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Lynas rare earths company has to get Australia to agree to take back radioactive wastes

Onus is on Lynas to get nod for waste shipment’, The Malaysian Star Reports by MARTIN CARVALHO, YUEN MEIKENG, RAHIMY RAHIM and TASHNY SUKUMARAN , 29 March 12,  THE onus of obtaining permission from the authorities to ship waste from the proposed rare earth plant in Gebeng, Pahang, to Australia lies with operators Lynas Corporation, said Science, Technology and Innovations Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximux Ongkili.

“There has been no official word from the authorities in Australia over the shipment (of the waste) and I have not received any formal communication,” he said at Parliament lobby.

Though helping facilitate Lynas’ investment in setting up the plant here, he noted there were conditions that the company must fulfil with the onus on them to obtain approval for waste shipment to Australia if the need arose. “We are not here for the purpose of just helping Lynas. We have set conditions and they must follow,” he said.

The Atomic Energy Licensing Board’s (AELB) imposed five conditions for the issuance of a temporary operating licence for the Lynas plant which includes locating a suitable site for a permanent disposal facility. “If Lynas cannot process the wastes here according to our standard or cannot find a permanent disposal site, then they have to seek a site outside this country…..

“Otherwise, I am not giving the licence as they have signed for that,” Ongkili repeatedly said…..  Ongkili said Lynas Corporation chose to have its rare earth plant in Malaysia because the cost to operate the facility here was 30% of that in Australia….. http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp file=/2012/3/28/parliament/11002216&sec=parliament

March 29, 2012 Posted by | AUSTRALIA, Malaysia, Uranium, wastes | Leave a comment

Hypocrisy and racism – Australia’s sorry nuclear history

Dumping on Traditional Owners: the ugly face of Australian racism The Drum, 29 March 12  The nuclear industry has been responsible for some of the crudest racism in Australia’s history.

This racism dates from the British nuclear bomb tests in the 1950s but it can still be seen today.

The British government conducted 12 nuclear bomb tests in Australia in the 1950s, most of them at Maralinga in South Australia. Permission was not sought from affected Aboriginal groups such as the Pitjantjatjara, Yankunytjatjara, Tjarutja and Kokatha. Thousands of people were adversely affected and the impact on Aboriginal people was particularly profound.

Many Aboriginal people suffered from radiological poisoning. There are tragic accounts of families sleeping in the bomb craters. So-called ‘Native Patrol Officers’ patrolled thousands of square kilometres to try to ensure that Aboriginal people were removed before nuclear tests took place. Signs were erected in some places – written in English, which few in the affected Indigenous communities could understand. The 1985    Royal Commission    found that regard for Aboriginal safety was characterised by “ignorance, incompetence and cynicism”. Many Aboriginal people were forcibly removed from their homelands and taken to places such as the Yalata mission in South Australia, which was effectively a prison camp.

In the late-1990s, the Australian government carried out a   clean-up  of the Maralinga nuclear test site. It was done on the cheap and many tonnes of debris contaminated with kilograms of plutonium remain buried in shallow, unlined pits in totally unsuitable geology. As nuclear engineer and whistleblower Alan Parkinson said of the ‘clean-up’ on ABC radio in August 2002:

“What was done at Maralinga was a cheap and nasty solution that wouldn’t be adopted on white-fellas land.”

Despite the residual contamination, the Federal Government has off-loaded responsibility for the land onto the Maralinga Tjarutja Traditional Owners. The Government portrays this land transfer as an act of reconciliation, but the real agenda was spelt out in a 1996 government document which states that the clean-up was “aimed at reducing Commonwealth liability arising from residual contamination.”….. http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/3919296.html

March 29, 2012 Posted by | AUSTRALIA, history, indigenous issues | Leave a comment

Earthquake close to planned vast uranium mine in Australia

26 March 12 BHP Billiton’s planned new mega uranium mine at Olympic Dam in South Australia will be the world’s largest man-made hole. The planned open-pit mine would be  4.1 kilometres long, 3.5 kilometres wide and 1 kilometre deep. It is hard to imagine the size of this thing, and of its impact on the environment.

Just for one consideration –  Australian airway flight paths will have to be changed, because this gigantic hole will have such an effect on the weather as to change the wind patterns in the region!

But – for another consideration – this uranium orebody  it is situated on an earthquake fault.  The current succession of earthquakes must surely cause South Australia to reconsider the wisdom, or otherwise, of siting the monster mine there! – Christina Macpherson

SEISMIC SURGE IN FAR NORTH: 3.9 EARTHQUAKE NEAR ROXBY DOWNS, Coober Pedy Regional Times,  26 March 12, A 3.9 magnitude earthquake has struck near Olympic Dam in South Australia’s Mid – Far North overnight,   in addition to a spate of 4 separate earthquakes in the Far North of the state in the past week.

The succession of medium to significant earthquakes has promted  Geoscience Australia to begin setting up seismic monitoring equipment in the Far North where three of the earthquakes occured last week including a 6.1 magnitude quake….. The most recent earthquake which occured overnight is not far from the townships of Roxby Downs and Andamooka near the Stuart Highway, and situated within relatively close proximity to a number of the state’s mining and prospecting operations including the Olympic Dam uranium mine, whose massive orebody engulfs the 35km Masher’s Fault. …… http://cooberpedyregionaltimes.wordpress.com/2012/03/26/seismic-surge-in-far-north-3-9-earthquake-near-roxby-downs/

March 26, 2012 Posted by | AUSTRALIA, safety | Leave a comment

Australian Aboriginal takes legal action against planned huge uranium mine

Environmental Defenders Office (SA) Inc, 22 March 12, Mr Kevin Buzzacott has filed an application in the Federal Court challenging the  Commonwealth Environment Minister’s approval of the Olympic Dam expansion. He is  represented by the Environmental Defender’s Office (SA) Inc (EDO) in those  proceedings.

Mr Buzzacott (known as Uncle Kevin) is an Aboriginal Elder of the Arabunna Nation in  Northern South Australia, who is concerned about the impacts of the mine on the  environment. Continue reading →

March 22, 2012 Posted by | AUSTRALIA, Legal | Leave a comment

Confusing messages about where Lynas will put its rare earths radioactive wastes

Lynas had denied reports that the Western Australian government had refused to accept the radioactive waste from the miner’s RM2.5 billion rare earth plant in Malaysia.

“If the (Australian) government accepts waste, why not they (Lynas) stay in own country?” Himpunan Hijau chairman Wong Tack asked. Wong said Lynas Corp was “clearly taking advantage” of Malaysia’s
“loose environmental laws” and “non-functioning administration”.

Australia: No request from Lynas to accept waste http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/australia-no-request-from-lynas-to-accept-waste By Lisa J. Ariffin March KUALA LUMPUR, March 21 — Canberra
has yet to receive any request from Lynas Corp to accept radioactive waste from the Australian miner’s controversial rare earth plant in Gebeng, Kuantan that will be ready this June.

“Australia has not received any request to import residues from the plant,” an Australian High Commission spokesman told The Malaysian Insider when contacted today. Continue reading →

March 22, 2012 Posted by | AUSTRALIA, Malaysia, Uranium, wastes | Leave a comment

Easy to see why Australian company Lynas puts its rare earths plant in Malaysia

Let’s de-politicise the Lynas issue — Stop Lynas Coalition, The Malaysian Insider  March 21, 2012  “…….Lynas loves to boast that their project is approved in Australia also.  Given Australia’s high environmental standard, if it is approved in Australia, why would Malaysians reject it? However, Lynas hid from the public that the Australian proposal was approved under extremely stringent conditions.

The table shows the conditions under the Australian proposal [6] compared to LAMP.

Regardless of what justification the government gives, any person of general intellect can deduce that LAMP is shifted to our shores because Lynas wants to dump its waste here. How can our government inflict such indignity on the very people it is elected to protect?…

[6] “Proposed rare earths mining and beneficiation at Mt Weld, Laverton and secondary processing at Meenaar, near Northm”, Ashton Rare Earths Ltd, August 1992.    http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/lets-de-politicise-the-lynas-issue-stop-lynas-coalition

March 22, 2012 Posted by | AUSTRALIA, Malaysia, politics international, Uranium | Leave a comment

Bullying of whistleblowers at Australia’s nuclear reactor

In their statement to Comcare’s investigator, Mr Howe and Mr Bourke said that while they had been reinstated, they were still being harassed.
The case follows that of David Reid, a former staff-elected health and safety officer who was suspended in June 2009 and sacked last June. He had also raised concerns about contamination in the ARI.

Lucas Heights nuclear reactor bullying exposed, BY: LEIGH DAYTON,  The Australian March 16, 2012   ADMINISTRATORS at Australia’s only nuclear reactor facility used findings of an inaccurate, biased and partially fabricated in-house report as the pretext to suspend – and recommend the dismissal of – two employees who raised health and safety concerns over the mishandling of radioactive materials. Continue reading →

March 16, 2012 Posted by | AUSTRALIA, civil liberties | Leave a comment

Please donate to help mind-blowing new film on today’s global nuclear issues

We have never asked for donations to  nuclear-news.net, and we’re not doing so now.

However, we’re just very keen to support Frontline Films  David Bradbury is an Australian film-maker who has earned an international reputation as a film maker willing to go to extraordinary lengths for a cause, exposing political oppression and environmental vandalism.

Bradbury has won many international film festival prizes, received five Australian Film Industry awards, and two Academy Award nominations.

He is currently producing a very up to date film on the situation of nuclear power – globally. Bradbury’s Frontline Films nevertheless runs on the proverbial shoe string – and with little encouragement from the mainstream media.

We believe that Frontline Film’s newest documentary will be a remarkable and eye-opening film. But David Bradbury needs funds to get these filmed events and interviews edited, and onto DVD and film. And then – to get this – the most up to date film about the global nuclear scene, to the  2nd International Uranium Film Festival of Rio de Janeiro 28. June – 14. July 2012.

So – we’re calling for  donations. The Frontline Film Foundation  is a registered charity and has tax deductible status. All you need is these  banking details:
Frontline Film Foundation
Southern Cross Credit Union
BSB: 802-185
A/C #: 86527

For more information – go to http://www.frontlinefilmfoundation.org/index.htm

March 15, 2012 Posted by | AUSTRALIA, media | Leave a comment

Evacuation plans last year, as Fukushima crisis occurred

Mr McLean revealed that Australia and other nations began compiling elaborate evacuation plans amid growing concern and uncertainly as the Fukushima plant began to explode.

The former ambassador confirmed Australia had evacuation plans in place but voiced the uncomfortable truth that, in reality, greater Tokyo (population 35 million) would have been almost impossible to evacuate.

Ex-ambassador frustrated by post-tsunami silence BY: RICK WALLACE, TOKYO CORRESPONDENT   The Australian March 10, 2012 AUSTRALIA’S former ambassador to Japan has told of his frustrations with the Japanese government for keeping its close partners in the dark about the extent of the damage to the Fukushima nuclear plant at the height of the crisis almost one year ago. Continue reading →

March 10, 2012 Posted by | AUSTRALIA, Japan, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

World’s biggest man made hole – BHP ‘s uranium mine, might not go ahead

Reuters report on mining conference in Canada  Mar 6, 2012  By Euan Rocha  TORONTO, March 6  –  The Anglo-Australia mining giant, which already operates an underground mine at the site, has yet to sign off on the budget for
the open pit…. but BHP may opt to delay taking on the heavy financial burden that could easily be in the $10 billion to $20 billion range…..

…. PDAC, the mining industry’s largest annual gathering. The convention, organized by the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada, opened in Toronto on Sunday.

Even though Olympic Dam, located 550 km (345 miles) north of Adelaide, is one of BHP’s biggest growth prospects, the cost of
digging the massive pit may prove prohibitive.
Last month the company reported a profit decline, and it struck a cautious tone on its expectations for growth in China, one of its
biggest markets. That has led some to speculate that the miner may delay spending on capital-intensive projects such as Olympic Dam and the Jansen potash project in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan.

In late 2011, BHP finalized state approvals to begin construction work on the open-pit phase of the Olympic Dam project, but the agreement would lapse around December if BHP delays its decision on proceeding.

“We want to see a board decision before the end of the year about substantial works beginning. If not, the approvals run out and BHP know this,” said  Tom Koutsantonis, minister for mineral resources and energy for the state of South Australia.” I’m not in the business, and no government should be in the business, of allowing anyone to have massive tenements that they don’t develop …”-
A spokesman for BHP declined to comment on the remarks.
MASSIVE SCALE The sheer scale of the open-pit project is formidable. BHP will have to shovel rock for five to seven years before it reaches the Olympic Dam ore body, discovered in the mid-1970s….. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/06/canada-mining-pdac-olympicdam-idUSL2E8E60E220120306

March 7, 2012 Posted by | AUSTRALIA, business and costs, Uranium | Leave a comment

Malaysia’s weaker environmental laws led Australian company to set up rare earths plant there

ANAWA and EDO strongly believed that Lynas had chosen to move its operations to Malaysia because of the heavy metals and radioactive waste involved in the processing. “We believe Lynas picked Malaysia to save money and enable it to operate under less stringent laws,” 
“The biggest concerns about the processing are the storage and waste management issues which are made more difficult in Gebeng which we understand to be wetlands.”

“There is no way it could operate the way it is in Malaysia over here,” he said. “Australia’s laws are much more stringent.”

Aussie NGO: Gebeng not part of Lynas’ blueprint, Free Malaysia Today News, Stephanie Sta Maria | March 6, 2012  Anti Nuclear Alliance of Western Australia (ANAWA) claims that Lynas’ massive changes to its plan has resulted in its plant being built in Gebeng where laws are looser and labour is cheaper.  PETALING JAYA: The Anti-Nuclear Alliance of Western Australia (ANAWA) has revealed that Lynas Corporation Ltd was supposed to build its plant in Western Australia and not Malaysia. Continue reading →

March 7, 2012 Posted by | AUSTRALIA, Malaysia, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

Australian government remains firmly opposed to nuclear power

Despite pro nuclear Bob Carr joining the  Ministry, the Australian Government opposes nuclear power plants. The Prime Minister was quoted in an article in 9 News,  Mar 6 2012 By Julian Drape   “…….The prime minister was also quizzed on Tuesday about incoming foreign minister Bob Carr’s stated support for nuclear power.

In response she said Labor’s policy was to oppose nuclear power plants in Australia “and it won’t be changing”.

“Our future as a country … is in making the best of our natural assets as well as continuing to use traditional sources of energy.
“We are a country with abundant sunshine. We are a country with a very, very, very long coastline which gives you access to tidal power.” Ms Gillard added that hot rocks energy could also be brought on stream.

March 7, 2012 Posted by | AUSTRALIA, politics | Leave a comment

Lynas ordered to relocate its proposed radioactive waste site

Malaysia Upholds Decision on Lynas; but Wants Relocation of Residue Disposal Facility, International Business Times,  By Esther Tanquintic-Misa | March 5, 2012  The Malaysian government continues to uphold Australian miner Lynas Corp., and its beleaguered Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) after it directed the Australian company to relocate its earlier proposed residue disposal facility to a site that is far from the LAMP location in Gebeng, Kuantan province.

Malaysian news agencies reported over the weekend it was Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak who specifically ordered the rare earths miner to locate an alternative location for its residue disposal facility that is away from Gebeng and its residential communities.

Suffice to say, this could mean Lynas Corp.’s assurance of a winning edge over its detractors who have turned the business investment into a political mill. The Lynas plant would remain at its present location, Mr Najib was quoted as saying by www.asiaone.com. The new location of the residue disposal facility would be announced later……
On Feb. 17, Gebeng residents filed a case against Lynas Corp., as well as an application for leave for judicial review, over the temporary operating licence it received from the AELB and the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry (Mosti) issued end January.

The High Court Apellate and Special Powers Judge Justice Rohana Yusuf had scheduled Mar. 20 as initial hearing.

March 6, 2012 Posted by | AUSTRALIA, Malaysia, politics, Uranium | Leave a comment

Hackers break into Lynas’ website, while Malaysian court case continues

Australian miner hacked, WA Today, Rania Spooner February 27, 2012 In a show of opposition to a near-complete rare earths processing plant in Malaysia, the website of Australian miner Lynas Corporation has been hacked. WAtoday.com.au understands the miner’s website was brought down on Sunday as reports emerged of more than 5000 protestors converging on the seaside city of Kuantan, near the site of the controversial facility.
The Lynas website was still down at 7.30pm (EST) Monday, with a message from the company advising: “We are currently experiencing some technical difficulties at the moment. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

A hacker, using the name “4z1″ and claiming to be a Malaysian citizen, has taken credit for bringing the site down in a statement on a personal blog.
In a rough translation of 4z1′s statement from Chinese into English, internal Malaysian race issues and fear of radiation from the plant was the explanation for the hacking….
A group of Kuantan residents have launched court proceedings against Malaysia’s Atomic Energy Licensing Board, the Malaysian Department of Environment and Lynas Malaysia over the plant, the company reported on Thursday. The group has sought a review of the plant’s temporary operating license granted by the AELB early this month and a halt to the commencement of operations, due in the coming weeks, while such a review is undertaken….

The plant would be used to process concentrate from the Mount Weld deposit in Western Australia’s Goldfields region, believed to be the largest of its kind in the world. The company previously announced plans to transport the concentrate from Mount Weld to Malaysia via road and sea. http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/australian-miner-hacked-20120227-1tyn0.html#ixzz1o5i4ZS2d

March 3, 2012 Posted by | AUSTRALIA, secrets,lies and civil liberties, Uranium | Leave a comment

Giant uranium miner BHP challenged by Aboriginal elder

‘Tiny voice’ of elder takes on Olympic Dam BY: SARAH MARTIN, SA POLITICAL REPORTER  The Australian February 22, 2012   BHP Billiton’s proposed $20 billion Olympic Dam mine expansion, to create the world’s largest open-cut mine, will be challenged in the Federal Court after an application was lodged by Aboriginal elder Kevin Buzzacott.

Mr Buzzacott, who is known as Uncle Kevin, is being represented by the Adelaide-based Environmental Defenders Office. The office claims the mine expansion has been approved unlawfully under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act by federal Environment Minister Tony Burke.

Among the claims are that much of the environmental assessment and decision-making was based on plans and studies that have not yet been prepared and that the minister did not properly consider impacts from the above-ground storage of radioactive tailings waste, the export of uranium and on groundwater resources, including the Great Artesian Basin.

Mr Buzzacott, an elder from Arabunna land in South Australia’s remote north, is known for his anti-uranium campaigning, and in 2007 was awarded an Australian Conservation Foundation award recognising his protest work. The EDO filed an application on his behalf in the Federal Court yesterday, saying his “tiny voice” was prepared to take on the giant……
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/state-politics/tiny-voice-of-elder-takes-on-olympic-dam/story-e6frgczx-1226277611443

February 22, 2012 Posted by | AUSTRALIA, Legal | Leave a comment

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