ATTENTION
Political, Resource and Environment Journalists
NEWS RELEASE
Embargo: 17th December 2000
Appeal challenge to lift the lid on uranium secrecy
The Australian Conservation Foundation has lodged an appeal with the South
Australian's Ombudsman's office in a final effort to lift the cloak of
secrecy surrounding waste disposal at the Honeymoon Uranium mine.
ACF spokesman David Noonan says the appeal is aimed at forcing the South
Australian Government to be properly accountable to the public and come
clean about the true impact waste disposal from the proposed mine will have
in contaminating groundwater in the region .
"The South Australian Government is hiding behind claims of
commercial-in-confidence and secrecy provisions to block the necessary
public scrutiny of groundwater monitoring and uranium reporting to the
Department of Resources and to the Health Commission over the Honeymoon
trial mine."
"Federal Environment Minister Senator Robert Hill is due to make
recommendations on the proposed Honeymoon mine within two weeks, yet proper
public access to information about the full extent of liquid waste
discharges has been blocked."
This is despite the South Australian Environment Protection Authority in
its own submission about the proposed mine stating:
"Such uncertainties relating to the impacts of waste liquid disposal should
be resolved prior to any approval being granted".
The liquid wastes are a sulphuric acid solution containing heavy metals
including radium and uranium in a form that can travel through the
groundwater system.
The proposed Honeymoon mine would be only the second mine of any sort in
Australia in the modern era not to have to rehabilitate its impact on the
environment.
In the next two weeks Senator Robert Hill has to decide if he will allow
the Honeymoon mine to proceed and in the process drive down environmental
standards in Australia.
Contact:
David Noonan, ACF Campaign Officer Ph 08-82322566
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