- SYDNEY (AFP) - The prospect
of oil rigs dotting the Great Barrier Reef surfaced again Friday after
the Australian government signalled it will assess the likely impact of
seismic blasting.
-
- The government is bound by law to give due consideration
to any application to explore for oil or other resources in a World
Heritage-listed
area.
-
- The reef, one of the world's great natural wonders, has
been targeted for exploration by an offshore firm, TGS-NOPEC Geophysical,
which hopes to conduct seismic tests just beyond the borders protected
by the World Heritage listing.
-
- A spokeswoman for Australian Environment Minister Robert
Hill said the government was bound by law to assess any application made
to it under federal laws.
-
- "When something is referred to the minister he has
to conduct due process," the spokeswoman told AFP.
-
- Under the Environment Protection Biodiversity
Conservation
Act, applicants seeking to conduct commercial mining activites must receive
approval from both the relevant state government and the national
government's
environment minister.
-
- TGS-NOPEC must now conduct an environmental impact study,
the results of which will be forwarded to Hill's office for
consideration.
-
- According to local media reports, the Norwegian-listed
TGS-NOPEC Geophysical intends to conduct the tests just offshore from a
point between the tourist destinations of Townsville and Cairns.
-
- The Australian newspaper said the tests will rely on
blasts of air pulsing through the exploration area every minute for 50
consecutive days to gauge seismic readings from almost 5,000 square
kilmotres
(3,000 miles) of the ocean floor.
-
- The newspaper quoted a spokesman for the state government
of Queensland who ruled out any softening in its stance against exploration
and drilling for oil in the vicinity of the reef, which stretches along
the greater part of Australia's north-eastern coastline.
-
- "The Queensland government has made its position
on this issue abundantly clear ... it does not support the project in any
way, shape or form," the spokesman said.
-
- Australian Conservation Foundation executive director
Don Henry called for the extension of existing federal bans on exploration
and mining within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
-
- "The government has the legislative powers to do
that so why waste money on an assessment when we know the reef should be
sacrosanct," he said.
-
- The Great Barrier Reef is one of Australia's premier
tourist attractions, drawing millions of visitors annually.
-
-
-
- MainPage
http://www.rense.com
-
-
-
- This
Site Served by TheHostPros
|