Rudd Uranium Bill suits miners, disadvantages aborigines
Rudd Uranium Bill will increase Aboriginal disadvantage
The Greens Scott LudlamTuesday 8th September 2009A Federal Bill that will apply a uniform royalty regime to all uranium mining projects in the Northern Territory will increase Aboriginal disadvantage, the Australian Greens say. Continue reading
Ziggy Switkowski backs China’s push for control of Australian uranium
China makes power play for uranium
The Age BARRY FITZGERALD AND MATHEW MURP 9 Sept 09A BEIJING directive to its mushrooming nuclear power industry to step up the acquisition of strategic uranium supplies has led to an agreed $85 million takeover bid for Energy Metals, the main partner in the Northern Territory Bigrlyi uranium deposit. Continue reading
Review: nuke news of the past week
By Christina Macpherson
Australia: ERA hypes up its image, by flying a Melbourne Age reporter to the Ranger uranium mine, to report on Rio Tinto’s drive to employ aboriginal uranium miners.
International: US residents near nuclear plants to get anti-radiation pills. France’s nuclear company AREVA in dire financial straits due to troubles of its ‘new generation’ reactors in Finland and France. America and China to push for nuclear to be part of Copenhagen climate program
Marathon uranium exploration waste dump was radioactive
Waste, not bags, the problem: Greens
ABC News 8 Sept 09
Greens MP Mark Parnell has challenged a claim by Marathon Resources that waste it dumped illegally at Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary was not radioactive……. Continue reading
Protest against Marathon uranium explorer, but will South Aust govt listen?
Marathon fight over what lies beneath the Flinders Ranges
THE AUSTRALIAN Pia Akerman and Michael Owen | September 07, 2009
“………………..The anti-Marathon lobby is made up of an array of strange bedfellows including greenies, scientists, tourists and politicians – most notably federal Liberal heavyweight Nick Minchin, who, as resources minister, approved the nearby Beverley uranium mine. Continue reading
All aboriginal land in Australia really controlled by whites
UN SUBMISSION- ABORIGINAL PEOPLE BECOMING REFUGEES IN THEIR OWN LAND
by Michael Anderson, leader of the Euahlayi Nation of northwest NSW and southwest Queensland and elected spokesman of the 16 tribes in the Gumilaroi nation August 17, 2009 Continue reading
Staggering size of environmental problems for BHPB’s uranium mine expansion
Mega-everything: the world’s biggest open cut mine
OnLine opinion By Sandra Kanck – 24 August 2009
The expansion of the Olympic Dam mine at Roxby Downs will see environment as the biggest loser. The draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), for which public comment closed early in August 2009, has serious deficiencies. Continue reading
Uranium sales to China ramped up as China’s nuke weapons ramp up
China prepares to show off nuclear missiles- South Australia and China move forward together
China will parade five new missiles in a show of military prowess on the 60th anniversary of Communist Party rule. Continue reading
Nuclear power for Australia’s Northern Territory – ridiculous
NT nuclear power idea ridiculous, say greens
THE Territory has “cleaner, cheaper and greener” energy solutions than nuclear power, the Environment Centre said.
NORTHERN TERRITORY NEWS 1 Sept 09
Centre co-ordinator Stuart Blanch said the suggestion by Alice Springs town councillor Murray Stewart a nuclear power station be built in Darwin or Katherine was “ridiculous”. He said the real issue was to develop renewable energy supplies that were as inexpensive as gas. Continue reading
Asbestos and Uranium
Christina Macpherson 3 Sept 09
It’s hard to get your head around the magnitude of the asbestos scandal, world-wide. Phillip Adams covered this very recently, in ABC Radio National’s Late Night Live (podcast available at ABC Radio National – Late Night Live – Home
Matt Peacock’s new book “Killer Company” details the James Hardie asbestos story in Australia. Another author’s new book tells the world-wide, and continuing story of asbestos contamination, corporate cover-up, and huge profits gained by companies which vanish long before they can be held accountable.
Meanwhile, the same process now kicks on, with uranium mining. But with one significant difference. It is actually easy to prove that a person’s nasty, fatal mesothelioma cancer was caused by asbestos. It is difficult to prove that invisible, unsmellable, tasteless radioactivity has caused a person’s nasty fatal cancer.
Hence the uranium mining corporations, and their investors, can relax. Their money will be made long before the scandalous health cost becomes public knowledge.
As asbestos scandal is revealed, uranium threat develops
Uranium mining ‘poses Wittenoom threat’ to Kimberley
ABC News 2 Sept 09
A Western Australian politician says the Kimberley is in danger of becoming the next Wittenoom if the Federal Government allows uranium mining to go ahead.There are between 30 and 40 uranium tenements in the Kimberley, in the state’s north, and Greens’ MP Robin Chapple says there are at least 12 proposed uranium mines in the region.
Mr Chapple was in Broome for a uranium mining forum last night and says the community has been lulled into a false sense of security about the practice.He says in some cases, uranium mining in the United States and India has wiped out all of the male members of some families.”In terms of the health effects we know there’s approximately a cohort of 10 per cent cancers in the workforce after about 20 years – so similar sort of effects as asbestos and Wittenoom [in WA’s Pilbara],” he said.
Uranium mining hype about aborigines
Christina Macpherson 3 Sept 09
As the commercial nuclear industry founders, uranium corporations hurry to expand their hype, while there’s still time. Continue reading
Review: Uranium, wastes, racism, nuke costs
Review of past week. by Christina Macpherson 2 Sept 09 Australia: Yeelirree uranium mine. W.A govt is not adequately assessing Environmental Review. Ferguson’s continued silence on federal govt’s plans for NT nuclear waste dump, Calls for NT to become “wildly rich” with nuclear power, despite the worldwide decline in commercial nuclear power. UN human rights expert James Anaya criticises Australia’s racist intervention in NT. Capd York aborigines keen for wind farm project. Uranium spot prices stay down.
Internationally: Hanford and other US nuclear fear they’ll become USA’s nuke waste dump. Finland’s Olkiluoto-3 nuclear reactor’s costs skyrocket, as AREVA takes court action against Finnish company. In Africa, nuclear electricity company makes record loss.
Some BHP Billiton shareholders concerned about Olympic Dam uranium mine’s”poisonous legacy”
Olympic Dam opponents willing to sacrifice dividends
ABC News 27 Aug 09A group of BHP Billiton shareholders who oppose the expansion of the Olympic Dam mine say they would rather forego any dividends from the project than see the environment damaged.
The BHP Shareholders for Social Responsibility group is made up of long-term shareholders from across the nation.
In a submission to BHP Billiton’s draft environmental impact statement, the group’s convener, John Poppins, says among other concerns, there is too much uncertainty about the impact on the local estuary of locating a desalination plant at Point Lowly.
Mr Poppins says BHP has no rectification plan if damage occurs and while shareholders stand to benefit from the expansion, it is a short-term view.
“Some shareholders are of the view that we can forego some of our dividends by looking to do things better environmentally or socially,” he said.
He says the mine will create a poisonous legacy for the future.
Location of BHP Billiton’s proposed desalination plant opposed
Australian environment body calls for shifting of BHP Billiton’s desalination plant domain-b.com news 24 August 2009
Environmental concerns over mining major, BHP Billiton’s expansion plans at Roxy Downs have come to the fore with the Australian Conservation Foundation calling for the shifting of a desalination plant from Upper Spencer Gulf in South Australia………………………
According to Dave Noonan from the foundation, the company has no choice but to shift the plant to address the environmental and other concerns. He added that the company should accept that a desalination at the planned location would not be allowed and that they would not be allowed to design a mine to leak millions of liters of radioactive waste a day.
domain-b.com : Australian environment body calls for shifting of BHP Billiton’s desalination plant
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