1st August 2009 - Norman Moore has proven himself an enemy of environmental accountability, Greens (WA) MLC Robin Chapple said today.
“Mr. Moore’s industry-backed working group is seeking to reverse three decades of progress in environmental protection measures.” Mr Chapple said. “This is completely unacceptable for a State which was one of the first places in the world to introduce an environmental protection agency.”
Mr. Chapple was commenting on the Jones Report released by Mr. Moore’s Industry Working Group yesterday.
He said that while he recognised the need for reform of the current approvals process, the diluting of environmental assessment was a retrograde step.
“Some of the report’s recommendations – namely the stripping of the EPA’s environmental impact assessment powers – make for frightening reading.”
“Handing environmental assessment powers to the Minister for Mines and Petroleum is like sending Kim Jong Il to inspect his own nuclear arsenal.
The WA community and many miners want stronger, not weaker environmental protection measures, Mr. Chapple said.
“I welcome any move to grant the EPA departmental status, but without approvals power over mining proposals it will be a hollow department indeed.”
“What Western Australians deserve is an authority that delivers strong environmental protection and allows the mining sector to know where it stands regarding its environmental obligations.”
“These recommendations do neither. They weaken environmental accountability and do nothing to sort out the under-resourced, confused approvals process.”
- For more information please contact Robin Chapple on 0409 379 263
