Environmental Impact of Diesel storage questioned
Save Point Lowly group (SPL group) questioned the appropriateness of the approval of the Stuart Petroleum Diesel Storage facility on the Point Lowly Peninsula in January 2010.
Tom Cheesman said, “The State Government saved Stuart Petroleum millions of dollars by not compelling them to conduct a thorough Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), so we know that risks of an oil leak in the Upper Spencer Gulf have not be properly evaluated.”
The SPL group says that whilst the Rann Labor Government says ‘the strictest conditions have been put in place’ there is no way to prevent an oil spill or clean it up effectively.
“If we look at the string of recent spills, crashes and leaks it becomes clear that the technology to respond to these disasters is ineffective and the existing legislation is toothless.”
“We have to ask why doesn’t Federal Minister Martin Ferguson and especially our Labor Premier Mike Rann take any threat to the Spencer Gulf seriously? “
“Is it because they don’t care?”
“Mr Ferguson lives in Melbourne and Mr. Rann lives in Adelaide so it doesn’t affect them?”
“Or is it because they are so hooked on mining and oil royalties that they is unable to see the big picture?”
The SPL group say that Lyn Breuer convincingly won the election for the seat of Giles in March on the promise of preventing the industrialisation of the Point Lowly Peninsula.
“We have to ask why Lyn Breuer is silent on the diesel storage issue and lack of an EIS, despite all her election promises.”
“When her Government was approving Stuart Petroleum in January, where was she? Lyn needs to come clean with the people of Whyalla and publicly voice HER POSITION on Stuart Petroleum’s Diesel storage facility.”
“We should remember how close we came to disaster in 1992, when the tanker “Era” spill 30 tonnes of oil into the Upper Spencer Gulf and how we were saved from disaster by the wind which blew it to Port Pirie and destroyed their coast and not ours”.
“Will we be so lucky next time? How much further can we push our luck given the Santos leak is now expected to take years to solve.”
“If Lyn Breuer was serious about keeping her election promise of saving the Point Lowly Peninsula she would be demanding that we learn the lessons from these latest disasters and demand Parliament protect and rezone the Point Lowly Peninsula as a matter of urgency.”