Olympic Dam Alert: BHP propose a major new Evaporation Pond 6

October 29, 2019

from David Noonan:
Olympic Dam Alert: BHP propose a major new Evaporation Pond 6 for radioactive acid liquor wastes that will continue deaths of hundreds of birds each year

The federal government are inviting comments on BHP’s “Olympic Dam Evaporation Pond 6” EPBC Act Referral 2019/8526  (scroll down to Date of Notice 21/10/2019).

Public submissions are only open until cob Monday 4th Nov 2019, see info on how to do so at end of this e-mail.

Please consider making a brief submission, key Recommendations are provided below, along with a Background Briefing Paper and a feature press article “BHP vs Birds”.

For info see “Migratory Birds at Risk of Mortality if BHP Continues Use of Evaporation Ponds” a 3 page Briefing written by David Noonan for the ACF, Friends of the Earth and Conservation SA (30 June 2019)

see “BIRDS VS BHP: Evaporation ponds at BHP’s Olympic Dam mine are killing hundreds of birds” article in The Advertiser 10 July 2019

Hundreds of birds are dying each year after mistaking Olympic Dam’s evaporation ponds for wetlands. Environment campaigners want the miner to stop using them… 

A set of Key Recommendations on these issues to please make to the federal government: 

  1. The federal government must subject BHP’s Olympic Dam Evaporation Pond 6 Referral to a public environmental impact assessment process

The federal government must not just approve this major new Olympic Dam Evaporation Pond 6 on the basis of limited non-independent BHP referral documents. Federal responsibilities to protect Matters of National Environmental Significance require the rigor and transparency of a public environmental impact assessment process. BHP can-not be allowed to be the sole arbiter over continued and unnecessary deaths of hundreds of birds each year on Olympic Dam acid liquor evaporation ponds.

  1. BHP must stop the use of Evaporation Ponds in order to reduce mortality to protected Bird Species

The federal government should not approve or allow BHP’s proposed major new Evaporation Pond 6, which will contribute to the deaths of hundreds of birds at Olympic Dam.

The federal government should place Conditions to require that BHP: “must not construct Evaporation Ponds for the purpose of the expanded mine”; and to: “phase out the use of Evaporation ponds as soon as practical”.

This is consistent with the federal EPBC Act Assessment and Decision in Fauna Approval Conditions 18-21 (EPBC 2005/2270, Oct 2011) to protect Matters of National Environmental Significance in Listed Bird Species and the 21 Listed Migratory Bird Species found in the area, from mortality at Olympic Dam. These conditions must now be applied uniformly across the entire Olympic Dam operation.

The federal government must require BHP to prevent and limit impacts and mortality on Listed Bird Species protected under both the federal EPBC Act and the SA National Parks and Wildlife Act.

  1. BHP Olympic Dam operations should be assessed in its entirety with the full range of project impacts subject to public consultation

Given that copper-uranium mining at Olympic Dam is a controlled “nuclear action” and Matter of National Environmental Significance (NES) under the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), the integrity of environmental protection requires that the entire Olympic Dam operation be subject to impact assessment so that regulatory conditions can be applied “to consider impacts on the whole environment”.

This is consistent with a key Recommendation by the federal Depart of Environment (“Olympic Dam expansion assessment report EPBC 2005/2270”, Sept 2011, 7. Existing operation, p.62):

“… it is recommended that conditions be applied to the existing operation so that the entire Olympic Dam operation (existing and expanded) is regulated by a single approval under the EPBC Act”.

At a minimum, BHP’s Oct 2019 Olympic Dam Evaporation Pond 6 referral must now trigger a public environmental impact assessment which includes assessment of impacts of the associated “BHP Olympic Dam EPBC Referral 2019/8465 Tailings Storage Facility 6” (to be larger in area than the CBD of Adelaide AND to be up to 30 metres high at the centre of the tailings pile, around the height of a 10 story building) – that BHP applied for in June 2019 and on which the federal Environment Minister is yet to make a decision.

BHP should not be allowed to ‘game’ the EPBC Act Referral system with multiple partial and limited referrals to try and avoid the scope of a warranted comprehensive public assessment of cumulative environmental impacts.

Submit your comments by cob Monday 4th Nov 2019:

Please send your comments on this BHP EPBC Olympic Dam Referral and quote the EPBC Act reference number2019/8526 and the full title of the referral:

“BHP BILLITON OLYMPIC DAM CORPORATION PTY LTD/Mining/Roxby Downs/South Australia/Olympic Dam Evaporation Pond 6”

To Email: epbc.comments@environment.gov.au

Referrals Gateway
Assessment & Governance Branch
Department of the Environment and Energy

If you require further information contact the federal government Referrals Gateway on 02 6274 2496 or email epbc.referrals@environment.gov.au

See info on ‘How to make a submission’ at:

http://www.environment.gov.au/epbc/public-notices/assessment-help#referrals

And scroll down to: Invitations for public comment, Referrals.

Nuclear, Old_Notes

Make a submission about the National Radioactive Waste Dump in SA

October 29, 2019

Send a submission to the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science (DIIS)

The Federal Government wants to put a National Radioactive Waste Facility in Kimba or the Flinders Ranges in South Australia.

The Department is calling for submissions and says these will be “one of the factors the Minister for Resources and Northern Australia may take into account when determining broad community support for the Facility.”

Please express your view by sending DIIS a submission.

If you live outside the ballot area, a submission is the only way to have your say! Here are some of the reasons why it is important that you do: 

  • There is strong opposition from Traditional Owners of the targeted sites. The Barngarla Determination Aboriginal Corporation (BDAC) is pursuing legal action against the exclusion of Barngarla Traditional Owners from a proposed ballot to gauge community support in the Kimba region of SA. The Adnyamathanha Traditional Lands Association lodged a complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission last year, alleging contractors damaged a precious cultural site while assessing land for the proposed nuclear dump, and also protesting the exclusion of Traditional Owners from the proposed ‘community ballot’.
  • This is Australia’s waste and a national issue. The burden of responsibility shouldn’t fall on small, regional and remote communities.
  • Communities along the transport route have not been consulted by the government at all, yet they will be affected
  • Flinders Ranges and Kimba communities have been divided by the flawed process and really need the support of people from all over the country.
  • Government seem to be making it up as they go along. Just recently the size of the site required was increased from 100 to 160 hectares. This is 4 years into the process. The government should have known what they are doing before they started.
  • Minister Canavan has recently stated that the amount of low level waste from Woomera destined to be permanently disposed of at the site is less than expected – only about 100 barrels. About 93% of the waste going to the site will be long-lived intermediate level waste produced and currently stored at ANSTO’s Lucas Heights reactor. The government plans to store this waste at the chosen site “temporarily” until a permanent disposal solution is found. Double handling is expensive, unnecessary and increases transport risks. There is no proven need to move it twice.  Why build this facility when 93% of the waste going there is only for temporary storage?

Please go to www.foe.org.au/have_your_say to find out what you can do!

Submissions can be made by:

Email: radioactivewaste@industry.gov.au

Post: The Department of Industry, Innovation and Science

National Radioactive Waste Section

GPO Box 2013, Canberra ACT 2601

Please write your own submission or use our online proforma here.

Sign up to No Dump Alliance

Please join the No Dump Alliance as a group or individual and encourage others to do the same. We need as many people as possible to join us in the fight for responsible radioactive waste management.

Donate

Click here to chip in to the campaign

No Dump Alliance

www.nodumpalliance.org.au

Nuclear, Old_Notes

FoE Annual General Meeting, Nov 30th

October 29, 2019

FoE members and friends are welcome to attend our AGM, 2pm at the Box Factory, November 30th.

The meeting will be held in the kitchen, upstairs at the Box Factory. Drink & Nibbles provided.

Before the formal business of the AGM, we shall have introductions and welcomes, and enjoy a presentation by our Guest Speaker on a Hydrogen Economy.

Agenda for the Adelaide FoE AGM

    1. Minutes of Previous AGM
    2. Reports
    3. Appointment of Office-bearers
      • Facilitator
      • Secretary
      • Treasurer
      • Membership officer
      • Public Officer
      • Other members of the Administration and Strategy Collective
    4. Amendments to the constitution (if any)
    5. Proposals from Members
    6. Any Other Business

     

     

     

     

     

FoE, Old_Notes

Repairing the Planet

October 29, 2019

Practical solutions to environmental concerns are addressed with the hope that filmmaker Damon Gameau’s  daughter, 21 years old in the year 2040, will face a hopeful future.

The film looks at possible solutions in four key areas:

Energy

We look at what can be done with solar panels capturing sunlight and trading it between neighbouring houses.

What happens if we extend the idea to trade electricity over a larger region?

Can we manage our own energy more easily and cheaply than a massive centralised system?

Transport

Is it the end of the motorcar?

Or should me move to rented autonomous vehicles?

Perhaps better public transport?

And what could we do with the space currently taken up by super highways?

Food Production

Can we revise our food production to take better care of the soils, making them more productive

and allowing them to store more carbon at the same time?

Will growing food locally be more productive?

Should we move to a vegetarian diet?

Education

How can we release the creativity of those denied education?

What might happen if people who couldn’t afford education

— or were denied it by virtue of belief, gender or background — were given

the chance to create opportunities and solutions for their regions?

If you’d like to see this movie, you can get tickets for $15/$10 concession, or two tickets for $20.

Why not bring a friend to our screening on November 12th, 7pm at the Mercury?

Tickets: https://www.trybooking.com/564492
Click to book!

Adelaide FoE Notes, Climate, FoE

Climate Strikes around the federation

October 15, 2019

from Sara Shaw Climate Justice & Energy International Programme Co-coordinator, FoE International:


The week of 20-27 September saw the biggest global mobilisation to highlight the climate emergency in history with over 7 million people participating in global climate strikes and actions! Friends of the Earth groups around the world were part of this movement – supporting youth and calling for climate justice for those on the front lines of climate change, dirty energy and false solutions. Here is our round up of how you all took part.

In APAC, FoE groups joined the strikes in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Australia, Timor-Leste, South Korea, Philippines, Bangladesh, Japan and Indonesia. FoE Malaysia put together a fabulous round up of photos from around the APAC region.

Europe saw some of the biggest climate mobilisations ever! 1.4 million people in Germany alone. FoEE did a fabulous round up blog, and a flickr album. Here are some of the climate strikes and actions FoE and Young FoEE groups joined across Europe:England, Scotland, Wales, Germany, Cyprus, Belgium, Spain, Denmark, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Russia, Austria, Macedonia, Sweden, Croatia, Bosnia.

Africa saw actions across the continent with FoE groups participating in Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Tanzania and Togo. FoE Togo organised an inspiring football match action with local children. Young activists from Mozambique took part in the strikes in the UK and spoke powerfully on climate justice.

FoE Africa also participated in the UN Secretary General Climate Action Summit in New York. On 20 September over 300,000 people mobilized ahead of this Summit. Philip Jakpor from Environmental Rights Action/FoE Nigeria and Sostine Namanya from NAPE/FoE Uganda were in New York for FoEI and part of themobilisation. They also took part in a Southern Voices side event, an action against the Oil and Gas industry with allies and secured some fantastic media coverage.

The US also witnessed huge marches across many cities that FoE US joined. And FoE US helped organize a shutdown of Washington DC to demand action on the climate crisis.

In ATALC there were actions in many cities – and FoE Paraguay, Colombiaand El Salvador were out on the streets.

FoEI also published a blog and a Real World Radio interview for the climate strikes. We also took a solidarity picture when we met together in Utrecht.

Now we have to work hard so that these amazing mobilisations and movements deliver real change and climate justice for people hit hardest by the climate and energy crisis. FoEI’s next big climate moment will be in Chile for the COP, so watch this space.

People Power Now!

In solidarity
Sara, dipti & FoEI Comms
Sara Shaw
Climate Justice & Energy International Programme Co-coordinator
Friends of the Earth International

Actions, Adelaide FoE Notes, Clean Futures, Climate