BP Violations

19/2/09 : US BP Products North America has agreed to spend more than $161 million on pollution control, enhancing maintenance, monitoring and improved internal management practices to resolve Clean Air violations at its Texas City refinery. The company will also pay a $12 million civil penalty and spend $6 million on a supplemental project to reduce air pollution in Texas City.

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.The USA have whats known as a "Clean Air Act" which we believe should also be enforced in Australia. They have strict controls on Benzene and Benzene-containing wastes, generated during petroleum refining operations. The company is required to upgrade control equipment and processes used to handle these materials, and conduct in-depth audits to ensure compliance and minimise the amount the amount of benzene containing wastes generated at the refinery.
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It was estimated that these actions would reduce emissions of benzene and volatile organic compounds by approximately 6,000 pounds annually. Exposure to benzene , a hazardous air pollutant is known to cause a number of acute and chronic health effects. Including cancer, nerve and immunity impairment, adverse reproductive and developmental effects among others.

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BP failed to fulfill its obligations under US law, by placing air quality and public health at risk. What precautions have been put in place at Kwinana refinery, it would be no different regarding emissions. The petroleum companies have been making huge profits at the bouser, so where have they put back into the state. Who controls or monitors their emissions at Kwinana refinery,

or does our government place less emphasis on both air quality and public health?
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Where are the stringent measures, safety precautions or justice and accountability in our country? Or will it take a catastrophic explosion like happen in Texas in 2005 that killed 15 and injured more than 170 people.

Who's Next

There seems to be a mixed reaction to shipping lead carbonate from the Fremantle Port, yet others qualified in the field believe the proposal is a huge public health risk. It may have been assessed as low risk but where parties qualified to make this assessment. That being the case what happened in Esperance, why did the DEC officer refuse to check monitors because of fear for his own health?
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It's the belief of professionals that transporting any lead carbonate through a population-dense area it's still high risk. Lead as we know is a dangerous substance that causes long term damage to children also pregnant women.

.Magellan have not cleaned up their mess in the Port of Esperance, so why are they so anxious to pollute another area? In January there were 2 incidents, or rail accidents where large quantities of minerals were spilled into the environment. (What if it had been lead) Has any consideration been given to the effects on community or workers, if an accident were to happen in Fremantle, or do we wait for more birds to die before it's realised that a problem exists. Like shutting the gate after the horse has bolted.

.Why has the minister not yet set a limit on the amount of dust Magellan can emit in transit from Wiluna mine, despite the project gaining state government approval. Magellan will transport 150,000 tonnes of lead carbonate concentrate annually to Fremantle in double-laminated bags inside shipping containers. Even after the minister imposed 15 "stringent ministerial conditions" it was later revealed that Magellan had yet to complete all baseline sampling along the 800 km route, and was yet to come to an agreement with DEC on lead level standards.

.There will be 14 air monitors in total for the entire route, the company would not say how often monitoring would happen except it would be regular, with results made public. So who's reading the monitors and calling the shots? We believe the monitoring needs to be in "real time" so authorities can act quickly, if and when levels are breached. It's not hard to see that neither Barnett or Grylls live in areas to be effected.

Sanctuaries at a snails pace.

The Federal government has been urged to establish marine sanctuaries for WA, covering a large expanse of ocean. New research has found that a plethora of important marine life exists, nine out of the ten species off the coast between Kalbari and Euchla were found nowhere else in the world. http://south-west marine bio regional plan

.The region also had a number of globally significant "hot-spots" for marine life, including Perth Canyon which is one of only two feeding sites in Australian waters, for the critically endangered blue whale. The Houtman-Abrolhos Islands and Australia's biggest underwater mountain range, the Diamantina Fracture Zone.
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Despite the one million square kilometre region being "critically important to the economic development of the State and nation", less than one per cent is protected in any form from threats such as overfishing and climate change. I find it appalling that Nationally barely 4 per cent of Australia's 16 million square kilometres of ocean is protected as a marine sanctuary.
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Professor Meeuwig from UWA centre for Marine Futures, believes large marine sanctuaries are critical to maintain the health of the marine environment and to help fish stocks recover and secure the future of commercial and recreational fishing. Just what are government waiting for, why do we have to lose so much before the "Penny Drops" and the blame game starts. Of course the government are already aware that sanctuaries would boost the region's $3 billion
marine-based tourism industry, nothing changes everything is measured by the dollar.

The Study That's Not

Just how many times are communities expected to take being let down...Brookdale, Bellvue, Wagerup and Esperance to name just a few. We have been fighting for years to get answers as to what's in the Air, Water and Soil, the departments that are responsible for supplying this information will only supply false promises.

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Another study "Air Toxics" or as industry would prefer "Air Quality" looks to be falling by the way-side, due to financial cuts it will be another half hearted attempt at hood winking the public.

This make my blood boil, we have a right to know what the communities are being exposed to on a daily basis.

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The Kwinana strip generates approximately $18 billion a year, so what is going to the areas their pollution effects. Why is it such a chore for the DEC to carry out an Air Toxic's study, to monitor the pollutants that have caused great concern for residents from Cockburn to Rockingham. It would make sense to carry out a proper study on HAZARDOUS pollutants, particularly carcinogenic compounds supplying answers once and for all...or is government already aware?

It's time this so called government woke up to the fact they are care takers for the "PEOPLE"

we are fed up with their games. The only cuts that should be made are those to salaries of the

"claytons" politicians.

GM Debate

Has Mr Barnett lifted bans on GM foods for the good of our farmers, he has no proof showing the effects of GM foods in time. The Eastern states grain farmers have delivered their first commercial crop of GM canola, which has only proven the arguement is far from resolved.
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Seventy-seven farmers delivered 6222 tonnes of GM canola in 2008 season, research and development Corporaration comparative trials at Forbes and Horsham have shown non-GM are still ahead. From the results Biological Farmers of Australia said the trial results should make farmers cautious of claims that GM canola would out-yield conventional varieties.
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If WA were to follow national guidelines it will spark fears of contamination, critics of the technology had warned buffer zones of just 5 m, taking winds into cosideration, non-GM crops could inevitable be contaminated. Farmers will not be able to promise consumers that their crops were entirely free of GM contamination.
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If we can't get proper labelling, how can this government assure the public we still have a choice when it comes to GM foods?... I haven't noticed this government introducing strict liability leglislation, to ensure the company providing the GM seed was liable for containing its product to prevent potential econimic loss for GM-free farmers. At present the only recourse would be farmer sueing farmer, so just how much responsibility will the Barnett Government assume? When the question was asked under the Gallop government, the people were very clear they didn't want GM foods, as well as wanting choice and proper labelling .

Health Cuts

The West Australian State Governments answer to the world wide financial crisis was to place hundreds of government service jobs at risk with a 3% cut to government departments. The health boss submitted a submission to the Minister for health proposing a reduction in the number of support and administrative staff on short-term contracts.


They claim the cuts will apply to process, procedures and functions that are possibly redundant but that have been continuing anyway. It seems they would have the public believe it will have no impact on front-line health services, they obviously haven't looked at government health services lately and how they are already in critical condition.

Of course there was no mention of taking a cut to his obscene salary, this is where I believe Obama has it all over our politicians - see these blogs: Wanted Australian Politician with ethics and Freedom.



The 3 per cent cut requirement was meant to save approx $120 million from health alone, this it seems was agreed to before the state election to fund promises made during the election campaign. I find this obscene, so where will the money saved, go too?


Minister Hames had rejected an earlier proposal by the health department, to extend some elective surgery waiting times to achieve the required cut. The government has said the public will not see where the cuts will apply until the May budget.

The US has Barak Obama...... who do we have?