Group oppose EPA on lithium landfill plan

The group opposing the expansion of a Dardanup landfill has vowed to use “scientific brain power” to continue its battle in the wake of an Environmental Protection Agency decision not to conduct a formal assessment.

The Dardanup Environmental Action Group said it would appeal the agency’s decision after it was delivered last week.

Group member Rob Manning said the group had not given up hope that a formal assessment of Cleanaway’s proposal to store lithium tailings at the site would take place.

“We’ve got some scientific brain power working on a very, very detailed analytical appeal that will hopeful lead to our concerns being answered,” Mr Manning said.

“We are going to work our hardest to force that issue and we’ve got a very competent team working on the appeal who have a lot of relevant experience.

“We will not take this decision lying down.”

The proposal to build a new tailings storage cell at the Banksia Road site was referred to the EPA at the start of May. A seven-day public comment period resulted in 224 public submissions.

“There is obviously public angst about this and we just think the EPA has disregarded that,” he said.

“We want to know what their criteria are and on what grounds they’ve made this decision.

“If that’s just based on Cleanaway’s data and what they’ve provided there is big questions there – that’s our main query.”

The deadline for appeal submissions is July 22.

Mr Manning said even if the group’s appeal was unsuccessful it would not be going away.

“It would only be a minor loss in a much larger war,” he said.

“There will be a civil disobedience campaign and more public protests which we’ve already started.

“The community has shown to Cleanaway and Albemarle exactly what we think of the expansion – this anger and resentment will not go away.

“We’re not going anywhere because we live here, this is our home and we can fight this until we drop.”