Hon Giz Watson questions the EPA about the decision to ship lead concentrate through Esperance port and why the Esperance Port Authority wasn't subject to the same planning and consultation requirements as Magellan Metals, given the known health and environmental risks of lead.

AnsweredQoN 110Legislative Council
Asked
29 March 2007
Portfolio
Environment

QuestionView source ↗

ESPERANCE PORT - EXPORT OF LEAD
I refer to Environmental Protection Authority bulletin 996 of September 2000 on the Magellan Metals Pty Ltd lead mining and export operations, in which the Environmental Protection Authority stated - . . . the proponent prepare a combined Health, Hygiene and Environmental Management Program (HHEMP) which will address both the environmental and the health aspects of the proposal. The EPA has also recommended that the HHEMP be made publicly available to provide the community with a level of confidence that the programs implemented by the proponent are commensurate with mining, storage and handling of a product such as lead, that has known health and environmental risks. As the preparation of the HHEMP was to cover any shipping operations for lead concentrate through the port of Geraldton - (1) When was the EPA informed of the decision to ship the lead concentrate through the Esperance port? (2) Given that the product has known health and environmental risks, why were the same requirements for planning and consultation not placed upon the Esperance Port Authority? Hon JON FORD

AnswerView source ↗

I thank Hon Giz Watson for some notice of the question. The Minister for the Environment has supplied the following answer - (1) Magellan Metals Pty Ltd requested a change to the proposal to export through Esperance in a letter received by the former Department of Environment on 14 October 2004. Following an assessment by the department, the chairman of the Environmental Protection Authority advised the then Minister for the Environment, who approved the change on 29 December 2004. (2) The conditions of statement 559 required Magellan Metals to prepare a health, hygiene and environmental management program and to make it publicly available. Conditions under this statement apply to the proponent, Magellan Metals, and not to the Esperance Port Authority.
(1) When was the EPA informed of the decision to ship the lead concentrate through the Esperance port? (2) Given that the product has known health and environmental risks, why were the same requirements for planning and consultation not placed upon the Esperance Port Authority? Hon JON FORD replied: I thank Hon Giz Watson for some notice of the question. The Minister for the Environment has supplied the following answer - (1) Magellan Metals Pty Ltd requested a change to the proposal to export through Esperance in a letter received by the former Department of Environment on 14 October 2004. Following an assessment by the department, the chairman of the Environmental Protection Authority advised the then Minister for the Environment, who approved the change on 29 December 2004. (2) The conditions of statement 559 required Magellan Metals to prepare a health, hygiene and environmental management program and to make it publicly available. Conditions under this statement apply to the proponent, Magellan Metals, and not to the Esperance Port Authority.
(2) Given that the product has known health and environmental risks, why were the same requirements for planning and consultation not placed upon the Esperance Port Authority? Hon JON FORD replied: I thank Hon Giz Watson for some notice of the question. The Minister for the Environment has supplied the following answer - (1) Magellan Metals Pty Ltd requested a change to the proposal to export through Esperance in a letter received by the former Department of Environment on 14 October 2004. Following an assessment by the department, the chairman of the Environmental Protection Authority advised the then Minister for the Environment, who approved the change on 29 December 2004. (2) The conditions of statement 559 required Magellan Metals to prepare a health, hygiene and environmental management program and to make it publicly available. Conditions under this statement apply to the proponent, Magellan Metals, and not to the Esperance Port Authority.
Hon JON FORD replied: I thank Hon Giz Watson for some notice of the question. The Minister for the Environment has supplied the following answer - (1) Magellan Metals Pty Ltd requested a change to the proposal to export through Esperance in a letter received by the former Department of Environment on 14 October 2004. Following an assessment by the department, the chairman of the Environmental Protection Authority advised the then Minister for the Environment, who approved the change on 29 December 2004. (2) The conditions of statement 559 required Magellan Metals to prepare a health, hygiene and environmental management program and to make it publicly available. Conditions under this statement apply to the proponent, Magellan Metals, and not to the Esperance Port Authority.
I thank Hon Giz Watson for some notice of the question. The Minister for the Environment has supplied the following answer - (1) Magellan Metals Pty Ltd requested a change to the proposal to export through Esperance in a letter received by the former Department of Environment on 14 October 2004. Following an assessment by the department, the chairman of the Environmental Protection Authority advised the then Minister for the Environment, who approved the change on 29 December 2004. (2) The conditions of statement 559 required Magellan Metals to prepare a health, hygiene and environmental management program and to make it publicly available. Conditions under this statement apply to the proponent, Magellan Metals, and not to the Esperance Port Authority.
(1) Magellan Metals Pty Ltd requested a change to the proposal to export through Esperance in a letter received by the former Department of Environment on 14 October 2004. Following an assessment by the department, the chairman of the Environmental Protection Authority advised the then Minister for the Environment, who approved the change on 29 December 2004. (2) The conditions of statement 559 required Magellan Metals to prepare a health, hygiene and environmental management program and to make it publicly available. Conditions under this statement apply to the proponent, Magellan Metals, and not to the Esperance Port Authority.
(2) The conditions of statement 559 required Magellan Metals to prepare a health, hygiene and environmental management program and to make it publicly available. Conditions under this statement apply to the proponent, Magellan Metals, and not to the Esperance Port Authority.

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