building a strong Future, together - OneSteel

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Environment consultation groupTuesday, March 18, 2008 saw the officialof attention, other environmental impactsThe NEPM target for fine dust particlesIn closing and on behalf of the ECG, I wouldcommissioning of Project Magnet and theare becoming increasingly important in the(under ten microns) is no more than fivelike to acknowledge the contribution topromise of significant red dust reductions inECG’s deliberations. Issues such as water use,exceedences per year with the dust levelthe ECG made by Clint Garrett. In his usualthe eastern part of Whyalla. All of the hardreducing reliance on the Murray, energy useset at 50 micrograms per cubic metre. Theconscientious fashion, Clint chaired the ECGwork and countless hours put in by OneSteeland greenhouse gas emissions will be on themeasure remains important as it is designedfor a number of years and was a very valuableemployees and contractors involved in Projectagenda, along with marine discharges.to protect the health of the general public.contributor to the group. Unfortunately ClintMagnet has delivered a business on a sounderfinancial footing and a cleaner environment.The ECG works with OneSteel, the EnvironmentProtection Authority and the communityto ensure that OneSteel’s environmentalperformance continues to improve. Becauseof its immediate impact on the community,fugitive dust is still the ECG’s focus of attentionand is likely to remain so for the next 12months. Although dust is the current focusThe ECG is very keen to see a reduction in dustlevels as measured by both the Community DustTarget and the National Environment ProtectionMeasure (NEPM) target. The Community DustTarget is measured at Walls Street and the dustlevels at the Schulz Reserve monitoring stationare subtracted from the Walls Street reading toindicate OneSteel’s contribution to dust levels.Wind direction is also taken into account whendetermining the Community Dust Target.Using the NEPM standard, there have beentwo exceedences at Schulz Reserve and sevenexceedences at Walls Street from January toJune 2008. The Community Dust Target holdsthe company accountable for its contributionto fine dust particles, but it is that contributionwhich pushes the particulate load at WallsStreet over the NEPM.* The ECG backs theCommunity Dust Target but acknowledges thatthe NEPM remains an important monitoring tool.Project Magnet is the big ticket item when ithad to resign due to study commitments andpreparations for what I’m sure will be a veryactive retirement. We wish him all the best forthe future.Eddie HughesChairEnvironment Consultation Groupcomes to reducing dust levels but the generalclean up around the pellet plant, demolition ofredundant infrastructure and the removal of thenorthern stockpiles will also lead to an incrementalimprovement in dust levels. The ECG will monitorprogress over the next year on the above activitiesas well as general dust management.With the appointment of an independentassessor as part of the Community Clean-UpProgram, we are now moving closer to the cleanup of dust-affected properties and a generalimprovement in the visual appearance of the oldpart of Whyalla. The ECG will be heavily involvedin the remediation process.* These are the views of the ECG - OneSteel takes a different view. Dueto its location, the Walls Street station is not a NEPM site and, as such,can not be used to measure against the NEPM standard. OneSteel canonly be held accountable for the dust it generates from its operations,which is where the Community Dust Target plays its part. The WallsStreet monitor alone neither gives a fair nor accurate reading of thedust load produced by the Steelworks, which is why the naturallyoccurringbackground dust (reading from the EPA’s Schulz Reservemonitor, well outside the fugitive dust impact zone) is subtractedfrom the Walls Street reading. Despite these differences in views, bothOneSteel Whyalla and the ECG have agreed to report the CommunityDust Target as well as the Walls Street and Schulz Reserve readings tothe community on a weekly basis.The ECG visited the Iron Duke mine site in late 2007 to view the new Concentrator in action. Pictured on the day are, fromleft, OneSteel Manager Environmental Sustainability Angie Stokes, former ECG Chairman Clint Garrett, community memberBet Henderson, former OneSteel Communications Officer Karen Goldsworthy, and ECG Facilitator Dr Scott Phillips.32
Denise Sharp recently joined the ECG asa representative of the Eyre PeninsulaNatural Resource Management Board.New member profileFAREWELL profileDenise SharpClint GarrettI have been a Whyalla resident since 1996. Whilethis probably doesn’t quite make me a local, I havemade this city my home and I love living here.Whyalla has a lot going for it and I spend a lot oftime soaking up some of the many advantagesincluding having the conveniences of a large citywithout the hassle of traffic, noise and pollution;being able to get anywhere within 10 minutes ofleaving home; sunny warm days; fantastic nightskies viewing; and friendly faces.I have joined the ECG in a twofold capacity– through my job as a Natural ResourceManagement Officer with the Eyre PeninsulaNRM Board and as an environmentalist. It is myhope that my training and experience in naturalresource management can be useful and assistin the development of positive, sustainableoutcomes for the group and for the Whyallacommunity. So what drives me? I have a strongsense of community and the importance ofcommunities being engaged in making decisionsabout their future. It is my belief that educationand the willingness to learn underpin the abilityof any community in achieving this. I alsobelieve in the importance of communities takingresponsibility for the care and protection of theenvironment to ensure the resource base (andthings we take for granted as part of our naturalenvironment) are there for future generationsto use and experience in a sustainable manner.Sadly, the ECG had to farewell a long-standingmember and chairman in Clint Garrett earlierin the year. Clint has long had a passion forenvironmental conservation and joined the groupas a community representative in March 2003.He has had a deeply rooted interest in theenvironment extending back more than 20years. During his time on council, he workedon the Local Environment Plan and was keento tackle what he saw as a serious issue withfugitive dust in the eastern end of town.Clint soon became chair of the ECG in Sept 2003and oversaw numerous achievements in the pastfew years. This included conducting focus groupswith members of the public to ascertain theirfeelings on how dust impacted on their lives. Hesaid the survey proved that it wasn’t just oneor two people affected, but rather a large groupexperiencing wide-ranging effects.Another major achievement was having amember of WRDAG (Ted Kittel) on the ECG afterOneSteel and the group were able to come to anagreement to work together for the bettermentof the community.Clint chose to resign from the group so hecould focus on his job while also completing aGraduate Diploma in Knowledge and InformationManagement. He will retire from teaching at theend of the year.For now, he will continue to championenvironmental concerns such as the WhyallaConservation Park, and said he would like to seegreater support for conservation issues fromSouth Australian industry.We thank you for your valuable contributionsduring your time on the ECG, Clint, and wish youall the best in your future endeavours.33
Page 1 and 2: Building a Strong Future, Togethero
Page 4 and 5: A LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE GENERAL
Page 6 and 7: LEAD TEAM PROFILESMark ParryExecuti
Page 8 and 9: OUR APPROACHHow are we strengthenin
Page 10 and 11: Performance at a glanceOUR GOALSPER
Page 12 and 13: The year in reviewFirst half of the
Page 14 and 15: The year in review cont.Environment
Page 16 and 17: The year in review cont.OneSteel’
Page 18 and 19: Safety cont.Improvement Initiatives
Page 20 and 21: economy cont.Local employmentDuring
Page 22 and 23: People and CommunityOneSteel Whyall
Page 24 and 25: People and Community cont.A message
Page 26 and 27: Locals were treated to a rare spect
Page 28 and 29: case study - GET SETGet Set For You
Page 30 and 31: Environment cont.OneSteel’s contr
Page 32 and 33: Environment cont.Rare plant species
Page 36 and 37: CASE STUDY - Concentrator to Pellet
Page 38 and 39: a message from sean kellyThis repor

building a strong Future, together - OneSteel

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