Antinuclear

Oz Minerals may be prosecuted for its latest toxic spillage in Northern Territory

Toxic spill may lead to legal action BY: VERITY EDWARDS  : The Australian January 02, 2012   THE Northern Territory government will consider legal action against the companies responsible for a train derailment that saw up to 1500 tonnes of copper concentrate containing uranium spill into the Edith River on Tuesday.

The copper concentrate, which is worth up to $8 million, contained up to 100kg of uranium comprising .008 per cent of its load…..  SafeWork SA and the Northern Territory’s Worksafe granted OZ Minerals an exemption to carry the copper concentrate in containers known as kibbles and covered by tarpaulins after national regulations on transporting environmentally hazardous materials were introduced on April 1.

The exemption expired on December 31, four days after the train derailed in floodwaters while crossing the Edith River, 40km north of Katherine…..The Environment Centre NT co-ordinator, Stuart Blanch, said the spillage was the second time OZ Minerals’ copper concentrate had entered a Territory waterway and the company needed to be held to
account.
Spillages were reported during loading at the Port of Darwin between November 2009 and April 2010, but Oz Minerals was not prosecuted.

“On the one hand to try and prosecute them and (then) for Worksafe to give them an exemption to use tarps makes us look like Nigeria or a third world country,” Dr Blanch said.

He questioned whether the decision to grant the exemption was based on economics rather than environmental protection.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/toxic-spill-may-lead-to-legal-action/story-e6frg6nf-1226234417819

January 2, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | General News