Antinuclear

Senator Larissa Waters debunks Queensland’s uninformed fervour for uranium minng

Senator Barnaby Joyce says nuclear power in Australia is next step after Queensland decision to resume uranium mining Robyn Ironside, John McCarthy The Courier-Mail October 24, 2012 “….Queensland Greens Senator Larissa Waters said those supporting uranium mining in Queensland had not worked out safe means of
transporting and exporting uranium.
Guidelines have only recently been adopted in WA and that state will not allow uranium oxide to be transported to, or shipped from, its ports until 2014.
“It is too dangerous, it is too risky, it is dirty and we have clean safe renewable alternatives that won’t end up making the world’s conflicts even worse,” Senator Waters said.
She said she doubted uranium would be an “economic saviour” for Queensland because the price of uranium was very low, now about $43 per pound.
The Queensland government is expecting total royalties of around $900 million if the total resource ($18 billion on current prices) was mined.
“The price for uranium has tanked in the last few years – all the more because of the Fukushima disaster – and we have just seen Olympic Dam in South Australia, the biggest uranium mine in Australia – well we’ve just seen plans for that to expand, shelved,” Senator Waters said.
Senator Waters said transportation of uranium remained a major problem. “There is no safe way to dig up uranium, or transport it to port, or export it, and have it used safely,” she said. “We simply don’t have the guarantees that we need that this stuff can be managed.” “It is radioactive, it is toxic.”….. : http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/uranium-cheapest-alternative-fuel-20121023-2838o.html#ixzz2AWgmmDmv

October 27, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, Queensland, uranium