Champion swimmer with the right Attitude

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A small victory is being celebrated by environmental groups this week with the news that the Environment Protection Authority have rejected an application to mine ironsands from the ocean floor off the coast of southern Taranaki.  Trans-Tasman Resources applied to extract “up to 50 million tonnes of seabed material a year for 20 years, saying it would benefit the local economy by $240 million a year”.

3 News online reported the EPA said it was “not satisfied that the life-supporting capacity of the environment would be safeguarded or that the adverse effects of the proposal could be avoided, remedied or mitigated, given the uncertainty and inadequacy of the information presented”.

This is some good news for those who are against mining in New Zealand waters.  Earlier this week the government made the decision  to open the west coast up for mining exploration for oil and gas in the West Coast North Island Marine Mammal Sanctuary where the endangered Maui dolphin call home.

Kiwis Against Seabed Mining (KASM) spokesman Phil McCabe stated “The whole West Coast is up for exploration right now… and the National Government that’s in power right now, they want this to occur. They want to roll this out throughout New Zealand’s oceans, and clearly 99 percent of the submissions were in opposition and that tells us that New Zealanders don’t want this to occur and it goes against what we believe.”

Scoop Business reported that the TTR were ‘extremely disappointed’ with the EPA’s decision; but environmental groups have celebrated as it gives ‘comfort that the EPA process was “robust and free from political influence.”

3News article: Fight not over for seabed mining opponents

Scoop Business article: Seabed mining bid was ‘premature’, says EPA committee

Read the EPA decision here from www.epa.govt.nz

Decision on the TTR marine consent application

Tags: Environment Protection Authority, Kiwis Against Seabed Mining