Concerns over Olympic Dam expansion
Posted
Concern over the planned expansion of the Olympic Dam mine.
An environmental lobby group says the planned Olympic Dam mine expansion will be largely exempt from South Australian laws protecting the environment and Aboriginal heritage.
Friends of the Earth says the Roxby Downs Indenture Act allows the planned Olympic Dam mine expansion to consume more energy and water, create more dangerous waste and extract more resources than any other company in the state.
Nuclear campaigner Dr Jim Green says it gives BHP Billiton the authority to override six acts, including the Environmental Protection Act and the Aboriginal Heritage Act.
"If they are going to expand the mine, at the very least they ought to be subject to the same sort of legal and regulatory standards as other projects," he said.
Dr Green says the mine already puts an enormous strain on the environment and any expansion will only increase the problems.
BHP Billiton and the South Australian Government would not comment while the environmental impact statement is still open for public submissions.
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