Bruce Butler reports that uranium was first discovered there in 1972, with BHP Billiton selling the site to Canadian uranium miner Cameco in 2012 for $430 million. Cameco lodged plans to mine the site in a more intensive way over a shorter period of time. The project would involve a 9 km open-pit mine, clearing 2421 ha of vegetation and generating 36 million tonnes of potentially radioactive mine waste to be stored in open pits, CCWA claims. In August last year the WA EPA recommended the project be rejected stating. The EPA has concluded that the proposal cannot meet the EPA's environmental objectives for subterranean fauna. In 2015, more than 3000 people lodged submissions with EPA, opposing the proposed mine. Despite the EPA recommendation, and a subsequent appeal by the miner being dismissed, the project was granted environmental approval by Mr Jacob just before the March election.
CCWA director Piers Verstegen cited environmental, economic and social concerns over the approval of the mine. He said environment groups could not allow any project that would knowingly cause the extinction of unique species to go unchallenged, given the precedent it would set. There are three to 11 species of subterranean fauna that are at risk from extinction from the excavation of the mine pit, the subterranean fauna habitat, Mr Verstegen said. These species have only ever been identified at Yeelirrie and inside the pit area. The loss of 100% of their habitat will almost certainly ensure their extinction. We believe there are legal flaws in the way the Yeelirrie approval was granted.The approval also directly contradicts the science, evidence, and advice of the EPA, is inconsistent with the object and principles of the Environmental Protection Act, and sanctions the extinction of multiple unique species. Mr Verstegen said the size or public profile of the species at risk should never be a factor in ruling on a development which may cause extinctions. Read on...
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