AN environment watchdog has called on the Perak government to be more transparent about the state’s rare earth mining project in Hulu Perak, which was approved last month.

The organisation, in a statement, urged the state authorities to release more detailed information about the mine in an environmentally sensitive area.

It also sought more details on the three private companies appointed for the project, asking if they had the necessary expertise.

“Please engage honestly and in good faith with the conservationists, environmentalists, and local communities who will be affected. Tell us how the mining waste will be handled and stored,” said the environment cluster of BEACCH, the civil society organisation platform for reform.

“Make public the EIA report, findings, and recommendations. Make highly technical information about the project easily digestible, especially in Malay, to members of the public,” said GRASS president M. Yusaimi Md Yusof.

Perak Menteri Besar Saarani Mohamad revealed in May that the Environment Department had approved the EIA for rare earth mining, potentially opening up a new cash stream for the state.

He said the “pilot project” would take place on property owned by the State Agriculture Development Corporation (SADC), and that the designated business would be entrusted with determining whether the mining has resulted in hazardous radioactivity.

According to the EIA, the ore will be mined by in-situ leaching, which entails the construction of seven hydrometallurgical plants as well as the installation of injection holes and piping infrastructure.

Menteri Besar Incorporated Perak, Majlis Daerah Gerik, Felcra Bhd, and SADC collectively posses 11 land parcels totalling 2,160ha for the project.

Leela Panikkar, coordinator at BEACCH, said the state government must also release its agreements with the three state-appointed companies Aras Kuasa Sdn Bhd, Aras Kuasa Geological Sdn Bhd, and Tulus Mentari Sdn Bhd as well as those with official project proponent, MCRE Resources Sdn Bhd.

“Do these three companies have prior expertise and an established track record in employing in-situ leaching methods to mine lanthanide?” she said.

Sustainable Development Network Malaysia (Susden) chairman Muhammad Sha’ani Abdullah questioned the involvement of the Perak State Agricultural Development Corporation (Perbadanan Pembangunan Pertanian Negeri Perak [PPPNP]) and Felcra Bhd in the project.

“Why are they getting involved in rare earth mining? They should be going all out to promote sustainable agriculture, especially small farmers,” he said.

He said as state agriculture government-linked companies, they have deviated from their vision and mission to promote agriculture as their primary statutory duty.

BEACCH is a coalition of environmental groups, including TREES, GRASS and Susden.

Earlier this month, Prof Maketab Mohamed, who was part of the committee which authored the standard operating procedure for the project, told The Malaysian Insight the project site was not in an  active wildlife habitat.

Although not a fan of rare earth mining, the environmentalist rejected concerns that the mining project will affect a wildlife highway.

The project has also received flak from environmental groups such as Sahabat Alam Malaysia, which said the project was in a pristine natural forest.

The group said the suggested location was a “Rank One” environmentally sensitive area, meaning it was closed to development, agriculture, or logging and only accessible for low-impact nature tourism, research, and teaching.

It also said the proposed site was within the primary linkage of the central forest spice region, which is home to rare and practically extinct wildlife such as elephants, tigers, tapirs, and sun bears. – June 15, 2022.