Will Western Australia take climate change seriously, or just pander to fossil fuel lobby?
You’d think that Western Australia would now go all out for renewable energy. You’d think that Western Australia would now renounce all projects for water intensive uranium mining.
But it seems that the W.A. government will still be fiddling around, pandering to the fossil fuel and uranium industry, while their State burns.
WA’s south-west ‘drying out’ fast, Daniel Mercer, The West Australian, March 14, 2012, Two of Australia’s foremost scientific agencies have warned that south-west WA is warming and drying faster than anywhere in the country and will be increasingly prone to drought.
After a record eighth heatwave in Perth this summer, the Weather Bureau and CSIRO will today release the latest biennial snapshot of climate trends in Australia. The report backs up earlier conclusions that Australia’s land and sea temperatures are rising and rainfall is shifting from southern latitudes to the country’s centre and north.
It said average temperatures were expected to increase 0.6C to 1.5C by 2030 and 1.0C to 5.0C by 2070, with particularly harsh effects on south-west WA, including Perth. The report suggested the area would have long-term reductions in rainfall and more years like 2010 – the driest ever.
Rising greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and the rising acidification of Australia’s oceans were noted in the report, which said it was “90 per cent likely” the trends were because of man-made global warming…… http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/wa/13159615/was-south-west-drying-out-fast/
Lynas moved its rare earths processing to Malaysia because of Malaysia’s less stringent laws
ANAWA and EDO strongly believed that Lynas had chosen to move its operations to Malaysia because of the heavy metals and radioactive waste involved in the processing. “We believe Lynas picked Malaysia to save money and enable it to operate under less stringent laws,”
“The biggest concerns about the processing are the storage and waste management issues which are made more difficult in Gebeng which we understand to be wetlands.”
“There is no way it could operate the way it is in Malaysia over here,” he said. “Australia’s laws are much more stringent.”
Aussie NGO: Gebeng not part of Lynas’ blueprint, Free Malaysia Today News, Stephanie Sta Maria | March 6, 2012 Anti Nuclear Alliance of Western Australia (ANAWA) claims that Lynas’ massive changes to its plan has resulted in its plant being built in Gebeng where laws are looser and labour is cheaper. PETALING JAYA: The Anti-Nuclear Alliance of Western Australia (ANAWA) has revealed that Lynas Corporation Ltd was supposed to build its plant in Western Australia and not Malaysia.
According to ANAWA, Lynas’ 14-year-old blueprint indicated that the Australian mining giant had orginally planned to build its processing plant in Meenar a decade ago. But until today there had been no signs of any development on the intended site.
ANAWA spokesperson Marcus Atkinson told FMT that the orginal approvals were given by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) for Lynas to ship rare earth to buyers and confirmed that he had viewed these relevant documents firsthand.
However, he said that Lynas had since made numerous alterations to its operations to the point that its rare earth refinery had now landed in Malaysia. “Instead of transporting processed rare earth, it is now shipping a concentrate which contains thorium and other radioactive material with more heavy metals,” he told FMT. Continue reading
Malaysia considering sending Lynas’ radioactive waste back to Western Australia
No decision yet on sending Lynas waste to Western Australia The Star, Malaysia, KUALA LUMPUR, 7 March 12, : The Cabinet has not decided on a proposal asking Lynas Corp rare earth waste material to be sent back to Western Australia, said Green Technology, Energy and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin.
He said Western Australian Minister for Mines and Petroleum Norman Moore was entitled to his view that Australia would not accept responsibility for any waste produced by Lynas Malaysia Sdn Bhd. “Our Cabinet has not made a decision on the matter. Wait for it to be announced,” he said after the launch of the National Energy Security Conference 2012 yesterday.
Moore told the Australian parliament that the Western Australian government does not support the import and storage of other countries’ radioactive waste.
PKR MP Fuziah Salleh had proposed that the rare earth waste material for Lynas be returned to Australia. ….
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/2/29/nation/10825847&sec=nation
Lynas’ Mt Weld rare earths mines found to have out-dated safety permits
Lynas’ Mt Weld Rare Earths Mines Safety Permits Outdated : http://community.nasdaq.com/News/2012-03/lynas-mt-weld-rare-earths-mines-safety-permits-outdated.aspx?storyid=125132#ixzz1oO63K2tj NASDAQ 3/5/2012 by Esther Tanquintic-Mis The controversy now has hit home. With Lynas Corp. still to fully arrest and win over the controversy surrounding its Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) in Malaysia, here comes yet another information that could possibly whip up a storm right where its home base is.
In a statement released to media news agencies worldwide, the Anti-Nuclear Alliance of Western Australia (ANAWA) is set to file a motion today, Mar. 6, at the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to question the authenticity and effectiveness of the health and safety approvals issued to Lynas Corp. in reference to its Mt Weld rare earths mines in Western Australia.
According to the Free Malaysia Today, it was the Environmental Defenders Office of Australia that issued the media statement.
Marcus Atkinson, ANAWA spokesperson, alleged Lynas Corp. had made a number of alterations on the original health and safety approvals issued more than a decade ago for the operations of Mt Weld that did not undergo through the appropriate standard operating procedures relative to updating or modifying obsolete approvals.
“Lynas are currently operating under approvals issued to them 14 years ago,” Atkinson said, noting the terms and conditions contained in the original approvals could possibly no longer hold true to this day, specially “the amounts of radioactive materials being transported from Mt Weld through Fremantle Port.”
The Australian non-governmental organization urged the EPA to scrutinize the present operations at Mt Weld versus was what contained in the original health and safety approvals. “Health and safety issues need to be thoroughly examined to ensure the best protection of those involved in the handling of this material,” he said.
“The approvals given 14 years ago need to be re-examined by the EPA and stronger regulations need to be put in place to ease the fears of the community.” ANAWA also called for “extremely stringent” safeguards to protect Fremantle residents and other communities along the transport routes.
“We have made many mistakes in the past with the transport of lead and other materials, and we need to ensure that the same mistakes are not made with rare earth products,” Atkinson said.
Lynas Corp. is currently embroiled in a bitter battle against residents and political wannabes in Malaysia over its $200-million rare earths processing plant project in Gebeng, Kuantan.
Malaysians asking questions about Lynas’ rare earths and radioactive wastes
The Lynas Advanced Material project will produce 20,000 tones of radioactive waste, which is 10 times more than the Asian Rare Earth factory in Bukit Merah.
1. Why didn’t Lynas set-up the rare earth plant near its source of extraction in Western Australia as it would have saved a huge amount of money in shipping costs?
2. Why didn’t Lynas obtain an approval from the authorities in Western Australia to set-up the plant?
3. Could the authorities in Western Australia be concerned about the possible radiation leaks, health hazards, birth defects, lead poisoning and other complications?
4. Shouldn’t this in itself raise a red flag with the Malaysian authorities?
Gov’t fails to learn from Bkt Merah tragedy http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2012/02/22/govt-fails-to-learn-from-bkt-merah-tragedy/ Free Malaysia Today February 22, 2012 Is the RM700 million in Lynas investment more important to the government than the lives of its citizens? By Charles Santiago Severe birth defects, eight leukemia cases over five years in a community of 11,000, tears and anguish of the poor people from a largely shoe-making community – these are not news headlines. Neither is it the plot of a movie.
These are the consequences of carelessly allowing the Asian Rare Earth factory to be built in Bukit Merah, Perak in 1982. When Mitsubishi Chemical started operating its rare earth factory, the villagers complained of choking sensation, pungent smell, coughs and colds. The community also saw a sharp rise in the cases of infant deaths, congenital disease, leukemia and lead poisoning. While US$100 million is estimated to be the clean-up cost of the factory and dump site, the
largest in the rare earth industry, it has not wiped out the memories and heartache of the villagers who lost their children and loved ones.
But 30 years later, the government has again allowed a rare earth factory to be set-up by Lynas Corporation Ltd in Gebeng, Kuantan. This means the government has waved the green flag with full knowledge of
the possible consequences and deadly effects. Continue reading
Melting permafrost leads Australian uranium company to exploit Greenland
Asian, European Firms Circle Greenland Mining Project, WSJ, By Robb M. Stewart, FEBRUARY 22, 2012, In one of the world’s coldest climates, competition to develop a future source of uranium and rare earths is heating up…. The impact of climate change has made mining in Greenland easier by melting permafrost, while the island’s growing autonomy from Denmark has enabled officials to award more exploration licenses….
The government of Greenland late last year amended the Perth-based Greenland Minerals & Energy company’s exploration license to include uranium, the first such permit for the nuclear fuel on the island. According to John Mair, the company’s executive director of business development, an attractive option as a strategic partner would be a consortium interested in rare earths as well as uranium…. http://blogs.wsj.com/dealjournalaustralia/2012/02/21/asian-european-firms-circle-greenland-mining-project/
Aboriginals’ peaceful protest against extinguishment of native title in Western Australia
The deal, which the government hopes to conclude by the end of the year, would extinguish all future native title claims for the area
Ms Mackay said Mr Barnett was “a coward for running away from us”. “We are never violent. We come and we are loud, but we are peacefully loud,” she said.
Protestors surround Barnett after ‘$1 billion native title whitewash’, SMH February 8, 2012 – Angry Aboriginal protesters have confronted West Australian Premier Colin Barnett in Perth, leading security officers to rush him to the safety of a waiting car.
The protesters delayed the premier’s departure from Fraser’s Restaurant in Kings Park on Wednesday after he addressed Noongar elders about a proposed $1 billion deal to settle native title claims in WA’s southwest.
In a scene reminiscent of the Aboriginal protest in Canberra on Australia Day, around 70 protesters waving placards and Aboriginal flags surrounded Fraser’s, demanding Mr Barnett come out and not hide inside….
No one was hurt in the jostling and police said no arrests were made. Continue reading
BHP might sell Yeelirie uranium project. Fortescue to join Big Uranium Boys
BHP tipped to sell $9.3b worth of assets SMH February 9, 2012 BHP Billiton may consider selling about $US10 billion ($9.3 billion) of aluminum, nickel and coal mines and smelters as it trims its portfolio, Deutsche Bank says….
BHP could also sell its Yeelirrie uranium project in Australia and some petroleum assets, Citigroup said today in a report.
http://www.smh.com.au/business/bhp-tipped-to-sell-93b-worth-of-assets-20120209-1rnn0.html#ixzz1lucfhUlg
FMG pegs swathes of new tenements in major SA copper, gold and uranium districts by: Nick Evans PerthNow, February 07, 2012 FORTESCUE Metals Group has given the clearest sign yet it intends to diversify out of the iron ore and steel supply chain, pegging swathes of new tenements in South Australia’s major copper, gold and uranium districts.
The WA iron ore giant last year applied for 10 exploration licences covering about 4600sq/km of ground, mostly in the Woomera protected area in central South Australia. In its tenement applications, FMG said it was looking for copper, gold
and uranium – a significant departure from its current iron ore business.
According SA Government records, the bulk of FMG’s new tenements sit between OZ Minerals’ Prominent Hill copper-gold mine and BHP Billiton’s massive Olympic Dam project, slated to eventually become one of the biggest copper, gold and uranium mines in the world. …. http://www.perthnow.com.au/business/fmg-pegs-swathes-of-new-tenements-in-major-sa-copper-gold-and-uranium-districts/story-e6frg2qc-1226265102556
Nuclear submarines in our ports, a new target for terrorism?
NUCLEAR SUBMARINES NOT WELCOME IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA , 1 feb 2012, Plans to host American nuclear submarines at Garden Island should be rejected, Senator for Western Australia Scott Ludlam said. Senator Ludlam said the Australian Defence Force posture review – an inquiry into Australian defence bases – was off target with the suggestion that US nuclear submarines should be serviced at Garden Island. The risks of routinely floating nuclear reactors in and out of Cockburn sound shouldn’t be underestimated. Western Australian police and emergency services personnel are completely under-resourced to cope with even a minor reactor leak.
Call for more US nuclear sub facilities Canberra Times, BY DAVID ELLERY, DEFENCE REPORTER, 31 Jan, 2012 American nuclear submarines could call Australia home if a proposal by two of Australia’s leading Defence experts is included in the 2014 Defence White Paper. Former Defence Department secretaries Allan Hawke and Ric Smith have called for billions of dollars to be spent to protect Australia’s approaches and keep the fast emerging ”energy belt” safe from attack.
One of their suggestions, released in the interim report of the Force Posture Review, is for the submarine facilities at Fleetbase West – Perth’s HMAS Stirling – to be upgraded so they can be used to support US nuclear submarines….
Current Labor policy rules out any consideration of a nuclear option in $36billion replacement of the Collins fleet. Continue reading
Western Australia’s new Labor leader speaks with forked tongue
from our Western Australian commentator 30 Jan 12 Few remember McGowan’s sabotage of Geoff Gallop’s Core Consultative Committee on Hazardous Waste (3Cs) a committee dedicated to reforming the hazardous waste industry, protecting public health and a fragile biodiversity.
Remember the Bellevue chemical fire at a hazardous waste plant, allegedly the largest chemical fire in Australia’s history? The disgraceful mismanagement of the Brookdale hazardous waste plant? The lead poisoning of Esperance and the destruction of 9,500 native birds by Magellan Metals? The 400 strong protest march in Kalgoorlie against the foulness of Total Waste Management, operating just 500 metres from a restaurant and a fuel station?
Industry, lobbyists of the haz. waste industry (including Burke and Grill) and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry were jubilant when McGowan sacked the 3Cs without explanation in November 2006.
It will come to pass when the people of WA will understand that both Barnett and McGowan are the dancing boys of industry – both wear the same hat in the environmentally desecrated state of WA which has 85,000 abandoned and toxic mine sites.
December 8th, 2011: “No Labor minister or public servant responsible to a Labor minister will issue any approval to facilitate a uranium mining project under a WA Labor government. It does not matter how advanced the projects are. I’m putting the industry on notice. You won’t have your final approvals by the time of the next election and they will not be granted if WA Labor is elected.” (Eric Ripper)
The duplicitous McGowan speaks with forked tongue. Be afraid, be very afraid.
Western Australian Labor’s new policy could lead to hasty, botched uranium mining applications
“A real concern and a real danger is that companies will try and short circuit what is already a very weak environmental impact assessment process, just to get something into the bank so that they’re through before a potential change of government,”
Has Labor’s shift on uranium mining started a race? ABC News, Rebecca Boteler, 28 Jan 12 The new Labor leader Mark McGowan has changed his party’s stance on uranium mining in Western Australia. But what does it mean for those companies in the race to mine uranium?
Mr McGowan announced the party’s backflip on uranium mining on his first day in the job. The new policy means any mines already operational by the time the Labor party next comes into power will not be shut down and any companies that already have approval can continue development.
However, Labor will not allow any new mines to be given the green light. Continue reading
Uranium mining in Western Australia’s still dubious despite Labor’s new wishy washy policy
Uranium miners fear uncertainty despite Labor policy change, SMH, Rania Spooner January 24, 2012 –The company likely to become WA’s first uranium miner has welcomed a significant change in WA Labor’s policy on uranium mining, but warned the fledgling industry still faced plenty of uncertainty.
Within hours of taking over WA Labor yesterday, Opposition leader Mark McGowan announced the party would pull away from its pledge to shut down any approved uranium project if elected next year.
Mr McGowan said WA Labor remained against uranium mining and would not approve any new applications, but the change in policy meant the state would not be open to compensation claims.
Applications only part way through the approvals process would not be allowed to continue under a Labor government.
One or two miners are so advanced in the approval process that they are likely to get the nod before the March, 2013 election.
One of those is South Australia-based Toro Energy, which is among a handful of uranium hopefuls to have pursued WA deposits since the Colin Barnett government lifted the state’s long-standing ban in November 2008…….
Greens nuclear affairs spokesman and Senator for Western Australia Scott Ludlam condemned the policy “backflip”, saying Labor couldn’t “have it both ways” on uranium.
“It is a dangerous, toxic industry that operates to provide fuel to the dangerous, toxic nuclear energy sector. If Labor is opposed to uranium mining they should make their position clear,” Senator Ludlum said in a statement.
“Mr McGowan has spoken of providing certainty to the industry.
“It is far better to let the nuclear industry know it is certain they have no future in Western Australia.”..
Western Australia’s new Labor leader might change uranium policy
Ripper to stand down as WA Labor leader in favour of McGowan, ABC, Radio National A.M. David Weber , January 18, 2012
Political analyst, Harry Phillips…. says Mark McGowan could change Labor’s current policy to
withhold approval for uranium mines.
HARRY PHILLIPS: He may bring about a reversal on Eric Ripper’s very strong stand on uranium; they’d rescind contracts and that. That’s a very hard policy to sustain and I think it leads to – they’re really locking themselves into a different position there to the Federal Labor. That’s a very hard policy to uphold…. http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2012/s3410113.htm
Wave Energy for Australia – the Island Continent
recent technological innovations may make that coastline as attractive to renewable energy investors as to sunbathers.
A new wave energy project is being planned for development off the coast of Garden Island in Western Australia, near Perth
Australia Developing Wave Power, Oil Price.com by John Daly, 02 January 2012 Consider. Australia’s 2,966,140 square-mile landmass is ringed by 16,006 miles of coastline. Most of the population is concentrated along the southeast coast of the country, in an arc running from Brisbane to Adelaide along the “boomerang coast.”
Virtually all of Australia’s large cities – Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide – are on the coast. About 80 percent of Australia’s population lives within 30 miles of the coast.
So, where do the Aussies get their energy to support their affluent lifestyles? Continue reading
Court upholds Jabbir Jabbir people and the Goolarabooloo people against W.A. govt’s land grab attempt
Court quashes Kimberley gas hub land grab ABC News, December 06, 2011 Western Australia’s Supreme Court has ruled invalid the State Government’s move to compulsorily acquire land for a gas hub in the Kimberley. Chief Justice Wayne Martin ruled three notices of intention to acquire the land at James Price Point were invalid because they did not contain a description of the land. However his declaration does not prevent the Lands Minister from issuing further notices of intent to take land in the area. The claimant’s lawyers say the ruling means the land deal struck between the government and the Kimberley Land Council is now invalid, putting the future of the Browse gas project in doubt.
The action was brought by traditional land owners the Jabbir Jabbir people and the Goolarabooloo people. Michael Orlov, lawyer for the Goolarabooloo people, told reporters outside court that Lands Minister Brendon Grylls will need to commence the process again…..”We’re not going to be pushed around by the WA Government. We’re there to show that we can do it, so can every Indigenous person in Western Australia.”…http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-12-06/court-quashes-kimberley-gas-hub-land-grab/3715390?section=wa
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