And relocate Orica’s Kooragang Island plant

Greens MP and environment spokesperson Cate Faehrmann is calling on the government to undertake an urgent assessment of all ammonium nitrate storage and production facilities across the state, following the devastating explosion of an ammonium nitrate plant in Texas.

Ms Faehrmann says the government should also order the relocation of Orica’s ammonium nitrate plant and Incitec Pivot’s storage facility on Kooragang Island due to its proximity to residents.

“The explosion in Texas was felt up to 100km away in Dallas, with many residents reporting they believed it was an earthquake the explosion was so enormous,” Ms Faehrmann said.

“The NSW Government needs to be able to guarantee the safety of communities living near large chemical facilities like the one in Texas, should a similar incident occurring here in NSW. If it can’t do that then the company will need to relocate or shut down.

“Residents living less than one kilometre from Orica’s Kooragang Island plant have been voicing their concerns for years over the proximity of the dangerous chemical plant to schools and homes.

“If a leak of hexavalent chromium can reach nearby suburbs such as Stockton imagine what an explosion would do.

“Just like Orica, the company responsible for the Texas explosion has been the subject of several disciplinary actions from the relevant environmental regulators.

“Yet once again it appears that the NSW Environment Protection Authority is taking Orica’s word for it that its operations do not present a safety risk to the people of Stockton.

“Governments need to stop taking the word of the companies whose dangerous activities they are supposed to be enforcing. Apparently the company responsible for the Texas explosion said in its risk management plan that its plant did not pose any threat of fire or explosions.

“We hear similar assurances from Orica, yet of course the risk of an explosion from an ammonium nitrate plant is never zero. And Orica’s plans to increase production from 430,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate to 750,000 tonnes on Kooragang Island each year only increases the impact of an explosion should one occur.

“The nearest Stockton residents are about 800 metres away from Orica’s Kooragang Island plant. With the Texas blast levelling a five- to six-block radius around the plant with the force of a magnitude-2.1 earthquake, Stockton residents would be very much at risk if an explosion occurred at Orica’s plant nearby.

“The explosion in Texas has shown that unfortunately things do go wrong. The government needs to be honest about the risk posed to Newcastle residents and explore relocation options for the ammonium nitrate production and storage facilities on Kooragang Island.

“The Environment Minister Robyn Parker also needs to order an urgent assessment of all other facilities in NSW that store or produce ammonium nitrate,” said Ms Faehrmann.

In 2012, the EPA undertook an audit of 40 of NSW’s most dangerous licensed facilities after the Orica Kooragang Island incident, however this audit did not assess the risk of explosion or the impact on nearby residents should an explosion occur. The audit included facilities which stored ammonium nitrate, such as:

• Incitec Pivot Ltd, Kooragang Island
• Incitec Pivot Fertilisers, Moree
• Downer-EDI Mining Blasting Services, Singleton
• Orica, Kooragang Island

Greens MP and environment spokesperson Cate Faehrmann says the latest revelations about the toxic pollution legacy from Orica’s facilities at Port Botany in Sydney show just how important tough pollution laws are for protecting community health. See today’s Sun Herald here.

“This frightening saga is an excellent example of why governments need to crack down on polluting industry with tough laws to protect community health,” said Ms Faehrmann.

“Orica has shown complete disregard for community health and local residents. Only strong pollution laws will guarantee communities are not exposed because too many big companies will always put shareholder profits before being a good corporate citizen.

“It took the hard work of residents and, ultimately, media attention to expose this mess. It should not have taken mothers concerned about their kids’ health to get action here.

“If communities have to scream from their rooftops before any action is taken about potentially deadly contamination in their neighbourhoods, then clearly our laws are failing them.

“I congratulate the EPA for finally taking a first step. However, the review at Port Botany must include comprehensive and independent testing in residents homes with the best available expertise. That hasn’t been guaranteed and without it, the ‘review’ will be meaningless.

“The NSW Government must also now order a full audit with independent testing around of all Orica’s facilities both current and former. Given Orica’s track record, there’s every reason to believe their disregard for the safety of the community has been repeated elsewhere,” said Ms Faehrmann.

Media contact: Peter Stahel 0433 005 727

Following revelations Orica used misleading information to justify its current pollution remediation plan to local residents, Greens MP and environment spokesperson Cate Faehrmann says the Environment Minister Robyn Parker has no choice but to intervene and force Orica to pay for independent testing. See article in today’s Sydney Morning Herald here.

Testing is needed to determine the extent of Mercury contamination from Orica’s former ChlorAlkali facility at Matraville in Sydney’s south.

Residents say the company attempted to blame other nearby industry including a former crematorium, a power station and event home thermometers for the problem. Their claims have been debunked by UNEP accredited remediation expert Andrew Helps, who has demonstrated these sources could only account for a fraction of the problem.”Orica’s ridiculous broken thermometer and tooth filling defence should be a red flag to the Environment Minister Robyn Parker. It’s clear Orica can’t be trusted when it comes to protecting the community’s health,” said Ms Faehrmann.

“Orica is the polluter – not the regulator. It’s not good enough that they are being trusted to take all the right steps. The Minister has to step in and take control and reassure the community their concerns are being taken seriously.

“Anyone who lives near the site has the right to demand answers regarding what their families are being exposed to, especially when the company behaves in a secretive and defensive manner. Complete transparency is the bare minimum residents deserve.

“Orica should be bending over backwards to remediate the pollution they caused, not making excuses and passing the buck.

“We saw what happened last time Orica and the Minister didn’t take the public’s right to know seriously – the Kooragang Island spill was a public relations nightmare because the public were left in the dark for too long.

“In the end, the government has to take responsibility when corporations refuse to take their responsibilities seriously. That’s why Environment Minister Robyn Parker must immediately step in and ensure comprehensive and independent testing takes place of the soil and homes around Orica site,” said Ms Faehrmann.