Chapter 2

Uranium Mining and the Environment

The Committee's terms of reference direct it to examine "the environmental impact of uranium mining and milling in Australia and the effectiveness of environmental protection and monitoring in relation to existing and previous Australian uranium mining operations."

The Committee has adopted a two-fold approach to this subject. In the first instance it has considered the statutory and governmental frameworks for appraising mining proposals and for monitoring performance once a mine is in operation.

Another term of reference directs it to examine the role of the Supervising Scientist for the Alligator Rivers Region. The Supervising Scientist is an integral component of Commonwealth organisation mining and milling in the Alligator Rivers Region for overseeing the impacts of uranium of the Northern Territory. With the closure of Nabarlek, at present this means the impacts of the ERA mine at Ranger.

The next chapter of this report deals with the Supervising Scientist.

The second arm of our approach to the environmental impact of uranium mining and milling in Australia is to report on evidence about the effects which the various mines have had on the regions where they are located and arrangements for rehabilitation of sites.

This chapter commences with an account of the framework for examining environmental aspects of approvals to mine. This is followed by a review of arrangements for monitoring environmental performance at mines. It then considers development of the Ranger and Olympic Dam mines and reported impacts of these mines on the environments in which they are located.

Conditions at former mines in South Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory are briefly reviewed.

Matters relating to radioactivity, although normally covered in environmental impact appraisals, are addressed in chapter 4 of this report.