Mining and Petroleum

Wednesday 14^th May 2014

“The people of Derby can be forgiven for thinking that the State Government is giving them the runaround.”

This is the view of Greens Member for the Mining and Pastoral Region Robin Chapple MLC upon receiving answers to questions in Parliament recently.

Mr Chapple was commenting on two ‘non-responses’ from the Minister for the Environment regarding questions about the Rey Resources Duchess Paradise Coal Project.

“If approved, the project will see 100 road train movements, 24 hours per day, along Derby‘s main street, Mr Chapple said. “This equates to one road train every 14.4 minutes.

“I wonder if anyone has discussed this scheme and its health ramifications with the good folk of Derby.

“Matters such as air pollution from diesel particulates, increased potential for road and loading accidents, and hazards for pedestrians seem to have raised barely a shrug from the Minister for Environment.

“Asked why the impacts of the diesel carcinogenic pollution from Rey Resources’ 24 hour trucking operation through the centre of Derby was not dealt with in the company’s Public Environmental Review (PER), the Minister’s first response on 1^st April 2014 was: ‘the combustion emissions from diesel-powered generators and vehicles are considered as a possible impact on air quality in the PER’.

“However, this answer was only in relation to the mine site, not the town of Derby.

“When asked again on 22^nd April 2014, drawing attention to the apparent omission in the PER, the Minister washed his hands of all responsibility, saying ‘the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) is responsible for setting the form, content and timing for the assessment and is to report to me on the key environmental factors and whether the proposal should be implemented, and if so, recommend condition’.

“This is a clear case of the tail wagging the dog. How on earth can the Minister allow this situation to occur, without seemingly batting an eyelid, when people’s health is at stake?” Mr Chapple said.

For more information please contact Robin Chapple on 0409 379 263 or 9486 8255

Parliamentary Questions here and here

17^th of April, 2014

Greens Member for the Mining and Pastoral Region Robin Chapple MLC is calling for urgent action to be taken to ensure abandoned mine sites in WA pose no risk to the public.

“We know that there are more than 17,000 abandoned mine sites in this state,” Mr Chapple said.

“A person can step off any of the gazetted roads in the goldfields, such as the Goldfields Highway from Kalgoorlie to Menzies, and find an abandoned pit.

“They are unfenced and unbounded, and are a death trap.”

Mr Chapple raised several questions in parliament last week regarding the proximity of several abandoned mine sites to schools and residences.

“There are five holes located 70 metres east of Menzies Primary School, in which two shafts are partly covered and the others open, and which also have residences within 40 metres,” he said.

“Despite all the rhetoric from the government about the need to resolve these problems, they are not going away.”

Mr Chapple has said the Mining Legislation Amendment Bill 2013, which the Greens opposed, is minimising the amount of money available to the government to do anything about abandoned mine sites.

“It will take years to build up the environmental bond or rehabilitation fund to a point at which it can actually do anything,” he said.

“If we are not worried about abandoned mine sites and if we do not care about the future, then yes, we should endorse this amendment.

“I think that at some stage in the future we might be going back over the debate on the original legislation and concerning ourselves with the economic plight we have got ourselves into.”

Parliamentary question where the government admits to doing nothing.

 Photo 1, Photo 2.