Media Release 11 October 2010           Bauxite and Alumina Action Group             www.NoMining.com

RED MUD TOXIC FOR THE FOOD BOWL OF THE SOUTH-WEST    (See images of Toxic Red Mud)

Food producers in Manjimup and Pemberton say the disaster in Hungary caused by toxic red mud from an alumina refinery demonstrates how bad an alumina refinery could be for Manjimup in the ‘food bowl of the South-West’. They have challenged Bauxite Resources Limited and the Shire of Manjimup to say where in Manjimup the proposed alumina refinery would be located.

Bauxite Resources Limited (BRL) has announced a plan to establish an alumina refinery of 1,100,000 tonnes annual capacity at either Manjimup, Kemerton or Collie, using 3,500,000 tonnes of bauxite mined from State forest. The Shire of Manjimup has welcomed the associated bauxite mining and said that an alumina refinery would be good for job creation in the Shire.

The toxic red mud waste from alumina refineries came into sharp focus last week with red mud from the Ajka alumina refinery in Hungary flooding the town of Kolontar and killing seven people. The Ajka alumina refinery is 300,000 tonnes annual capacity.

Neil Bartholomaeus, convener of the Bauxite and Alumina Action Group based in Manjimup and Pemberton, said the amount of toxic red mud produced by the 1,100,000 tonne alumina refinery that could be located at Manjimup would be more than three times the amount of the Ajka refinery that has destroyed Kolontar, surrounding farmlands and rivers.

“Western Australia has the largest concentration of bauxite mining and alumina refining in the world, with 12 million tonnes of alumina produced at Pinjarra, Wagerup, Kwinana and Worsley.

“This makes Western Australia the toxic red mud capital of the world.

“The alumina industry world wide is in damage control mode saying there won’t be more disasters caused by toxic red mud that is the nasty byproduct of their industry.

“Their credibility in Western Australia has been damaged by two convictions of Alcoa for air pollution by toxic red mud dust at Wagerup, in September 2010 with a $45,000 fine and in 2004.

“Why should we trust the alumina industry in Western Australia with toxic red mud when they have already broken laws relating to control of pollution from red mud,” Mr Bartholomaeus said.

Mr Bartholomaeus said location of an alumina refinery at Manjimup would destroy the ‘clean and green image’ of Manjimup and Pemberton that was essential for the marketing of food from the area known as ‘the food bowl of the South-West’.

“The risk to food production of air, ground and water pollution from toxic red mud is totally unacceptable.

“The President of the Shire of Manjimup, Wade DeCampo is reported to be enthusiastic about bauxite mining and alumina refining in the Shire.

“Food production is the biggest industry in the Shire of Manjimup, but there has been no consultation by the Shire with food producers in regard to an alumina refinery being located in their midst.

“We challenge Mr DeCampo to state where he thinks the alumina refinery should be located in the Shire.

“Would the alumina refinery and toxic red mud be located near fruit and truffle producers in West Manjimup, or green vegetable producers in Wilgarup, or amongst grape and potato growers in Middlesex and Eastbrook?” Mr Bartholomaeus said.

Mr Bartholomaeus said the Bauxite and Alumina Action Group will be vigorously opposing expansion of bauxite mining in State forest and establishment of another polluting alumina refinery in the South-West.

Media Release 6 July 2010           Bauxite Action Group             www.NoMining.com

ALUMINA REFINERIES THREAT IN SHIRES OF MANJIMUP AND BRIDGETOWN-GREENBUSHES

Plans for an alumina refinery presented by Bauxite Resources Limited at a public meeting in Bridgetown have led opponents of bauxite mining of State forests and farms to predict the initial alumina refinery will be at Manjimup and then could be followed by another at Greenbushes. The Bauxite Action Group says a ‘buyer beware’ stamp has been thumped on the South West corner of WA for people wanting to move to Pemberton, Manjimup and Bridgetown for a tree change and rural lifestyle. Commitments from Members of Parliament in the South West and political parties to block the necessary Manjimup and Greenbushes Alumina Agreement Acts are needed to remove ‘buyer beware’ and restore confidence in agriculture and tourism.

Barry Carbon, chairman of Bauxite Resources Limited (BRL), told the public meeting that BRL had backing from a Chinese investor for 75% of the one to two billion dollar cost of construction of an 800,000 tonne alumina refinery. On questioning, Mr Carbon said it was likely the refinery could grow beyond 800,000 tonnes annual production, but would not commit to whether it would be located at Manjimup, Collie or Kemerton. Mr Carbon told the meeting that bauxite to be refined to alumina would be mined from State forest and farmland in the South West, and that bauxite from State forest was essential security for a refinery.

Neil Bartholomaeus, convenor of the Bauxite Action Group based in Manjimup, Pemberton, Bridgetown and Nannup, said the BRL presentation by ex Alcoa employees was like a nightmare for local people who valued rural lifestyle and the forests of the South West, and for the agriculture and tourism industries.

“Barry Carbon and fellow ex Alcoa employees are applying the same bauxite mining and alumina refining template to the South West that has proven to be ecological suicide in the Northern Jarrah forest and water catchments of the Darling Range, and rural areas near refineries.

“Mr Carbon gave evidence to a State Parliament committee of inquiry in 2002 that the Wagerup alumina refinery was in a ‘pretty lousy’ location which caused ‘fumigation’ pollution conditions and that he had been involved in the review of the environmental planning.

“We have no confidence that the next alumina refinery Mr Carbon sets up in the South West will be any less polluting than the product of bad environmental planning at Wagerup that has forced local farmers and the inhabitants of Yarloop to flee the pollution,” Mr Bartholomaeus said.

Mr Bartholomaeus said that on repeated questioning at the public meeting, Mr Carbon would not say where in the Shire of Manjimup BRL had identified possible sites for the alumina refinery, and the Shire President who was present at the public meeting didn’t offer any information for the 200 people present. Mr Bartholomaeus suspects the Shire has invited the refinery to Manjimup, just as they did with the biomass power plant.

“We challenge the Shire of Manjimup and BRL to say whether or not there is a plan to locate an alumina refinery at Manjimup on the extension of the natural gas pipeline from Bunbury to Albany, promised by the Liberal Party in the 2005 and 2008 State Elections.

“The area now covered by tenements relating to the bauxite rush in the South West is greater than the bauxite mining lease operated by Alcoa in the Darling Range.

“Based on the Alcoa example BRL appear to be following, we predict there could be a refinery at Manjimup, and another at Greenbushes, 50 kilometers apart, just as at Pinjarra and Wagerup ,” Mr Bartholomaeus said.

Mr Bartholomaeus said the emerging plan for bauxite mining and alumina refining in the Pemberton, Manjimup, Bridgetown, Nannup and Balingup areas will have an immediate effect of devaluing rural properties because people would not want to live amongst the mines and polluting alumina refineries.

“A buyer beware stamp has been thumped on the South West corner of WA. It must be removed by commitments from Members of Parliament in the South West and political parties to block the necessary Manjimup and Greenbushes Alumina Agreement Acts,” Mr Bartholomaeus said.

Wagerup Alumina Refinery on the left. Barry Carbon, former Environmental Manager for Alcoa, gave evidence to a State Parliament committee of inquiry in 2002 that the Wagerup alumina refinery was in a ‘pretty lousy’ location which caused ‘fumigation’ pollution conditions and that he had been involved in the review of the environmental planning. The new alumina refinery to be fed bauxite from State forest is more likely to be at Manjimup or Greenbushes than Kemerton or Collie. This is because it is likely to be used as a reason to extend the natural gas pipeline from Bunbury to Albany, via Bridgetown and Manjimup. The necessary 'alumina agreement act' to access bauxite in State forest must be stopped.

Media Release 24 June 2010           Bauxite Action Group             www.NoMining.com

 NEW CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT BAUXITE MINING OF THE KARRI FOREST

Conservationists have launched a campaign to prevent bauxite mining of the Karri forest which they say is a target of a bauxite mining rush in the South West. They are calling on the State Minister for the Environment, Donna Faragher, to give a commitment that the State Government will not allow bauxite mining in the Karri forest or expansion of bauxite mining in the State forest.

Bauxite Resources Limited, its subsidiary Darling Range South Pty Ltd, and a Russlan Zuks, have applied for exploration tenements over large areas of the Karri forest and the Southern Jarrah forest in the past three years and more applications are being made at present. Opponents of mining of State forest have described it as the second ‘bauxite rush’ following the establishment of bauxite mining in the Darling Ranges near Perth in the 1960s.

Neil Bartholomaeus, convenor of the Bauxite Action Group based in Manjimup, Pemberton, Bridgetown and Nannup, said most of the worlds only Karri forest is located in the Shire of Manjimup and information disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act of discussions by the Shire of Manjimup suggests that Bauxite Resources Limited plans to mine 5.5 million tonnes of bauxite a year, commencing in the next two years.

“Reasonable people are outraged at the prospect of the magnificent Karri forest being mined for bauxite.

“The Karri forest is one of the icons for tourism in Western Australia, always featured in government tourism advertising campaigns.

 “Bauxite mining would destroy tourism based on the Karri forest. In addition to 'moonscape' strip mining, an estimated 500 bauxite hauling truck movements a day carting bauxite from Pemberton to Bunbury would choke the South West Highway and Vasse Highway, the main tourist routes to the Karri forest around Pemberton and the popular Tree-Top Walk at Walpole. There would be few return visitors.

“These plans for bauxite mining in the Karri forest must not be ignored by people concerned about our forests. Application for and maintenance of tenements is expensive and is not done without an intention to mine if the resource is proven commercially viable,” Mr Bartholomaeus said.

Mr Bartholomaeus said the Environmental Protection Authority has required Bauxite Resources Limited to submit a Public Environmental Review in relation to strip mining of farms in the Shire of Chittering, but the company was appealing to the Minister for Environment against such scrutiny.

“This signals a bad attitude to environmental processes by Bauxite Resources Limited. The Minister for Environment must ensure all of the new plans for bauxite mining are subject to scrutiny by the Environmental Protection Authority.

“In regard to applications for tenements in State forest we have asked the Minister to give a commitment that the State Government will not allow bauxite mining in the Karri forest or expansion of bauxite mining in the State forest.

“The Northern Jarrah forest of the Darling Range is already the largest bauxite mine in the world supplying four alumina refineries. Enough is enough! There must be balance in land use in the South West, no more of our State forest should be subject to strip mining for bauxite with loss of biodiversity and amenity for the public,” Mr Bartholomaeus said.

Mr Bartholomaeus said the Bauxite Action Group is providing a template letter at its www.NoMining.com web site to request the Minister for Environment to oppose mining of Karri forest and he encouraged concerned people to take action and send the letter.

Images of laterite and lateritic soil in a  clearfell coupe of mixed Karri, Marri and Jarrah forest in the Karri forest belt near  Manjimup and surrounding Pemberton. Bauxite Resources Limited say there is no bauxite in the Karri forest. If that is the case, then Bauxite Resources should withdraw their tenements that cover the Karri forest. If the content of bauxite in these areas is low, then that means: 'Environmental impact would be increased as more forest would need to be cleared and mining areas would become larger because of the need to mine greater tonnages of bauxite to produce the same quantity of alumina (source WA Department of Mines and Petroleum, Report 33, page 40).

Media Release > 25 May 2010           Bauxite Action Group             www.NoMining.com

SOUTH WEST SHIRES IN BED WITH BAUXITE MINER FOR $15,000

Opponents of bauxite mining in Manjimup and Pemberton say local shires are getting into bed with a bauxite miner against the interests of agriculture in the food bowl of the South West and tourism reliant on the Karri forest, food and wine. They say the bauxite miner has agreed to join an alliance with the shires for a $15,000 annual fee and by doing so the communities potentially affected by strip mining are being sold out by the shires.

Minutes of the February 2010 meeting of the Warren Blackwood Strategic Alliance, composed of the shires of Manjimup, Bridgetown-Greenbushes, Nannup and Boyup Brook, state that Bauxite Resources had agreed to become a Premium Member of the Alliance for an annual fee of $15,000. There are no other corporate members of the Alliance. One of the functions of the Warren Blackwood Strategic Alliance is to manage grant funding processes for Royalties for Regions.

Convenor of a local Bauxite Action Group, Neil Bartholomaeus, said it was outrageous that the shires had sold out the interests of their communities when instead they should be protecting land designated ‘Priority Agriculture’ in planning schemes and ensuring major tourist roads are not going to be choked by five hundred bauxite hauling trucks a day.

Mr Bartholomaeus said an application under the Freedom of Information Act to the Shire of Manjimup turned up notes of a telephone discussion on 1 February 2010 between the CEO and President of the Shire referring to Bauxite Resources and 5.5 million tonnes of bauxite a year.

“After discussion of this massive bauxite mining operation, the next day, the President of the Shire of Manjimup seconded the motion at the meeting of shires in the Warren Blackwood Strategic Alliance opening the way for Bauxite Resources to become a Premium Member of the Alliance for a $15,000 annual fee.

“I have written to the Minister for Regional Development opposing this improper alliance between shires and a large mining corporation when the shires are also managing Royalties for Regions process, and have asked the Minister to strip the Alliance of that function if Bauxite Resources is a member of the Alliance”, Mr Bartholomaeus said.

“Bauxite Resources has applied for tenements over most of the agricultural land and State forest in each of these acquiescing shires.

“Once the strip mining on farms starts it will spread like cancer devaluing surrounding farmland and driving families off the land which is the food bowl of the South West.

“Most people are disgusted at the prospect of strip mining for bauxite in the magnificent Karri forests where Bauxite Resources have applied for tenements.

“Five hundred truck movements a day to haul millions of tonnes of bauxite along the already dangerous South West Highway will shut down tourism which relies on the Karri forest, and food such as truffles, and wines. There will be fewer return visitors,” Mr Bartholomaeus said.

Mr Bartholomaeus said the Environmental Protection Authority has required Bauxite Resources submit a Public Environmental Review in relation to their strip mining of farms in the Shire of Chittering, but the company was appealing against such scrutiny.

“We are providing template letters at our NoMining.com web site to request the Minister for Environment to oppose mining of Karri forest, and to request the Minister for Agriculture and Food to oppose mining of Priority Agriculture land,” Mr Bartholomaeus said.