Uranium and Nuclear Industry swings big club, claims opposition are “cavemen” leaves major questions UNANSWERED

How are we to believe that people who make huge amounts of money digging up and selling uranium are “experts?”

The article below seems to take the claim at face value and totally ignores ALL of the unanswered questions.

It’s time for nuclear power: “experts”

Cathy Alexander  July 15, 2009 – 4:49PM

Australia should drop the “caveman” approach to electricity and build some nuclear power stations, experts say.

The uranium industry is booming, with the federal government approving a new mine for South Australia on Tuesday. Full article here  http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-national/its-time-for-nuclear-power-experts-20090715-dlac.html

Meanwhile, real experts who have no VESTED interests are not mentioned! See the lionk below for some counterbalance.

See here for stories on Uranium Mining and Nuclear Power plants from Greens (WA) Senator Scott Ludlum, former Senator Jo Vallentine and video/audio from other sources such as Greenpeace

Click here for information from BUMP, ( Ban Uranium Mining Permanently )

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tony serve blogs Uranium mine given not-so-green light by fallen activist Peter Garrett, Greens say his Beverley decision is ‘delusional’

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Zemanta helped me add links & pictures to this email. It can do it for you too.

Canadian Nuclear plant cost blowout revealed in binder left at TV station – don’t trust poliicians with uranium or nukes

Today’s big stories from the nuclear industry:

Reuters: Secret Canada nuclear papers left in TV studio

’OTTAWA, June 3 (Reuters) – Senior Canadian officials left a binder full of confidential nuclear documents in a television studio and made no attempt to retrieve them, the TV network involved said on Wednesday. The incident is likely to increase pressure on the minority Conservative government, already under fire for its handling of the economic crisis. The main opposition Liberal Party said on Tuesday it would decide next week whether to try to bring down the Conservatives in Parliament. The binder was found in a CTV television studio after a visit by Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt. CTV, which kept the binder for six days before breaking the news, said the documents showed the government would spend far more money on a troubled nuclear reactor than it had acknowledged.’

Perth people check this image for news of a big event in Subiaco starting at 6 this evening (Friday)

Ban Uranium Mining Permanently

Indonesia rules out Nuclear Power/ Obama winds back Nuke weapons- Western Australia must re-instate uranium and nuclear power bans!

Image via Wikipedia

Indonesia goes cold on nuclear power | watoday.com.au .

INDONESIAN President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono yesterday backed away from a plan to build a nuclear reactor in one of the world’s most seismically active countries.

Dr Yudhoyono said Indonesia would develop existing energy sources and explore renewable alternatives before pursuing the nuclear option.

He announced the decision in response to a question at a stage-managed “town hall meeting” with voters in Central Java, where the nuclear power plant was to have been built.

The event marked the last day of open campaigning before Indonesians vote for almost 12,000 candidates for the national parliament on Thursday.

“In 10 years to come, or 20 years or 30 years to come, Indonesia must really develop its existing resources and these should be environmentally friendly,” he said, adding that water and wind power options would also be explored. “If there are still other alternatives, we will not take nuclear resources.”

Analysts such as Professor Richard Tanter from RMIT University had been expecting that Indonesia could move to approve up to four nuclear power plants on the Muria Peninsula in the north of Central Java province once the country’s elections had finished this year.

2 things leap out at you from the story.

First, people don’t want nuclear power stations.

Second, Australian “experts” on nuclear power got it wrong again.

The Western Australian Government of Colin Barnett will pay at the ballot box for uranium and Nuclear plans. Liberal & Nationals will lose seats and the velcro coalition will fall apart.

It’s not like there isn’t a better way. Clean, job generating, localised, renewable energy is there and it just takes doing.

Colin Barnett WILL change his mind because he’s a reasonable man.  We simply need to show him and the W.A. Business world that renewables are better business, even if they don’t serve the Big End of town ( read – global nuclear interests )

Any volunteers to do some sums and gather global info. Has anyone done a  cost-benefit analysis?

Mr Burns - nuclear nightmare!

Ironically, this man is NOT Mr Burns

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

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

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

Conservation Council WA – Conservation Week

Conservation Week is the largest community focused environmental event in Western Australia that celebrates WA’s unique environment and promotes action towards building a sustainable future.

The aim of Conservation Week is to highlight issues facing the environment in WA and to celebrate the work of conservation organisations, community groups and individuals all across the State.

It’s a great opportunity to showcase your group or organisation and the fantastic work local communities are doing to protect the environment and communicate the importance of environmental protection.

via Conservation Council WA – Conservation Week.

Energy for the Future – Western Australia. Event on March 2nd

Image by Stuck in Customs via Flickr

Perth event on energy tonight in Subiaco click here Energy For The Future for brochure

Giz Watson: MLC for The Greens in North Metro, and Paul Wilkes: Curtin University research geophysicis

( in the shadow of Colin Barnett’s planned Nuclear Power Plants)

Uranium Mine to start construction next year!!!! It’s time to speak up, unless you like yellowcake on your roads rail and in ports.

A Uranium Mine is due to start construction next year at Wiluna in Western Australia.

( hat tip to Robin Chapple MLC-elect for the info )

Click the blue link for the media release by Toro Energy Ltd Uranium Mine starts construction next year!

Premier Colin Barnett‘s unilateral move to allow Uranium mining in WA and back nuclear power stations is now bearing poisoned fruit.

The dangerous move comes despite a majority of people in WA having long held and well founded concerns about safety, cost & viability compared to renewables, and the global issues of nuclear proliferation waste storage.

This news comes a day after the Premier and the Mines Minister admitted they are changing state approval rules to give themselves sole rights.

After misleading the media and ordinary west australians with slimy denials a week ago, Colin Barnett and Norman Moore have been forced to admit they are hija

cking the entire approvals process.

Now they want us to TRUST THEM that mining uranium and building nuclear power stations will be fine!

Now, many Liberal MP’s will have to toe the line despite representing people who don’t want a bar of this, and Brendon Grills will try to hold a restive Nationals group together so he can deliver on his promises of cash for the regions.

Well Mr Grylls ,the regions need cash of course, but they don’t need yellowcake on the transport grid and they don’t need the agonising wait to see which lucky region gets the nuclear power plants and uranium waste dumps. Local Government beware!

This move is bad for WA businesses because cheaper, safer renewable energies would create more WA jobs and internal trade without risk.

The challenge is now for the Chamber of Commerce and Industry to stand up for its members and the rest of the state and tell the Barnett Government to back off, just as he backed away from the Water Canal. (which was a much smarter idea than nuclear power stations and selling yellowcake to India.)

The disaster at the Veranus Island plant cost WA business and taxpayers  a huge amount of time and money – an inevitable disaster  involving nukes and yelowcake will make Veranus look like a backyard barbecue, and its consequences may last for thousands of years.

Write email, text, phone your local MP, council and business group to ask, where will the waste go?

Where will the nuclear powers stations be sited?

and remind them that Esperance lead and Veranus gas disasters happened despite repeated assurances from Miners and Explorers that they were SAFE.

See the information in the sidebars of this blog for ways you can speak up through letters and talkback.

Please share this article, especially to people under 50 who don’t have the memory of Sir Charles Court‘s nuclear plans being rejected by a well informed public in the 70’s.

Guest posts and comments are most welcome.

You can subscribe to this blog by clicking the RSS icon, sharing it through DIGG and other social networks will help raise the alarm too. This is not a drill, they break ground next year, we must act now.

GLOWING REPORTS on NUCLEAR POWER from YOUR A.B.C.

West Australian Govt lies about cutting scrutiny of Uranium & other projects – Greens WA’s MLC elect Robin Chapple speaks out – we all need to speak out or suffer the consequences

Robin Chapple Greens WA MLC elect warns on hijack of approvals

Click the above link for short interview. Phone numbers, SMS and email for talkback to follow.

From Perth’s Sunday Times ( supporting documents to be posted soon.)

More leaked documents add to drama

Article from:
Narelle Towie, environment reporter

March 28, 2009 04:28pm

MORE leaked documents have cast doubt on statements made this week by the State Government about proposed changes to mining approvals.

Last weekend The Sunday Times reported that a government-appointed industry working group (IWG) – tasked with devising a plan to streamline and speed-up mining approvals – favoured moves to dilute the power and role of the Environment Minister among other far-reaching changes.
The next day the Minister for Mines and Petroleum Norman Moore stated that a leaked document referred to in the newspaper report was not produced by the IWG.

He said the document, marked confidential, was a submission to the IWG by industry associations.

He said it had not yet been properly considered by the IWG or the government.

The Sunday Times has ascertained that the document was the end product of a workshop involving key members of the WA Chamber of Minerals and Energy (CME) and the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA).

The workshop, which also included at least one IWG member, took place in January and the document has been the focus of much attention by the IWG.

Moreover, further leaked documents show recommendations in the confidential report have been adopted by the IWG – in some parts, word-for-word – and are at odds with the Minister’s statement.

– See both group’s recommendations
– See more recommendations
– See the lead agency model submitted to the industry working group

Up until yesterday Mr Moore and his media advisor were insisting there was “no draft report or draft recommendations.”

The Sunday Times has obtained a copy of the IWG’s “working draft report” dated March 6, which includes an executive summary and eight key recommendations.

The incomplete report proposes similar sweeping changes to how mining applications are processed, though no specific mention is made about the role of the Environment Minister.

Parts of the document’s recommendations appear to be copied almost verbatim from the workshop report the Minister insisted on Friday had not yet been “properly considered or endorsed” by the IGW.

A spokesman for Mr Moore yesterday confirmed the existence of the draft  – after a week of denials. He said the Minister was relying on advice from the IWG.

IWG chairman Peter Jones said there are working drafts within the group but the Minister doesn’t know anything about them.

Shadow Environment Minister Sally Talbot last night hit-out: “Last week Minister Moore denied that this report existed and now we have had it confirmed.

“We have a real fear that there is going to be a watering down of the authority for the Minister for the Environment,” she said.

Ms Talbot is calling on the government to come clean on what plans are being put together by the industry working group.

Mr Moore, who is due to receive the IWG’s recommendations in May, said there were several hurdles to be surmounted before any recommendations were implemented.

They would first be considered by him and a cabinet sub-committee before full Cabinet. And any legislative amendments would need the approval of parliament.

Mr Moore said he was aware IWG were considering transferring large parts of the Department of Environment and Conservation’s role to the independent Environment Protection Agency, which is currently an advisory body.

“I’m not sure that that is a good thing if you want the approvals process to move quickly,” Mr Moore said.

Mr Moore said he could not guarantee that the powers and the responsibilities of the Minister of Environment, when dealing with approvals processes, will not be diminished at all by the reforms being considered.

“It is not within my power to provide cast-iron guarantees about issues of this nature. The granting or relinquishing of Ministerial power is a matter for Cabinet and Parliament. That said, the aim of this exercise is not to diminish the level of scrutiny applying to the environmental conditions related to mining approvals,” he said.

MLC member for mining and pastoral region Robin Chapple said the IWG’s intentions were quite clear.

“The community at large must be very seriously concerned that the environmental controls and parameters that have been established over the years are going to done away with,” he said.

Robin Chapple Greens WA MLC elect warns on hijack of approvals

Premier Hijacks Mining/Nuke Power Approvals – perthnow.com.au/sunday times

( please subscribe to this blog for updates and comment – DIGGs, Twitters etc WILL help, so please click away )

Well done to the Sunday Times’ Narelle Towie for covering what’s going to be a MASSIVE story when WA people realise what it means.

EXCLUSIVE: Narelle Towie, environment reporter

March 21, 2009 06:00pm

A massive overhaul of how mining and other development applications are assessed in WA is revealed in confidential documents obtained by The Sunday Times.

Far-reaching recommendations by a special committee include a proposal to transfer Environment Minister Donna Faragher’s powers to Mining and Petroleum Minister Norman Moore and the Premier.

If adopted, major and contentious developments might go ahead without needing approval from the Environment Minister.

The document has been compiled by an industry working group set up by Mr Moore, to help streamline and speed up exploration and development approval processes.

The final draft, leaked this week to The Sunday Times, will be handed to Mr Moore for submission to Cabinet next month.

After being shown the report by this newspaper, Opposition environment spokeswoman Sally Talbot labelled the proposals “a catastrophe pushing environmental legislation back to how it was in the ’70s”.

A shocked and outraged Ms Talbot said: “This is about development at any cost.”

She said it cut Ms Faragher out of the process and put all mining and exploration into the hands of Mr Moore and Mr Barnett, who is also the State Development Minister.

Under the proposals any projects with a capital investment of $50 million or a permanent work force of 50 would be labelled a “major project” and determined by the Premier instead of the Ms Faragher.

The Premier would only have to consult the minister.

Greens MLC Robin Chapple said such moves would clear the way for speedy approval of highly controversial developments such as the Kimberley LNG hub and uranium mining.

“It is basically putting Dracula in charge of the blood bank,” he said.

Among the responsibilities that would be stripped from the Environment Minister and her department would be the management of waste and contaminated sites, control of pollution restrictions and her statutory right to approve or decline development projects.

Large parts of the Department of Environment and Conservation’s role would be transferred to the Environment Protection Authority, which is an advisory body.

The industry working group has suggested the public’s right to appeal against assessment levels set by the EPA be removed.

Conservation Council director Piers Verstegen said the document was extremely concerning.

THE economy will override environmental considerations and the role of environment minister will be downgraded in changes being considered by the Government.

Thanks to alphainventions.com for the visitors please subscribe to RSS & help us stay nuclear and uranium free :D

Thanks to visitors from alphainventions.com y’all come back now, hear.

Colin Barnett turns tyrant on project assessment – including nukepower & uranium

Dracula in charge of the blood bank: WA Greens expose horror plan for the State Government’s assessment processes

A confidential document viewed by the WA Greens has revealed radical plans to overhaul legislation so that the Premier would have sole power to decide which projects are allowed to go ahead in WA.

The proposal, developed by the Government’s hand-picked Industry Working Group committee, indicates that the Premier should become the decision-maker on every major project in the State.

Under the plan, the Premier would only be obliged to merely consult with the Environment Minister.

“If the recommendations of this report are accepted, then every mega-project Colin Barnett ever recklessly dreams up – be it a Kimberly Canal or a nuclear waste dump, or anything else – could go ahead,” Greens Upper House MP-elect Robin Chapple has warned.

“This document is truly horrific,” Mr Chapple continued.

“It is proposing that mining and petroleum activities be exempted from planning approval by local government.

“Now, I wonder how local government will feel about being dictated to by the Premier?

“Quite clearly, these recommendations mean massive legislative changes and the Government must be salivating as they wait to take control of the parliamentary Upper House on 22 May so they can ram  through amendments to legislation.

“This Liberal minority government, aided by the National Party, seems intent on orchestrating the death of what remains of our state regulatory authorities.

“This proposal will enable the Premier to push through the Kimberly gas hub, the Gorgon development on Barrow Island, the Oakajee Port and ship lead out of any port of his choosing without a second thought.

“This will lead to unbridled excesses in climate change impacts from a government that just doesn’t get it.

“No wonder they have kept this secret until now, this plan is just like putting Dracula in charge of the blood bank.”

ends.

Robins Contact Details: Mobile 040 9379263, Work 08 93712615

Key points:

– [page 3] “review mining tenement conditions for conservation reserves”.  Do they mean they will review and possibly change the conditions that apply to mining in existing conservation reserves?  If so that would seem to be an extraordinary legal situation; it would effectively gift to those mining companies an increase in the value of their privately owned property rights.

– [page 3] It’s alright to talk about EPA timelines but often the delays in the process are because of industry failures to properly address EPA questions / requests for more information.  Also, any talk of timelines must make adequate allowance for the need for proper consideration if the matters are technically complex.  Sometimes it will be hard for the EPA to have enough staff with expertise in the relevant area.  Presumably this will be a real issue for uranium mining, at least in the short term.

‘Minor’ legislative changes [better described as major changes!]

– Removing an appeal right if the EPA decides something could be managed under the clearing provisions sounds good in theory, as the clearing decision will of course be subject to a separate appeal.  But the first appeal right is about the EPA’s decision not to formally assess under Part IV, not about the issues that will later be dealt with under Part V.  Removing an appeal right would effectively create a massive loophole in the EP Act; if the EPA wanted a project to sail through it could say that the clearing rules would manage it even if the project had impacts on say water quality or something else not related to the proposed clearing.  Such a decision would have the effect of quarantining those non-clearing issues from  any further public scrutiny, save the possibility of judicial review, and we know how hard that road is!

– Removing appeal rights against the setting of a level of assessment would be an outrage and a fundamental shift in the EIA regime that has served the State for over 20 years.  There are few things more important than the level of assessment, as that scoping decision determines the process from then on.

– [page 5] new approvals framework for [ESE] could of course be good in theory but not if it means economics winning out in a Premier-led process that involves no appeal rights!

– [page 6] one decision maker; well, not if the decision relates to issues beyond the expertise of the decision-maker.

– [page 6] proportionality based on… importance to the State.  This could be very dangerous; are they saying bigger projects should attract less environmental scrutiny?  This would be an unprecedented and very dangerous move.

– [page 6] special consideration for major projects – ditto.

– [page 8] melding works approvals and clearing permits into mining approvals; currently two quite separate technical issues for different departments!!

– [page 8] exempting mining and petroleum activities from planning approval; It will be interesting to see what WALGA and the local govts think about this!!

– [page 8] appeals to SAT; not necessarily a problem with Part V decisions but this takes Part IV appeals out of the hands of the Env Min and into the rarefied apolitical air of a Tribunal.  Do they propose to resource the SAT with environmental specialists who aren’t all just former industry representatives?!

– [page 9] Premier obliged only to consult with the Minister for Environment on major projects!!

– [page 10] Applicants can appeal against the conditions of approval but what about the decision to approve?  I.e. can the SAT only ever change the conditions of approval but not say no to something?  If so that would be an absolutely fundamental negative change!!

– [page 11] appeals to SAT only for “significant activities”; this could mean a significant constraint on appeal rights!!

– [page 11] timelines; do these factor in SAT appeals? We hope not!!

– [page 12] approvals reform group; notice no community representation!

Industry Working Group Committee (Hansard Wednesday, 26 November 2008)

·                    Peter Jones (chair) (Water Corp Chair 2002) (former resources Minister for Mines, Fuel and Energy for Western Australia to the Sir Charles Court government) (Peter Vernon Jones elected 30/03/1974 Narrogin for NCP became a Liberal in 1985)

·                    John Bowler (deputy chair) (Kalgoorlie member and former Labor mines minister)

·                    Derek Carew Hopkins (Department of Environment director general) (former Appeals Convenor) (adviser, Office of the Minister for Regional Development)

·                    Mark Gregory (Special Counsel to Minter Ellison, his practice has focused on the land access needs of his clients. This includes advising clients on complex government approvals processes; assisting clients to obtain necessary land tenure and mining tenements and dealing with compulsory acquisition matters.)

·                    David Parker (former Chamber of Minerals and Energy director) (government and public affairs manager, Apache Energy)

·                    Richard Ellis (Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association’s WA director) (also in 2004 Colin Barnett’s former chief of staff was called Richard Ellis, may or may not be the same)

·                    Ian Wight-Pickin (former or current Secretary of the Dawesville Branch of the Liberal Party) (chief of staff, office of the Deputy Premier and Minister for Indigenous Affairs)

·                    Ian Fletcher (former adviser to the Pangea Nuclear Waste Dump company), (former CEO of the Kalgoorlie/Boulder Town Council), (Premier Richard Court’s principal advisor), (Vice-president of government relations in WA for BHP Billiton)

·                    Tim Shanahan (Minerals Initiative director and former Chamber of Minerals and Energy) (director, Energy and Minerals Initiative, University of Western Australia)

·                    Chris Clegg (principal consultant, Statewide Tenement and Advisory Services)

·                    Doug Koontz (was on the DME Minerals Environment Liaison Committee in 2000 representing the Minerals Industry) (currently chair of the Environment & Water Policy Committee for AMEC and a councillor on the AMEC executive council) (principal environmental consultant Aquaterra Consulting an international water and environment consultancy, operating with offices in Australia, UK, Ireland and Mongolia)

·                    Noel Ashcroft (former Executive Director, Major Projects, Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, heavily involved in the development of the Burrup as an industrial hub) (chief executive of government relations and market development for the Griffin Group)

·                    Tony van Merwyk, (partner in Freehills)

Robin Chapple

Greens Member Elect

for the Mining & Pastoral Region

Approvals process for WA – READ IT AND WEEP   pdf file

Nuclear Power is BIG downunder – size counts!!!

Nuclear Power Plants – ya gotta love ’em – we do in australia :)

West Australian Mining Town says NO to URANIUM – go figure!

Thanks to eco warrior Robin Chapple for the newstip.

Thanks to WIN television for covering it – this is a good yarn, and I’m not sure mainstream media will cover it or understand it’s significance

Please share this news as a wake up call that BigNuke is on the move, thrashing around like a dying dinosaur.

Five Fun Ways to Alter the Eco | Twilight Earth

NON PROFIT groups on Twitter - follow them to help save the earth

Five Fun Ways to Alter the Eco | Twilight Earth

Posted using ShareThis

Twittering Eco-Politics: 10 Twitter Users You Should Follow : Red, Green, and Blue

Click this story for excellent information and links via twitter.com to member organisations’  tweets, videos and other interesting stuff.

I’m there too as “perthtones” mostly eco posts but fun and madness abound as well.

Twittering Eco-Politics: 10 Twitter Users You Should Follow : Red, Green, and Blue

Posted using ShareThis

West Australia’s Uranium Premier Colin Barnett turns tyrant, hijacks mining approvals

Dracula in charge of the blood bank: WA Greens expose horror plan for the State Government’s assessment processes

A confidential document acquired by the WA Greens has revealed radical plans to overhaul legislation so that the Premier would have sole power to decide which projects are allowed to go ahead in WA.

The proposal, developed by the Government’s hand-picked Industry Working Group committee, indicates that the Premier should become the decision-maker on every major project in the State.

Under the plan, the Premier would only be obliged to merely consult with the Environment Minister.

“If the recommendations of this report are accepted, then every mega-project Colin Barnett ever recklessly dreams up – be it a Kimberly Canal or a nuclear waste dump, or anything else – could go ahead,” Greens Upper House MP-elect Robin Chapple has warned.

“This document is truly horrific,” Mr Chapple continued.

“It is proposing that mining and petroleum activities be exempted from planning approval by local government.

“Now, I wonder how local government will feel about being dictated to by the Premier?

“Quite clearly, these recommendations mean massive legislative changes and the Government must be salivating as they wait to take control of the parliamentary Upper House on 22 May so they can ram through amendments to legislation.

“This Liberal minority government, aided by the National Party, seems intent on orchestrating the death of what remains of our state regulatory authorities.

“This proposal will enable the Premier to push through the Kimberly gas hub, the Gorgon development on Barrow Island, the Oakajee Port and ship lead out of any port of his choosing without a second thought.

“This will lead to unbridled excesses in climate change impacts from a government that just doesn’t get it.

“No wonder they have kept this secret until now, this plan is just like putting Dracula in charge of the blood bank.”

ends.

Robins Contact Details: Mobile 040 9379263, Work 08 93712615

Key points:

– [page 3] “review mining tenement conditions for conservation reserves”. Do they mean they will review and possibly change the conditions that apply to mining in existing conservation reserves? If so that would seem to be an extraordinary legal situation; it would effectively gift to those mining companies an increase in the value of their privately owned property rights.

– [page 3] It’s alright to talk about EPA timelines but often the delays in the process are because of industry failures to properly address EPA questions / requests for more information. Also, any talk of timelines must make adequate allowance for the need for proper consideration if the matters are technically complex. Sometimes it will be hard for the EPA to have enough staff with expertise in the relevant area. Presumably this will be a real issue for uranium mining, at least in the short term.

‘Minor’ legislative changes [better described as major changes!]

– Removing an appeal right if the EPA decides something could be managed under the clearing provisions sounds good in theory, as the clearing decision will of course be subject to a separate appeal. But the first appeal right is about the EPA’s decision not to formally assess under Part IV, not about the issues that will later be dealt with under Part V. Removing an appeal right would effectively create a massive loophole in the EP Act; if the EPA wanted a project to sail through it could say that the clearing rules would manage it even if the project had impacts on say water quality or something else not related to the proposed clearing. Such a decision would have the effect of quarantining those non-clearing issues from any further public scrutiny, save the possibility of judicial review, and we know how hard that road is!

– Removing appeal rights against the setting of a level of assessment would be an outrage and a fundamental shift in the EIA regime that has served the State for over 20 years. There are few things more important than the level of assessment, as that scoping decision determines the process from then on.

– [page 5] new approvals framework for [ESE] could of course be good in theory but not if it means economics winning out in a Premier-led process that involves no appeal rights!

– [page 6] one decision maker; well, not if the decision relates to issues beyond the expertise of the decision-maker.

– [page 6] proportionality based on… importance to the State. This could be very dangerous; are they saying bigger projects should attract less environmental scrutiny? This would be an unprecedented and very dangerous move.

– [page 6] special consideration for major projects – ditto.

– [page 8] melding works approvals and clearing permits into mining approvals; currently two quite separate technical issues for different departments!!

– [page 8] exempting mining and petroleum activities from planning approval; It will be interesting to see what WALGA and the local govts think about this!!

– [page 8] appeals to SAT; not necessarily a problem with Part V decisions but this takes Part IV appeals out of the hands of the Env Min and into the rarefied apolitical air of a Tribunal. Do they propose to resource the SAT with environmental specialists who aren’t all just former industry representatives?!

– [page 9] Premier obliged only to consult with the Minister for Environment on major projects!!

– [page 10] Applicants can appeal against the conditions of approval but what about the decision to approve? I.e. can the SAT only ever change the conditions of approval but not say no to something? If so that would be an absolutely fundamental negative change!!

– [page 11] appeals to SAT only for “significant activities”; this could mean a significant constraint on appeal rights!!

– [page 11] timelines; do these factor in SAT appeals? We hope not!!

– [page 12] approvals reform group; notice no community representation!

Industry Working Group Committee (Hansard Wednesday, 26 November 2008)

· Peter Jones (chair) (Water Corp Chair 2002) (former resources Minister for Mines, Fuel and Energy for Western Australia to the Sir Charles Court government) (Peter Vernon Jones elected 30/03/1974 Narrogin for NCP became a Liberal in 1985)
· John Bowler (deputy chair) (Kalgoorlie member and former Labor mines minister)
· Derek Carew Hopkins (Department of Environment director general) (former Appeals Convenor) (adviser, Office of the Minister for Regional Development)
· Mark Gregory (Special Counsel to Minter Ellison, his practice has focused on the land access needs of his clients. This includes advising clients on complex government approvals processes; assisting clients to obtain necessary land tenure and mining tenements and dealing with compulsory acquisition matters.)
· David Parker (former Chamber of Minerals and Energy director) (government and public affairs manager, Apache Energy)
· Richard Ellis (Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association’s WA director) (also in 2004 Colin Barnett’s former chief of staff was called Richard Ellis, may or may not be the same)
· Ian Wight-Pickin (former or current Secretary of the Dawesville Branch of the Liberal Party) (chief of staff, office of the Deputy Premier and Minister for Indigenous Affairs)
· Ian Fletcher (former adviser to the Pangea Nuclear Waste Dump company), (former CEO of the Kalgoorlie/Boulder Town Council), (Premier Richard Court’s principal advisor), (Vice-president of government relations in WA for BHP Billiton)
· Tim Shanahan (Minerals Initiative director and former Chamber of Minerals and Energy) (director, Energy and Minerals Initiative, University of Western Australia)
· Chris Clegg (principal consultant, Statewide Tenement and Advisory Services)
· Doug Koontz (was on the DME Minerals Environment Liaison Committee in 2000 representing the Minerals Industry) (currently chair of the Environment & Water Policy Committee for AMEC and a councillor on the AMEC executive council) (principal environmental consultant Aquaterra Consulting an international water and environment consultancy, operating with offices in Australia, UK, Ireland and Mongolia)
· Noel Ashcroft (former Executive Director, Major Projects, Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, heavily involved in the development of the Burrup as an industrial hub) (chief executive of government relations and market development for the Griffin Group)
· Tony van Merwyk, (partner in Freehills)

Robin Chapple

Greens Member Elect

for the Mining & Pastoral Region

P.O. Box 423
Mt Lawley
Western Australia 6929
Mobile 040 9379263
Work 08 93712615
Fax 08 92729547
Email f4949@iinet.net.au

ABC Australia’s Gruen Transfer – glowing reports in ads on nuclear power

Jo Vallentine watched the show and alerted me to this great segment on how to sell the dirty idea of nuclear power.

You can download the whole show ( which rocks by the way ) every week, vodcast it, DL from archives and even make your own fun ads  ( you can go to the site here, then click on “shows” and select today’s show – March 18 2009 )

The very cool bit on how to make uranium look appealing to the masses is about 20 minutes in and lasts just under a minute. I’ll upload the edited segment once I’ve cleared it with the funny folk at Gruen Transfer.

GLOWING REPORTS on NUCLEAR POWER from YOUR A.B.C.

Aussies will accept nuclear power, conference told – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Aussies will accept nuclear power, conference told – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation).

not even Barry Obama has a plan for nuclear waste,where's Ziggy's

Is he TELLING us we will accept nuclear power?

Who is he talking to?

He admits a new Nuke plant would take 15 years – by then the cost of clean renewables will be less  than dirty atom splitting.

Notice how various professors and community ” leaders” are suddenly speaking up, almost spookily singing the same words.

It’s also scary that some of my colleagues in mainstream media leave some crazy claims unchallenged and out of context.  Question everything!

IF WE DON’T RAISE OUR VOICES the only ones heard will be the heavily backed and resourced Uranium and Mining complex.

contact me for info on using talkback and new media to have YOUR voice heard ( even if you disagree with me – it’s a hippie thing )

West Aussie voters please see copy and use the letter in the right column to send a message to Colin Barnett, but cc ALL MP’s – their ears are full of slick-helled lobbyist noise and they need yours for balance

No green jobs in nuclear world | Greens MPs

No green jobs in nuclear world | Greens MPs.