Jocelyn Aspa reports that although Cameco has put forth a proposal for uranium mining at its Yeelirrie deposit in Australia, the Western Australia Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) is adamant that the project should not go forward.
According to World Nuclear News, Cameco submitted the proposal in November 2014 after purchasing the deposit from BHP Billiton in 2012. The submission to the EPA was to mine up to 7,5000 tonnes of uranium oxide concentrate per year at the Yeelirrie over a 22-year span.
The EPA released an environmental impact assessment on the proposal, and alleges one out of nine key environmental factors did not meet the EPAP environmental objectives. The proposal has the potential to significantly impact the ecological function, diversity and viability of the subterranean fauna assemblage at Yeelirrie (?), it reads.
Additional impacts were stated as follows:
... The impacts to subterranean fauna from the proposal have been identified as habitat loss from excavation (mine pits), groundwater drawdown and impacts to habitat from ground disturbance, stockpiling, surface contamination and tailings. Impacts to habitat from changes in groundwater quality and water chemistry, in particular chloride and salinity, and alteration of hydrology from diversion as a result of the Tailings Storage Facility (TSF) are also expected....
The EPA further stated there is a great risk of a loss of species that are restricted to the impact area, and it therefore considers that the impact is such that the proposal should not be implemented.
This sounds too bad to be true. How about an independent study????
Resource Portal for I2M Clients, Associates, and Geoscientists
Managed & Built by I2M Consulting, LLC | © 2010-
Managed & Built by I2M Consulting, LLC | © 2010-