|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
Dear HtS Supporter
|
Newsletter #7 Welcome, Yes, the Halt the Salt campaign is alive and well and still fighting to stop a massive salt mine from being developed in the unique and environmentally-sensitive Exmouth Gulf area. Since the close of the public submission period in March, the company proposing the development would no doubt have been busy responding to the extensive and detailed list of scientific objections that followed the strong public awareness campaign. While this formal assessment process has led to a hiatus in the public debate, the campaign has not been idle and has continued to work behind the scenes gathering support from within political, scientific and educational circles and the wider community. From talking to stakeholders we know there is now genuine concern that the risks to the environment from this proposal must be seriously and thoroughly considered. This heightened awareness has been a direct result of the concerns you have expressed by signing petitions, making submissions and emailing your comments. Please keep your comments coming to the website and we will ensure they are passed on to the relevant politicians and their staff. Straits still responding to scientific argument Straits Resources, the proponent of the Exmouth Gulf salt project, is having to undertake a significant amount of further work as part of the Government’s formal assessment process. The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) is requesting that Straits respond to all submissions, including detailed critiques from the Halt the Salt Alliance, government agencies and many other scientific groups, communities and individuals. Straits has also to release further supplementary reports, as listed in their ERMP documentation, that will be open for further public comment. The Alliance remains in regular contact with the EPA in order to keep everyone informed of the timeframes that will be involved. Claims of "reduced footprint" You may have heard or seen in the media that Straits was now reducing the scale of the project in the face of significant environmental concerns. In response we have categorically stated that a scaled-back
project does not change the Alliance’s position that the
EPA should stop the proposal completely, because of the same
risks it poses to marine life, the environment, eco-tourism
and sustainable fishing industries in the region. Keep submissions coming One of the reasons the Halt the Salt campaign has been so successful to date is the number and quality of the submissions that have been presented to government in opposition to to the proposed salt mine. To date more than 3,000 submissions have been presented – and with your continued support we envisage we will have presented more than 4,000 submissions to the EPA and Premier Alan Carpenter by the end of the year. 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. Please help us to keep the fight going! And please pass on to your network - all extra e-submissions are important. ______________________________________________________________________________ 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 via the pro-forma submission. 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.
|
