Nuclear waste dump plan should be taken off the table before it goes off the rails.
National and Northern Territory environment groups have called for an end to controversial plans to transport radioactive waste through the NT following another freight train derailment yesterday north of Tennant Creek. The Environment Centre NT, Arid Lands Environment Centre and Beyond Nuclear Initiative have said the latest accident highlights the risks and the lack of emergency response capacity associated with radioactive transport.
“The Territory is staring down the barrel of some major toxic transport projects including the proposed radioactive waste dump at Muckaty and the transport of copper concentrate and yellowcake from BHP Billiton’s Olympic Dam mine in South Australia, along with possible uranium shipments from future mine sites in WA”, said the NT Environment Centre’s Cat Beaton. “Understandably the NT community is increasingly concerned by these plans and the growing transport threats, which are increased by the Territory’s extreme weather conditions. ”
At a forum in Darwin last week, United Voice secretary Matthew Gardiner highlighted the limited services available to respond to incidents involving radioactive waste. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has also said it could do little to safeguard against future train derailments (NT News June 4, 2011) following the Edith River copper concentrate accident in December 2011.
The Northern Territory Government has expressed deep concerns over the NT’s capacity to deal with any such event stating: “There is very limited capacity within the Northern Territory hospital network outside of Darwin to respond to any radioactive waste incident or accident” (NT Government submission to 2010 Senate Inquiry)
“The transport of radioactive material is a weak link in the government’s dump plan and is emerging as a real and serious threat to the Territory’s environment and people,” said Natalie Wasley from the Beyond Nuclear Initiative. “It is time for the federal government to listen to Traditional Owners and the NT community and stop pushing ahead with the Muckaty dump plan”.