The Honeymoon project in South Australia will reopen in the coming years. Image: Boss Resources.
BY ELIZABETH FABRI
THE Minerals Council of Australia has urged the Federal Government to revise its “unfair and discriminatory” treatment of uranium mining in an upcoming review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act due next year.
Analysis released in October by the council, found that issues related to uranium mining, including radiation safety, were not unique to the commodity, and environmental impacts were generally the same as those for mining other metals.
It also stated proliferation concerns were already dealt with by other legislation and treaties.
“Under the EPBC Act, two mines with identical impacts are treated differently merely because of the commodity that is being mined,” MCA executive director uranium Daniel Zavattiero said.
“Australia can reform its treatment of uranium under the EPBC Act – which requires that all uranium projects obtain federal environmental approval, regardless of size or impact.”
Uranium mining was currently defined as a nuclear action, and companies seeking to open uranium projects faced added delays and costs, and required approval from the Federal Environment minister.
“No Federal environmental conditions in relation to the uranium projects approved to date have related to uranium-specific issues that were not already covered by the State approval process,” Mr Zavattiero said.
“Australia has almost a third of the world’s uranium – the largest share of any nation – yet produces just 10 per cent of world production.
“We are missing out on future investment, jobs and exports, while countries like Kazakhstan and Canada exploit continued expansion in the global nuclear industry.”
MCA recommended uranium mining and milling be removed as a nuclear action in the EPBC act, or if this was not supported by Government, that there would be more focused EPBC assessments on radiological aspects rather than all impacts on the environment.
Australia currently had three operating uranium mines, which was set to grow once Boss Resources’ Honeymoon project restarts production.
Uranium mining was currently banned in QLD, as well as WA following Labor’s election victory in March 2017.
However, WA Premier Mark McGowan has let uranium projects which had already received environmental approvals continue development, including Vimy Resources’ Mulga Rock project.
In January, a Definitive Feasibility Study for Mulga Rock was released, and Vimy was now submitting work plans for the project.
