This submission is now closed, the text
is left here for the record.
CC: The Hon. Peter Garrett,
Federal Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts;
Hon Donna Faragher MLC, WA Minister for Environment; Youth.
THE HON COLIN J BARNETT MLA
Premier of Western Australia.
197 St George's Terrace,
PERTH WA 6000
Dear Premier
We urge the State Government to take on the
advice of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and
reject a proposal by Straits Salt to construct and operate
a 4.2 million tonne per annum solar salt farm in the pristine
Exmouth Gulf.
The EPA’s unconditional rejection of
the proposal reinforces the scientific evidence that the
environmental risks are too great for a large-scale mine
to proceed in this precious area.
It is also important that the State Government
permanently protects the precious Yannarie
delta eco-system in the Exmouth Gulf from any resource and
industry activity.
With such strong advice from the EPA, if the
Barnett Government accepts the salt mine proposal
it will be held accountable for any damage caused
by the salt mine to this environmentally-sensitive area,
now and into the future.
EPA Chairman Paul Vogel said in a media statement
dated 23 July 2008 that the EPA had concluded that the salt
mine proposal presents unacceptably high risks of environmental
harm to wetland values and unacceptable levels of uncertainty
in relation to long term management of bitterns.
If the State Government rejects the EPA’s
advice it would be putting at risk one of the richest marine
environments in Australia.
The large-scale salt mine would destroy the
local environment, communities, businesses and industries,
changing the face of the pristine Exmouth Gulf forever and
damaging WA’s reputation as a world-class tourism
destination.
The Exmouth Gulf is a precious natural asset
and must be protected for future generations .
