Exmouth rumour - Straits Salt
Submitted by Adam Gallash on Mon, 2010-02-01 20:31
Apparently (not gospel) but Straits Salt have withdrawn their application for the salt mine on the eastern side of the gulf. As many of you know the size of the area was unbelievable and considering that side of the gulf is a nursery for the entire region, its happy days! I'm sure a few will be unhappy about it as it would create more work in the area, but ultimately this is pristine country that feeds our fishery and any sort of damage could have had untold consequences. Will confirm it when I find out more.
Cheers,
Adam
____________________________________________________________________________
Site Admin - Just ask if you need assistance
till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
I was a bit worried when I
I was a bit worried when I saw the heading, but that is fantastic news!
Buz
Posts: 1555
Date Joined: 28/08/07
Excellent!
You bl##dy ripper. I hope it is true. Maybe all those letters i wrote to pollies weren't a waste after all. Now to make sure no other bugger tries to do the same thing ten years down the track.
Blackbetty-50
Posts: 96
Date Joined: 17/08/07
Very Good
Great news if this is true !!!!!
carnarvonite
Posts: 8627
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Hope
Certainly hope so.Something like that would completely destroy all fishing in the gulf but with this "any industry at all regardless"government in power I would wait and see.
bod
Posts: 2318
Date Joined: 03/05/06
they seem pretty determined
Quarterly Activities Report, December 2009
Yannarie Solar Project, Western Australia
PTT Asia – 100%
Following the Minister for Environment’s decision to accept the recommendations of the Appeals Convenor and remit the project back to the EPA for further assessment, PTT Asia Pacific Mining consulted with the key State Government departments to gain a better understanding of how the project could proceed.
The Appeals Convenors’ report provided helpful direction on how best to address the Ministers remaining concerns.
In response, Yannarie Solar has established an independent peer review committee of independent, environmental experts to ensure that such concerns are thoroughly understood and that adequate specialist responses are formulated.
The work to define the correct approach and strategy to remove any remaining uncertainty over the environmental impact of the project on the gulf will be the focus of the first quarter of the New Year.
Ewan
Posts: 271
Date Joined: 15/05/06
Perhaps the "independent
Perhaps the "independent peer review committee of independent, environmental experts" were able to educate them a little bit about exactly what they were proposing and it's consequences for everyone else!!
mitch
Posts: 1285
Date Joined: 14/08/05
shame the the enviros werent
shame that the enviros werent around 40 years ago to stop major prawning company making a desert out of the gulf floor
Tony Halliday
Posts: 2500
Date Joined: 14/06/07
good to see some sanity in
good to see some sanity in the business sector, there are other areas that can be used for salt production that won't effect major fisheries.
Now to stop the plume out of Fremantle harbor, before it kills everything around the mouth. Time to move the commercial vessel operations out of the Swan river mouth to a better and more suitable spot.
Tony Halliday: ~Meals on Reels ~
It takes a strong fish to swim against the current. Even a dead one can float with it
"It is always in season for old men to learn." Aeschylus (525-456 BC)
"In a mad world only the mad are sane." Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998)
claire
Posts: 98
Date Joined: 11/09/09
Interesting to hear. I
Interesting to hear. I used to work for Straits (not on the salt project) and its something they've been working intensively on for years. They would have spent millions on consultants and studies, so it would be pretty serious stuff if they had just 'withdrawn' their application, as opposed to it being rejected by the Minister.
Pretty sure the salt project was placed over some historically gazetted salt fields (similar situation to the Ningaloo debacle), but I do remember it was HUGE! What I couldn't get over was that they were planning to fly their workers to and from work each day from Exmouth as it was quicker! I think Kailis were the main group arking up about the project as Straits could offer more consistent employment to Exmoth employees rather than the seasonal fishing industry in the Gulf. Of course, there were bitterns discharge concerns as well, but I thought they had a new technology to reduce the impact.
Adam Gallash
Posts: 15610
Date Joined: 29/11/05
spot on
I think your spot on with all those points Claire - re previously gazetted, huge area and Kailis being the major opponent (one wonders who is worse!)
I too wouldn't have thought they would have pulled out without hearing the results of the appeal, but then again, the source I heard it from is pretty reliable, will wait and see if there's anything public come out soon.
Site Admin - Just ask if you need assistance
bod
Posts: 2318
Date Joined: 03/05/06
yannarie salt
i read it that the appeal decision was made in september and the appeals minister has sent it back to the EPA for their further assessment. However, that was then and this is now.
http://portal.environment.wa.gov.au/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/OAC/ADMIN_CONTENT/DECISION_SUMMARIES/2009/090-143-08%20MINISTER%27S%20APPEAL%20DETERMINATION.PDFbod
Posts: 2318
Date Joined: 03/05/06
Yannarie salt
Didn't connect that the owner of Yannarie Solar project, the Thai state owned oil and gas company PTT Asia, is also the parent company of PTTEP, whose oil rig was responsible for the recent major oil spill disaster off our northern coast.
PTTEP Australasia Director and Chief Financial Officer Jos Martins said PTTEP is committed to fully funding the spill clean up and environmental monitoring programs being undertaken by federal government agencies, estimated at over A$5.3billion. There will also be a Royal Commission soon.Distracted maybe?