Kakadu needs a new approach to cleaning up an old mine
Image courtesy: Dominic O鈥橞rien.
, co-authored by the at the University of Sydney and the , identifies significant data deficiencies, a lack of clarity around regulatory and governance frameworks and uncertainty over the adequacy of current and future financing 鈥� especially in relation to future monitoring and mitigation works for the controversial mine site.
Mine operator Energy Resources of Australia (ERA) and parent company Rio Tinto are required to clean up the site to a standard suitable for inclusion in the surrounding Kakadu National Park, dual-listed on UNESCO鈥檚 World Heritage list.
鈥淣o mine in the world has ever successfully achieved this standard of clean up,鈥� said report co-author from SEI.
鈥淩ehabilitating what is essentially a toxic waste dump is no easy task. Rio Tinto faces a complex and costly rehabilitation job.
鈥淭he challenge is not to simply scrape rocks into holes and plant trees, it is to make sure mine tailings, radioactive slurry and toxic byproducts of mining are isolated from the surrounding environment for 10,000 years.
鈥淭o ensure this in a monsoonal environment, such as Kakadu, which is already being impacted by climate change, raises enormous environmental and governance challenges.
鈥淔or the rehabilitation process to even have a chance at success, the existing opaque and complex regulatory regime needs an urgent overhaul,鈥� Dr Lawrence said.
Tailings, the waste material remaining after the processing of finely ground ore, are one of the serious environmental risks outlined in the report. The report examines how ERA and Rio Tinto intend to deliver on the federal government鈥檚 requirement to protect the Kakadu environment by isolating any tailings and making sure contaminants do not result in any detrimental environmental impacts for at least 10,000 years.
鈥淟ong after the miners have gone this waste remains a direct human and environmental challenge,鈥� said report co-author Dave Sweeney from ACF.
鈥淭his issue is key to the long-term health of Kakadu but there is insufficient evidence and detail on how this work will be managed and assured in the future. Without this detail there will be a sleeping toxic time bomb deep inside Kakadu.鈥�
鈥淎t its London AGM last month Rio again committed to make sure ERA has the financial resources to deliver its rehabilitation obligations, however the financial mechanism to do so remains undisclosed.
鈥淭he community and environment of Kakadu need certainty and a comprehensive clean up.
鈥淭his work is a key test of the commitment and capacity of Northern Territory and Commonwealth regulators as well as the mining companies.鈥�
The report makes recommendations to improve the chances of a successful clean-up at Ranger. It calls for increased transparency, public release of key project documents, a better alignment of research and operations and open review processes for key decision points.
