the largest single extractor of water from the GAB in South Australia, BHP Billiton has created its own ethical obligation to the future of the GAB …
It is our further submission that this is not an economic issue, it is not even an environmental issue, it is about the ethics of any company continuing to assert its current right to a public resource when that company has the financial capacity to secure the same resource from its own private reserves. ….
Re:- BHP Billiton – Olympic Dam Expansion Proposal, 22 August, 2011 Letter to Senate Standing Committees on Rural Affairs and Transport from Richard Quilty BHP Billiton Shareholder Willem Vervoort,Associate Professor, Hydrology & Catchment Management The University of Sydney
Preamble
On the dry Australian continent groundwater is the only consistently reliable source of water; it is thus an extremely valuable resource. The Great Artesian Basin (GAB) is the largest of those groundwater resources.
The total value of production supported by GAB water is estimated at $3.5 billion per annum. Without that groundwater there would be little to no economic activity and in fact little opportunity for life in much of regional Australia.
Currently, many groundwater resources are over-allocated leading to declining water tables and water quality. Federal and State governments as well as private business are investing large amounts of money to rectify this problem. An example is the $140 million GABSI program to save GAB water. Read more »
Australian federal government abdicating its role in environmental protection?
States get a bigger say on the environment, The Age, Tom Arup, August 25, 2011, THE Gillard government has rolled out a business-friendly overhaul of national environment laws, boosting the states’ role in approving or rejecting controversial new projects like pulp mills and mines…….
Under the reforms the Commonwealth will seek deals with the states that would mean most projects would need either state or federal environmental approval, not both….
Australian National University environmental legal expert Andrew Macintosh said yesterday the proposal had to ensure adequate protection of national environmental assets and ”leave an opening for the Commonwealth to intervene where the national interest is threatened by parochial state interests”.
The Australian Conservation Foundation’s Dr Paul Sinclair said delegating power to the states to approve projects would be a backwards step, adding “if business wants a one-stop shop, it must be a federal shop”..….
opposition environment spokesman Greg Hunt. Mr Hunt yesterday welcomed the proposed reforms and said the Coalition was broadly supportive.
Greens environment spokeswoman Larissa Waters said she was disappointed the reforms did not include measures to consider a project’s carbon emissions and impact of water resources…http://www.theage.com.au/national/states-get-a-bigger-say-on-the-environment-20110824-1ja8n.html
BHP Billiton above the law, exporting megalitres of Australia’s water – for free!
BHP Billiton: Billions in profits and not paying a cent for water in SA, Friends of the Earth Adelaide, 24th AUGUST 2011 Today mining giant BHP Billiton announced record financial results for the 2011 financial year, recording a total net profit of US$23. 95 billion, nearly double its 2010 figure of US$13.01 billion.
Despite its profits more than tripling in the last three years, BHP has never paid a cent for the vast amounts of water used by the Olympic Dam copper and uranium mine near Roxby Downs. The mine currently uses approximately 35 million litres of water a day from the Great Artesian Basin. Under the Roxby Downs Indenture Act BHP is not required to pay for this water usage.
The Indenture Act applies specifically to the Olympic Dam mine, and provides for wide-ranging legal exemptions and overrides from environmental and Aboriginal heritage protection laws that apply elsewhere in the state, including the Environmental Protection Act and the Natural Resources Act (which incorporates water management issues).
“The Indenture Act means that the Olympic Dam mine is not subject to the same environmental regulatory framework as other industrial projects in the state,’ explained Nectaria Calan of Friends of the Earth Adelaide. “Additionally, by allowing BHP to take water from the Great Artesian Basin for free, the South Australian government is essentially providing BHP with a massive subsidy,” she continued.
The water intake from the Great Artesian Basin has already had adverse impacts on the unique Mound Springs found near Lake Eyre, which are fed by the underlying Artesian Basin, and are sacred to the Arabunna people, the traditional owners of the area.
As part of the proposed expansion of the Olympic Dam mine, BHP Billiton proposes to increase its water consumption by an additional 200 million litres per day. Water intake from the Great Artesian Basin will increase to up to 42 million litres per day, with the remainder to come from a proposed desalination plant at Point Lowly. This amounts to over 100,000 litres of water per minute.
“The vast water usage of uranium mines is often forgotten in the debate about uranium and nuclear energy. Here we are, in the driest state on the driest continent on earth, host to a mine which needs millions of litres of water each day. Due to the Indenture Act, we are essentially exporting our water overseas for free,” said Ms. Calan.
The Indenture Act is currently the subject of negotiations between BHP Billiton and the South Australian government. In the near future amendments will be introduced into parliament to extend the Indenture Act to the proposed expansion.
“The South Australian government is planning to allow the largest uranium mine in the world to go ahead with legal privileges that will allow BHP an impunity characteristic of some third world states,” said Ms. Calan. “The Indenture Act should be repealed completely, allowing BHP to be subject to the same laws as other corporations operating in the state.”
South Australia to ban uranium mining in Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary
Premier Mike Rann announces permanent protection for Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary, Herald Sun, By Greg Kelton and Sarah Martin , July 22, 2011 ARKAROOLA will be protected for all time from mining, South Australia Premier Mike Rann has announced during a visit to the wilderness sanctuary. Read more »
Time that Australian govts stepped in to protect Kakadu from ERA’s dangerous uranium mining plans
little wonder that Ranger has been hammered by the market and described as Rio Tinto’s ”major shame in this country”…. the cold hard fact remains that no modern uranium mine has ever undertaken large-scale acid heap leaching let alone in the monsoonal tropics surrounded by a renowned World-Heritage site…
The time has come for the Northern Territory regulator the Department of Resources and the Commonwealth adviser, the Office of the Supervising Scientist, to ensure that ERA and the Ranger site addresses the systemic failures in tailings and water management and ends the habit of unnecessary risk taking. .
Need for greater mining rules to protect Kakadu, Canberra Times, BY GAVIN MUDD, 15 Jul, 2011 Plans to expand the Ranger uranium operations pose big dangers. Inside Australia’s largest national park lies one of the country’s most controversial mines. Earlier this year it came close to a serious failure that would have contaminated Kakadu, effectively forever. Now, instead of heeding the warning signs, it wants to expand. Read more »
Australia’s radioactive waste water problem at Ranger uranium mine
the company is not planning to start processing its radioactive waste water for two more wet seasons.
Mr Mudd says a higher dam wall will mean the company will have even more radioactive water to process.
“In that sense it is still the temporary, sort of step-by-step measures,”
Ranger uranium waste water treatment plan attacked, ABC News, By Jane Bardon, 5 July 11 An environmental engineer says Energy Resources of Australia (ERA) should not have reopened its uranium mine within Kakadu National Park last month without committing to a waste water treatment plan. Read more »
Koongarra now a World Heritage National Park – and not an Areva uranium mine
Koongarra makes world heritage listing ABC News Jun 28, 2011 After more than 30 years, a uranium-rich piece of Aboriginal land near Kakadu National Park has been added to the World Heritage List. The 1,228-hectare site, known as Koongarra, was added to the register during a meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Paris. The French nuclear energy company Areva, which owns mining licences in the area, had unsuccessfully asked the committee to remove Koongarra from its agenda.
Koongarra is important Aboriginal land but was originally excluded from the park in 1979 because of its potential uranium resources.
Australian Conservation Foundation chief executive Don Henry says it is the end of a long fight to protect it from uranium mining. “Kakadu is beloved by many Australians,” he said. “This is right beside the famous Nourlangie Rock area and it’s a great tribute to Jeffrey Lee, the traditional owner who’s called for its protection to look after his own country, but it’s a great gift for all Australians.” Environment Minister Tony Burke welcomed the decision, saying it will help protect Koongarra for generations to come. There are some legal steps the Government will need to finalise before Koongarra is officially included as part of Kakadu National Park. It means the area will be fully protected under law and mining prohibited……http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/06/28/3255045.htm?site=news
BHP Billiton’s huge free water extraction from Great Artesian Basin, for Olympic Dam uranium mine
Save the Great Artesian Basin From Olympic Dam Uranium Mine, Save the Basin, 10 June 11 THE BLOGGER IS A BHP BILLITON SHAREHOLDER. On 13 May 2011 the company announced a proposal for six-fold expansion of Olympic Dam Mine in South Australia – to extract the most valuable single mineral deposit in the world. The mine will consume up to 42 million litres of water a day from the Great Artesian Basin for plus 40 years.
THAT USE OF THE GREAT ARTESIAN BASIN BY THAT MINE IS THE ISSUE WHICH THIS BLOG ADDRESSES.
The justification by BHP Billition for its ongoing demand on the Great Artesian Basin is set out at 4.3.4 of Chapter 4 of the company’s Final Proposal published on 13 May, 2011. …
…The company does intend to increase GAB extraction by 9 million litres a day as part of the mine expansion – to that extent therefore the reference in the second paragraph to “…significant improvements in water use efficiency…” is deceptive. Not a drop of the “significant improvements in water use efficiency” is offset against GAB demand by the mine……
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The protection of the GAB from the expanded Olympic Dam Mine can be achieved through the Approval Process that is now in the hands of the Federal and South Australian Governments – in the form of the Conditions of Consent imposed on the company through the Approval Process.
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This issue should now be brought to the attention of every Member of the Federal and South Australian Parliaments. Readers of this blog may consider passing on the details of this site to your own Member(s) of those Parliaments. Or contact the relevant State/Federal Minister – see ‘USEFUL CONTACTS’ on this site).IN BHP’s VIDEO PRESENTATION THERE IS NOT A SINGLE REFERENCE TO THE FACT THAT OLYMPIC DAM WILL TAKE UP TO 42 MILLION LITRES OF WATER A DAY FROM THE GREAT ARTESIAN BASIN EVERY DAY FOR THE LIFE OF THE EXPANDED MINE (MORE THAN 40 YEARS). http://www.savethebasin.com/
This month
For international news, go to nuclear-news ion for Western Australia’s energy future
http://ifyoulovethisplanet.org/?p=5755 Mary Olson on how women are more vulnerable to atomic radiation
- Muckaty Gathering 25 May 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1J9q-OeEO4 - NuclearKop http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpMhhzkeYjk
Anti nuclear action below: - more info at Action Australia « Antinuclear and at Event details « Antinuclear
- http://www.communityrun.org/petitions/put-the-brakes-on-toxic-trucks-no-nuclear-waste-at-muckaty
- Online Petition - against the proposed national radioactive waste dump at Muckaty Station in the Northern Territory http://www.gopetition.com.au/petitions/no-nuclear-waste-dump-at-muckaty.htmlUranium Free WA Sign the online charter saying no to uranium mining in Western Australia http://ccwa.org.au/takeaction/uraniumnotforsaleSIGN THE PETITION TO STOP LYNAS RARE EARTH EXPORTS TO MALAYSIA http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/ban-rare-earth-exports/
EVENTS
- May 29 – Melbourne - Amnesty International panel on weapons and war .
- May 29 – 30 Melbourne - Wind Farms conference
- May 30 Darwin - expert Panel on Nuclear Waste Dump plan for Muckaty
- June 2 - Nuclear Abolition Day
- June 13 - Melbourne -Lizards Revenge -Shut Roxby Down
- June 14 Melbourne Beyond Zero Emissions ZCA 2020 plan.
- June 19 - Melbourne Public meeting US FORCES IN AUSTRALIA: SECURITY OR THREAT? USforcesflyer-2.pdf
The Nuclear/uranium industry and WOMEN - theme for May 2012
Deceptive information given to women about breast cancer. Women are repeatedly told about “genetic causes”, about “risks of obesity:. about “diet factors”, about “not having babies”, or “having a baby at a later age” even about “stress” – as causes of breast cancer. The not so subtle message is that it is THEIR FAULT – a problem caused by the individual woman, so – the only preventive actions must be those made by individual women.
The facts are otherwise. The single most proven cause of breast cancer is ionising radiation. After that, other environmental causes exist, amongst the wash of chemicals, and synthetic hormones, that pervade our environment. After that – probably some hereditary susceptability, amongst some women.
Why is this so? One could conclude that breast cancer is a growth industry. There’s money at every point in this sorry cycle – from the radiation from nuclear fuel through to the medical radiation used to detect and treat breast cancer. There is no money clearly involved in shutting down a toxic industry, and preventing millions of breast cancers.
How does ionising radiation cause breast cancer? Ionising radiation comes in several forms. for example, Gamma rays, x-rays, and some sub-atomic particles such as alpha particles and protons In ionising radiation, a tiny electron is released from an atom, and enters a body cell, hitting the DNA in the cell’s nucleus, and damaging it. The damaged DNA sends out ‘wrong’ messages telling the cell to divide in an uncontrolled manner – cancer develops.
“...the time between radiation exposure and breast cancer development is longest in young women and shortest for older women; young children do not show a detectable elevation in breast cancer occurrence for some 35 to 40 years after exposure. Radiation-induced breast cancers appear to occur later in life during the same ages when breast cancer rates, in general, begin to increase. It appears that a single exposure of sufficient dose during early life can increase breast cancer risk even 50 years later...
the relationship between radiation dose and breast cancer risk can be described by a straight line which implies that no matter how low the dose, there is some small risk associated with the exposure.…
The risk of subsequent breast cancer from very high doses is lower than that which might be expected from the effects of lower doses. This is because radiation at high doses is an effective killer of cells and dead cells are not able to develop into cancer…..
Young girls are at highest risk …when a young girl is exposed to radiation, she will have menstrual cycles for several decades that might enhance the development of any underlying damage caused by the radiation. There is evidence to suggest that exposure to the immature breast during early development, and around the age of beginning menstruation, carries a higher risk than at other times of a woman’s life.
It is unclear how radiation exposure of the breast during pregnancy affects a woman’s breast cancer risk. However, a recent study of women treated for Hodgkin’s disease concluded that pregnancy might be a time of increased sensitivity of breast tissue to the cancercausing effects of radiation……”
.” John D Boyce, Jr, DSc, Scientific Director,Program on Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors in New York State.. Ionizing Radiation and Breast Cancer Risk
