Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) has revived calls for the Perak government to reject the rare earth mining project in the state.
The proposed project site in Hulu Perak is located within the Central Forest Spine Ecological Network Corridor 1, Primary Linkage 8.
It is an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) Rank 1 - which has been identified for conservation and protection.
Speaking to Malaysiakini, SAM field officer Meor Razak Meor Abdul Rahman said the site chosen for the proposed lanthanide mining project was deemed inappropriate for such purposes.
“It is impossible that (Perak) menteri besar (Saarani Mohamad) is unaware (that the site is inappropriate for such projects) as the Town Planning Department - as a technical agency - they need to advise him (on such matters),” said Meor.
According to the Department of Environment (DOE), ESAs are meant to be integrated into the planning and management of land use and natural resources to ensure sustainable development.
No development, agriculture or logging is permitted in ESA Rank 1 areas except for low-impact nature tourism, research and education.
EIA report backpedal
Meor noted that the environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the project was previously rejected last year but was recently approved in May.
“The EIA report does not state mitigation measures on how to address habitat destruction. This means there will be permanent destruction.
“The approved EIA report is also seen to be in conflict with Section 34A (4) (a) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974 (Act 127),” said Meor.
Section 34A of the Environmental Quality Act 1974 (Act 127) states that an EIA report was required to enable the assessment of the development’s impact on the environment to be carried out.
The SAM field officer questioned how the EIA report was still approved despite the conflict and its previous rejection last year.
“We question the (recent) approval of the EIA report when (just) last year, it had been rejected,” said Meor.
He added that the DOE has the discretion to reject projects when it is found to be in contradiction with the National Physical Plan.
“An EIA report does not give the authority to approve projects. The authority that approves projects is the state government,” he said.
On May 23, Saarani announced that the DOE had approved the EIA for the rare earth mining project the week prior, making it a potential new revenue stream for the state.
This was later confirmed by DOE director-general Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaafar, who said the “not approved” status was possibly due to a technical error.
Saarani said the “pilot project” will be on State Agriculture Development Corporation (SADC) land and the appointed company will be tasked to check if there is harmful radioactivity caused by the mining.
The proposed site has been earmarked for the mining of lanthanides, which are 15 chemical elements, commonly known as rare earth, and are used to make electronics.
Be transparent
SAM’s concern that the state and federal authorities have approved a large-scale mining project in a Rank 1 ESA was similarly echoed by the Environment Cluster of the CSO Platform For Reform (Beacch).
In a statement issued on Friday, the group noted two forest reserves which some are worried that this project would affect. This includes the Kenderong Forest Reserve and Bintang Hijau Forest Reserve.
“They are part of the Central Forest Spine that ought to be left untouched.
“These forests are home to endangered species such as tigers, elephants and the Malayan tapirs, according to the above-mentioned executive summary,” said Beacch coordinator Leela Panikkar.
She said the opening up of these areas could significantly increase the risk of poaching endangered species as well as illegal logging in these forests.
She also questioned the lack of rare earth mining expertise among the state-appointed companies involved in the project.
“Do these three companies have prior expertise and an established track record in employing in-situ leaching methods to mine lanthanide?” she asked.
Further, she called on the state government to be transparent in their agreements with the three companies and the project’s official proponent, MCRE Resources Sdn Bhd.
According to the EIA, the mining will be conducted through in-situ leaching - by constructing seven hydrometallurgical plants as well as establishing injection holes and piping systems.
The project covers 11 land parcels of 2,161ha owned by Menteri Besar Incorporated Perak (MB Inc Perak), Majlis Daerah Gerik, Felcra Bhd, and SADC. This is equivalent to about 3,026 football fields. - Mkini
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