Uranium news – safety, cost and environmental issues in Western Australia

Posted on April 3, 2009 by tony serve

More to follow, but for now consider the item below from Senator Scott Ludlum as we prepare for WA’s first uranium mine under Colin Barnett’s nuclear plan.

I said hi to Colin at last night’s youth awards, he’s a decent bloke and I plan to speak to him soon about a better way to go. Safer, cheaper, online faster, better for WA industry and workers.

He’s a reasonable man, we just need to present the alternatives in a clear concise way – not just for the Premier, but for ourselves and those we hope to persuade.

Please comment, send material, guest post and join the discussion we need to have – Toro Energy breaks earth at their Wiluna Uranium Mine in just over a year.

– tony

Wind back uranium sales to China: Greens

Australian Greens
Image via Wikipedia

Suggestions by the Federal Resources Minister today that Australia should increase its uranium sales to China display an explosive mix of recklessness and ignorance, the Australian Greens say.

“Martin Ferguson’s comments on the ABC’s AM program this morning are completely out of step with national interest and public opinion,” Greens nuclear issues spokesperson Senator Scott Ludlam said.

“China is a nuclear weapons state with no separation between military and civil nuclear facilities.

“Increasing exports of Australian uranium simply frees up other supplies for weapons programs.

“Ferguson has once again revealed his true colours. The sale of uranium to China is a Howard-era mistake which the Prime Minister should reverse.

“The world uranium price has plummeted during the past 12 months. The Minister is seemingly unaware that the nuclear arms reduction treaties under discussion by the US and Russia will further weaken the market if weapons-grade uranium comes onto the fuel market as happened in the 1990s.

“Frankly, we need a Resources Minister who can advocate for the public interest rather than working as a taxpayer-funded salesman for Rio Tinto and BHP.

“The Greens say that Australia should withdraw from John Howard’s 2006 deal with China on the basis of: China’s failure to comply with Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty disarmament obligations; its failure to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty; and its failure to separate its military and civilian nuclear sectors.”

Media enquiries please call Eloise Dortch on 0415 507 763

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Filed under: colin barnett, environment, greens, greens WA, Jo Vallentine, life, mining, nuclear energy, nuclear power, nuclear-issues, public health, public safety, radiation, robin chapple, uranium, uranium mining, west australia, western australia, WWF, yellowcake | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

  • click on “RSS feeds” to subscribe

  • YOU are the media and WE can make a difference

    Media are vital for any community effort, and we will continue to engage mainstream press and broadcast media with your help. The good news is that the internet has made YOU the media as well. You can make a difference in so many new ways as well as traditional outlets such as letters to the editor and talkback radio. Soon you'll be able to click a “ make a difference” button for details of how you can help by linking your blog or website to the campaign, learn how to set up your own blog or site for free in less than an hour. We are ready to help you learn how to use social networks like Twitter, Facebook and Digg to make a difference on uranium and other causes close to your heart. Thesedays you really can be the media, and that’s so important when global corporates pushing for uranium mining have billions of dollars and hundreds of spin doctors arrayed against us.

  • Open letter to Premier Colin Barnett

    This is a suggested letter that many of us are adapting and sending off to the state's top decision maker - send it to other MPs and community leaders as well. Premier, Hon. Colin Barnett, M.L.A. Parliament House, West Perth, 6005. Dear Premier, Re: Uranium Mining in W.A. There are many reasons why I am among the thousands upon thousands of Western Australians dismayed by your overturn of the ban on uranium mining in this state. Here are just a few of them: a) It’s not economical. In 2004, it cost $2.-4 billion (U.S) to build a nuclear power station. By the end of 2008, that figure had jumped to over $7b (U.S.). Comparing wind energy costs with nuclear power generation: it costs 7c per kilowatt hour for windpower; 14c. per kilowatt hour for nuclear (www.earthpolicy.org). b) It’s not clean, nor green: at every stage of the nuclear chain, except the boiling-of-the-water-in-the-giant kettle bit, it creates lots of greenhouse gases: mining, milling, transport, construction of power plants, re-processing, de-commissioning. c) Especially since President Obama canned the Yucca mountain proposed waste facility in the U.S., it is clearer than ever that this in an industry that does not know what to do with its waste. Not only is it radioactive and difficult to detect (e.g. the radon gas to which miners are often exposed), but it can and does alter the gene pool – a very serious charge. d) It’s a huge water guzzler (Roxby Downs uses 33 million litres of water daily, and rising), and it gets that water, free of charge, from the great Artesian Basin! In these drying times, why would we want to encourage an industry which uses vast quantities of one of our most precious and dwindling resources? e) Another question Mr. Barnett: what ports would you propose for the export of yellowcake? What a fuss there’s been over lead – do you think the people of Western Australia are going to turn a blind eye to the transport of this toxic material on their roads and railways, when there are frequent accidents in both sectors? Please re-consider your decision to encourage uranium mining. Please listen to the voices of concerned citizens throughout this wonderful state, who would much rather see the Government create jobs by backing renewable energy sources. We want to be part of the energy revolution for the future, not tied to a failed twentieth century technology. Yours sincerely, NAME ________________________________ Address : ____________________________________________________________ Date: ___________
  • May 2024
    M T W T F S S
     12345
    6789101112
    13141516171819
    20212223242526
    2728293031  

  • Archives