How the ALP government betrayed Australians on Muckaty nuclear waste dump plan
The first thing that happened subsequent to the Rudd Government taking office after the 2007 election was that radioactive waste management issues were mysteriously taken out of the science portfolio, where they had been right through the period of the Howard government and well before, and given to Martin Ferguson in the resources and industry portfolio. To transfer radioactive waste management from the science portfolio to the resources portfolio was to give it to somebody with absolutely no expertise, no subtlety and no willingness to follow through with the ALP’s election commitment.
THIS LAND IS NOT NOWHERE; THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT NO-ONE, Right Now, By Scott Ludlam , 13 Aug 12, This article is part of our August theme, which focuses on the environment and human rights. Read more articles on this theme.
The government is attempting to force a nuclear waste facility on to Muckaty Station, a cattle station 120 kilometres from Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory, in direct violation of the commitments the ALP made in the run-up to the 2007 election. The proposal is strongly contested and the subject of a Federal Court challenge in which Traditional Owners argue they were not consulted by the Northern Land Council. They also argue that the proposed site is not one the Commonwealth can negotiate with one group of Owners given that at least five groups have interconnected and interwoven responsibility there. Matters do not reach the Federal Court on a whim; the Muckaty case goes to the heart of respect for Aboriginal land rights, and whether Australia will violate the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples that prohibits storage of disposal of hazardous materials in the lands or territories of indigenous peoples without their free, prior and informed consent……
[In 2005] the ALP condemned the nuclear dump legislation, with MPs and Senators accurately describing it as extreme, arrogant, heavy-handed, draconian, sorry, sordid, extraordinary and profoundly shameful. The ALP took a very clear and unequivocal position on this issue into the closing months of the 2007 election campaign.
The failure of the Committee to visit Muckaty or hold a hearing in Tennant Creek undermines the accuracy of claims about the process engaging all stakeholders.
The party’s platform of that time reflected that Labor was “committed to a responsible, mature and international best practice approach to radioactive waste management in Australia” and would “establish a process for identifying suitable sites that is scientific, transparent, accountable, fair and allows access to appeal mechanisms.” There was also a commitment to “international best practice scientific processes to underpin Australia’s radioactive waste management, including transportation and storage.”
That clear and sound position taken by the ALP makes their actions in office all the more bitterly disappointing. Continue reading
Uranium exploring companies in Australia deserting an economically sinking ship
Marketing mavericks turn heads at Diggers & Dealers meet THE AUSTRALIAN BY: ROBIN BROMBY The Australian August 13, 2012 “….. Uranium? Head for the hills. Forget about it. The spot price is down to $US49.25 a pound.
Joe Gutnick’s Top End Uranium (TEU) is flicking the switch to precious gems exploration, just the latest of many uranium explorers heading for the doors.
In this case, it cites constant delays in getting access to its ground as the reason, but you would have to be a uranium true believer to put another dollar into the ground right now.
As Warwick Grigor at Canaccord Genuity points out in his Friday note, prices of uranium companies are being reduced to shell levels.
He cites companies with advanced projects such as Uranium SA (USA) with $3 million in the bank and a market cap of $8m, while Bannerman Resources (BMN) has cash of $9m and market cap of $27m…..”
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/opinion/marketing-mavericks-turn-heads-at-diggers-dealers-meet/story-fnciihm9-1226448709580
Nuclear waste dump an election issue in Northern Territory?
Push to make nuclear waste dump an election issue. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-08-11/push-to-make-nuclear-waste-dump-an-election-issue/4192530?section=nt August 11, 2012 A protest group is pushing to make the proposal for a nuclear waste facility at Muckaty Station in the Northern Territory an election issue, Michael Coggan 7pm TV News NT | Duration: 1min 43sec
Dangerous state of sink hole in Louisiana
Sinkhole: H-Bomb explosion equivalent in Bayou Corne possible Examiner.com BAYOU CORNE SINKHOLE DISASTER AUGUST 12, 2012 BY: DEBORAH DUPRE Louisiana State of Emergency: Oil and gas sinkhole disaster area risks and rights violations escalating
A possible breach of a butane-filled well 1500 feet from Bayou Corne’s sinkhole, the size of three football fields, is so “very serious,” it has Assumption Parish sheriff and local residents ordered to evacuate worried about a catastrophic explosion, one according to scientists in an Examinerinvestigation, would be in the range of one and a half B83 thermonuclear (hydrogen) bombs, the most powerful United States weapons in active service.
“The disaster is made all the more worrisome because the hole is believed to be close to a well containing 1.5 million barrels of liquid butane, a highly volatile liquid that turns into a highly flammable vapor upon release,” CNNreported Friday about the declared State of Emergency…….
Since Saturday, disaster workers are required to wear respirators, although the public within the disaster area is not.
Government cover up continues angering residents and elected leaders
“You can give us a straight answer because that’s all we want,” a woman said at the community meeting Tuesday. “We want to know when we can come home and be safe. Because you all go home after a days work. You’re safe, but we’re not,” she said, expressing sentiments of other locals with whom Dupré has spoken….. http://www.examiner.com/article/sinkhole-h-bomb-explosion-equivalent-bayou-corne-possible?CID=examiner_alerts_article
Success of wind and solar energy in South Australia
SA shows wind and solar make energy cleaner and cheaper, REneweconomy, By Giles Parkinson 13 August 2012As Europe has looked towards its biggest and most successful economy Germany to lead the way into green energy, Australians are getting a glimpse into its own grid of the future in the state of South Australia – arguably the advanced economy with the highest wind energy penetration, and now with the highest penetration of rooftop solar PV, in the world.
The latest South Australian Electricity Report (SAER), released by the Australian Energy Market Operator last week, gives some fascinating insights into how wind and now solar PV are changing the nature of the local grid – and providing the state with cleaner, greener and cheaper energy.
For a start, in 2011/12, wind overtook coal as the second biggest producer of energy in the state.
But while solar PV is not included , here’s another interesting set of statistics. South Australia has had the biggest reduction in energy demand compared to forecasts of just a year ago – down 10 per cent from last year’s predictions. Industry demand has fallen, but it still represents growth of 5.4 per cent. The biggest change has been in residential demand, which has fallen 7 per cent. It just so happens that South Australia has the highest penetration of rooftop PV of all the NEM states, meaning – as AEMO states – that ‘”less electricity is being supplied from the grid.”
Indeed, by the end of 2012, two out of five houses in the state had installed rooftop solar PV – more than double the national rate ….. Another interesting snippet from AEMO’s report is that rooftop solar – contrary to some opinion – is helping to meet peak demand….. http://reneweconomy.com.au/2012/sa-shows-wind-and-solar-make-energy-cleaner-and-cheaper-39021
Radioactive wastes toll from rare earths mining in China
Rare-earth mining in China comes at a heavy cost for local villages Guardian UK Pollution is poisoning the farms and villages of the region that processes the precious minerals , 7 August 2012 From the air it looks like a huge lake, fed by many tributaries, but on the ground it turns out to be a murky expanse of water, in which no fish or algae can survive. The shore is coated with a black crust, so thick you can walk on it. Into this huge, 10 sq km tailings pond nearby factories discharge water loaded with chemicals used to process the 17 most sought after minerals in the world, collectively known as rare earths.
The town of Baotou, in Inner Mongolia, is the largest Chinese source of these strategic elements, essential to advanced technology, from smartphones to GPS receivers, but also to wind farms and, above all, electric cars. The minerals are mined at Bayan Obo, 120km farther north, then brought to Baotou for processing.
The concentration of rare earths in the ore is very low, so they must be separated and purified, using hydro-metallurgical techniques and acid baths. China accounts for 97% of global output of these precious substances, with two-thirds produced in Baotou.
The foul waters of the tailings pond contain all sorts of toxic chemicals, but also radioactive elements such as thorium which, if ingested, cause cancers of the pancreas and lungs, and leukaemia. “Before the factories were built, there were just fields here as far as the eye can see. In the place of this radioactive sludge, there were watermelons, aubergines and tomatoes,” says Li Guirong with a sigh.
It was in 1958 – when he was 10 – that a state-owned concern, the Baotou Iron and Steel company (Baogang), started producing rare-earth minerals. The lake appeared at that time. “To begin with we didn’t notice the pollution it was causing. How could we have known?” As secretary general of the local branch of the Communist party, he is one of the few residents who dares to speak out.
Towards the end of the 1980s, Li explains, crops in nearby villages started to fail: “Plants grew badly. They would flower all right, but sometimes there was no fruit or they were small or smelt awful.” Ten years later the villagers had to accept that vegetables simply would not grow any longer. In the village of Xinguang Sancun – much as in all those near the Baotou factories – farmers let some fields run wild and stopped planting anything but wheat and corn.
A study by the municipal environmental protection agency showed that rare-earth minerals were the source of their problems. The minerals themselves caused pollution, but also the dozens of new factories that had sprung up around the processing facilities and a fossil-fuel power station feeding Baotou’s new industrial fabric. Residents of what was now known as the “rare-earth capital of the world” were inhaling solvent vapour, particularly sulphuric acid, as well as coal dust, clearly visible in the air between houses.
Now the soil and groundwater are saturated with toxic substances. Five years ago Li had to get rid of his sick pigs, the last survivors of a collection of cows, horses, chickens and goats, killed off by the toxins.
The farmers have moved away. Most of the small brick houses in Xinguang Sancun, huddling close to one another, are going to rack and ruin. In just 10 years the population has dropped from 2,000 to 300 people…… http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/aug/07/china-rare-earth-village-pollution
Danger of poorly managed rare earths mining in Greenland
Will Mining For Rare Earth Metals Destroy Greenland? http://www.fastcoexist.com/1680333/will-mining-for-rare-earth-metals-destroy-greenland 12 Aug 12, To stop China’s stranglehold on the minerals necessary for our digital economy, mining companies are looking to the icy expanse of Greenland. But with no regulation, no light, and no oversight, what will those mines do to this pristine Arctic landscape? Continue reading
Repowering Port Augusta with SOLAR ENERGY
Repower Port Augusta Walk for Solar http://repowerportaugusta.org/civicrm/event/info?id=2&reset=1 This September, we’re walking 300km to Repower Port Augusta’s coal stations with solar thermal.
Port Augusta is a town at a crossroads. With two coal-fired power stations closing, we have the opportunity to decide whether they are replaced with Australia’s first solar thermal power station, or with a dirty gas plant.
The power company, the local council, local community and businesses all want solar – but to make this happen we need the support of the Premier and the Federal Government. We need to make Port Augusta a national issue.
Join us in walking from the 16th to 30th September, 300km all the way from Port Augusta to Premier Weatherill’s door in Adelaide. Together we’ll shine the national spotlight on the opportunity for solar thermal and make it a national moment the country can’t ignore.
We can create enough public pressure to force the Premier and Federal Government to support a solar plant, but to win we need you to walk with us. Register your interest in joining the walk below or donate to make the campaign a reality here. Continue reading
Dental X rays are the major risk for meningiomas
Formerly it was believed that the main cause of meningiomas was ionizing radiation due to atomic bombs or radiation received during cancer treatment. Now, Dr. Claus says the main risk is dental x-rays.
Dental X-Rays Linked To Meningiomas http://www.southasiamail.com/news.php?id=106219 13 Aug 12, W. Gifford-Jones M.D. What should you do the next time the dentist tells you he or she is going to take full dental X-rays? A new study shows that just as porcupines make love very, very carefully you should also take care to limit the amount of radiation exposure during your lifetime, particularly the amount your children receive.
Dr. Elizabeth Claus of Yale University reports in the American Cancer Society Journal “Cancer”, that there’s a link between dental x-rays and the risk of developing a brain tumour called a meningioma. Continue reading
USA government recognises diseases of atomic vets, caused by radiation
If a Veteran who participated in a radiation-risk activity (including “Atomic Veterans”) develops one of these diseases, VA presumes the disease is related to ionizing radiation exposure during service. These Veterans do not have to prove a connection between these diseases and their military service to be eligible to receive disability compensation.
Diseases Associated with Ionizing Radiation Exposure, United States Department of Veterans Affairs http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/radiation/diseases.asp Veterans may be eligible for disability compensation and health care benefits for any disea Veterans may be eligible for disability compensation and health care benefits for any disease that VA recognizes as related to radiation exposure during military service. Surviving spouses, dependent children and dependent parents of Veterans who died as the result of diseases related to radiation exposure during military service may be eligible for survivors’ benefits.
- Presumptive Diseases Related to Ionizing Radiation Exposure
- Other Diseases Related to Radiation Exposure
Also, VA presumes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) diagnosed in all Veterans with 90 days or more continuous active military service is related to their service.
Presumptive diseases related to ionizing radiation exposure
VA has recognized, or presumed, certain cancers are related to ionizing radiation exposure during military service. These are called “presumptive diseases.”
Cancers of the bile ducts, bone, brain, breast, colon, esophagus, gall bladder, liver (primary site, but not if cirrhosis or hepatitis B is indicated), lung (including bronchiolo-alveolar cancer), pancreas, pharynx, ovary, salivary gland, small intestine, stomach, thyroid, urinary tract (kidney/renal, pelvis, urinary bladder, and urethra), leukemia (except chronic lymphocytic leukemia), lymphomas (except Hodgkin’s disease), and multiple myeloma (cancer of plasma cells). Continue reading
Australian company Mantra Resources has to pay tax bill, for Tanzania uranium mine to go ahead
Tanzania: Uranium Project Licence Shelved Till Tax Bill Paid, Beyond Nuclear 12 Aug 12, Dodoma – A SPECIAL mining licence to allow Russian firm, Uranium One start mining at Mkuju River in the Selous Game Reserve buffer zone, will not be issued until Australian Mantra Resources pay over 180 million US dollars (approx. 292.12bn/-) in taxes, the Parliament was told.
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 