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Dear HtS Supporter
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Newsletter #13 EPA REJECTS SALT MINE PROPOSAL The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has recommended in a report to the Environment Minister, David Templeman, to not give environmental approval for 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 Halt the Salt Alliance is delighted the EPA has rejected the proposal unconditionally and we will be urging the Environment Minister to follow the EPA’s advice and reject the salt mine proposal. The EPA’s reports sends a strong message to the State Government that the environmental risks are too great for a large-scale mine to proceed in this precious area. There is now a two-week appeal process to the EPA’s report, in which Straits Salt is expected to appeal. The Halt the Salt Alliance will not be appealing the EPA’s advice, but we will be calling on the Premier and Environment Minister to reject the salt mine – and we are asking you to do the same. It is also important that the State Government permanently protects the precious Yannarie delta system in the Exmouth Gulf from any future resource and industry activity. With a State election fast approaching, we are hoping the Carpenter Government will take on the advice of the EPA – if it accepts the salt mine proposal it will be held accountable for any environmental damage caused by the salt mine. The EPA’s report concluded that the proposal presents unacceptably high risks of environmental harm to wetland values and unacceptable levels of uncertainty in relation to long term management of bitterns. Exmouth Gulf is one of the richest marine environments in Australia – it is a precious natural asset that must be protected for future generations. The large-scale salt mine would destroy the local environment,
communities, businesses and industries, change the face of
the pristine Exmouth Gulf forever and damage WA’s reputation
as a world-class tourism destination. We encourage you to forward this email to family and friends
and encourage them to make submissions. To make a submission to the State Government, click
here. ____________________________________________________________________________ What you can do to support the campaign Growing numbers of people from Australia and overseas, determined to help protect this unique environment, are making their views known to the Western Australian Government. Personalised letters, faxes or phone calls to politicians are also very important and the Alliance website has a full list of contact details. Another good way of putting your views across is to write a Letter to the Editor and again the Alliance has details of how to make contact with the State's major newspapers or you can spread the word via your own local community newspaper You can find out more about the extensive support for the campaign by visiting the About Us and Links sections on the website. Email your friends and associates asking them to participate.
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