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Rehabilitation at Ranger uranium mine continues The Federal Government has issued a new rehabilitation authority to Energy Resources Australia (ERA) to continue rehabilitation activities at Ranger uranium mine in the Northern Territory. The authority will allow ERA, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO), to progress a staged rehabilitation strategy that focuses upon adherence to objectives as stated in the authorisation to operate to allow the site to be returned to the Mirarr Traditional Owners. This strategy will be achieved through the application of best practice and the use of technology within a risk-based framework. ERA’s long-term vision is to return the disturbed area to a viable ecosystem in line with its obligations to its stakeholders and regulators and the expectations of the community. Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King comments on the authority. “This new authority means that ERA will be able to continue with its obligation to restore Ranger uranium mine to a condition similar to the surrounding Kakadu National Park,” she said. Mirrar Traditional Owners have worked closely with the Northern Land Council and ERA on a new land access agreement. Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy approved the agreement under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act (Northern Territory). “I thank the Mirarr Traditional Owners, Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation, Northern Land Council, ERA and Rio Tinto for their collaborative efforts in establishing this new authority and land access agreement,” she said. “We want to see rehabilitation completed and for the land to be returned to the Mirarr Traditional Owners.” Rehabilitation and closure planning began soon after the Ranger mine began producing uranium oxide in 1981.  Operations at Ranger ceased after ERA failed to secure permission from the Mirarr Traditional Owners and the Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation to continue mining the sire.  ERA increased its estimated rehabilitation provision to $830m in 2019, a major increase from the $526m estimate recorded in 2017. 

The Bowen Rail Company (BRC) is supporting the Queensland region’s littlest green thumbs through a grant to the Queens Beach State School kitchen garden program. The Bowen state school was one of four recipients of the latest round of funding from BRC’s Community Partnership Program, designed to assist not-for-profit organisations and community groups with the purchase of small assets that can make a big difference. Queens Beach is part of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program and teacher Bec Trask says the children learn about food through hands-on gardening, harvesting, and cooking. “Thanks to the grant we’ve been able to expand the garden and have a bigger variety of fruit and vegetables for the kids to cook with,’’ she said.…

Years of scientific work to better understand ancient springs in outback Queensland has paid off for local researchers who will take their findings to the world stage at a prestigious conference in Davos, Switzerland. Dr Richard Cresswell and Anne Gibson from Eco Logical Australia will present at the upcoming International Association of Hydrogeologists World Groundwater Congress in September. The research focuses on the Doongmabulla Springs Complex, which lies more than 11km away from Bravus Mining and Resources Carmichael mine near Clermont in Central Queensland. Dr Cresswell and Ms Gibson used multiple scientific techniques and approaches including field trips, zonation studies, seed bank germination and satellites and drones to study the ecosystems that rely on the springs and ensure open cut…

Exhibiting at this year’s MINExpo INTERNATIONAL conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, Weir showcased its market-leading brands and unveiled a range of new innovative technologies and solutions. Weir launched its ESCO® NEXSYS™ GET Lip System for rope shovel dippers, which lowers lip maintenance requirements, extends tooth and adapter life, and ultimately provides miners with longer uninterrupted shovel operation. Additionally, Weir unveiled its double-deck banana screen, ENDURON® ELITE Screen. Available in a range of sizes, the largest of which has a deck measuring 4.3m by 8.5m and weighs nearly 50t, the screen is driven by two exciters, whereas competitor machines of a similar size require three. These two technologies form an integral part of Weir’s commitment to deliver transformational flowsheet solutions in…