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Newsletter #5 
14 April 2007

www.haltthesalt.org.au

Welcome,

The Halt the Salt campaign to prevent the world's largest salt mine from being built on Western Australia’s highly sensitive Exmouth Gulf continues to generate widespread support.

So far the campaign has been very successful with more than 2500 submissions made to the Environmental Protection Authority, which demonstrates the massive concern about the impact of Straits Resources’ proposed project on the delicate environment within the Exmouth Gulf.

We also continue to call on your support to provide submissions – and to help launch a postcard campaign – to oppose the proposed salt mine which has the potential to destroy Exmouth’s marine life and valuable eco-tourism, recreational and fishing industries worth more than $165m a year.

Call for submissions to continue

The Halt the Salt Alliance is calling on the public to continue submitting submissions opposing Straits Resources proposed salt mine.

To date more than electronic 2600 submissions have been received by the EPA – and with your continued support we envisage we will have received more than 4000 submissions by the end of the year.

The standard of submissions from the Halt the Salt Campaign organisers, government agencies, research bodies, communities and individuals are very high and outlines the many reasons why the EPA should block this dangerous project from proceeding.

It is important that scientific arguments are supported by the concerns of members of other community groups and the general public who live or visit the region, have an affinity with it or simply care about the environment we will be leaving future generations.

We have made this easy for you to comment by providing a pro-forma submission to which we encourage you to add your own comments.

Next steps in the EPA submission process

With EPA submissions to Straits’ Environmental Review and Management Program’ (ERMP) recently closing, further steps are required to be undertaken by Straits to complete the EPA’s decision-making process on the proposed salt mine.

Straits must release further supplementary documentation on the potential impacts of the proposed project that will be open for public comment.

Straits must also respond to all submissions made to the EPA, including detailed submissions from the Halt the Salt Alliance, government agencies and many other scientific groups, communities and individuals.

We are not sure of the timeframe of this release of supplementary documents but we believe the complexity of the arguments that have been presented against Straits proposal will mean a period of months before the company can fully and properly attempt to respond, however we will keep you informed of any developments.

Call for support to launch the ‘Halt the Salt” postcard campaign

Supporters of ”Halt the Salt” are being asked to donate money or volunteer their time to help launch a new postcard campaign to maintain our momentum in opposing Straits Resources disastrous proposal for a salt mine in Exmouth.

The campaign will see the production and mass distribution of a ‘Halt the Salt’ postcard which will have a pre-written message opposing the project, based on the damage it would cause to Exmouth’s pristine marine environment and its valuable tourism and fishing industries.

The postcard campaign will aim to put further pressure on the WA Government to block the salt mine project – lets send them as many postcards as possible!
Further information on the launch of the postcard campaign will be announced shortly.

TV coverage boosts Halt the Salt campaign

The Halt the Salt campaign received a major boost recently when it received significant media coverage on ABC TV’s Stateline program.

The TV report positively covered the ‘Halt the Salt” campaign with interviews conducted withAlliance spokesperson andConservation Council of WA director Chris Tallentire and the Pearl Producers Association’s Brett McCallum. Comments were also made by EPA Director Wally Cox and Straits spokesperson Iain Scott during the report.

Stateline’s report covered important issues that support our campaign including the threat the proposed salt mine might have on whales, birds, prawn fishing and the state’s pearling industry – while raising public concerns of Straits plans to minimise environmental damage from the project.

To read a transcript from the program visit ABC’s website: www.abc.net.au/stateline/wa/content/2006/s1875853.htm

Email your friends and associates asking them to participate.