Panel responsible for ‘exploration only’
The ‘Expert’ Seabed Mining Licensing Panel (Licensing Panel) has been appointed to consider exploration only, clarified Cook Islands Seabed Minerals Authority Commissioner Alex Herman.
HERMAN was responding to comments made by marine conservationist Jacqui Evans who told Cook Islands News that if the panel was required to issue a mining license within the next decade, “they have impossible job”.
The Licensing Panel chaired by Financial Secretary Garth Henderson as a “government expert” comprise of Secretary of Marine Resources Pamela Maru (maritime expert), Chris Brown (finance and legal expert), Hannah Lily (legal expert), Malcolm Clark (environmental expert), Alison Swaddling (environmental expert), Richard Johnson (environmental expert), Darryl Thorburn (extractives expert), Akuila Tawake (extractives expert) and Andrew Lipman (engineering and maritime expert).
While commenting on the selection of the panel, Evans, the founder and chair of Moana Foundation, said: “The panel is a bit insular. There are dozens of environmental scientists that could have been candidates for selection. But the irony is that those with the most experience in the deep sea minerals sector are often the ones that the industry relies upon to facilitate it.”
“I know eight of the 10 people on the panel. I think the panel is appropriately qualified for the time being. The composition can change at any time.”
However Evans, the recipient of the prestigious Goldman Environment Prize, said the panel would have an “impossible job” if they were asked to make decisions on seabed mining licensing.
“it’s very difficult as a global citizen to respond to global calls to protect an ocean in crisis when you are expected to consider the issuance of seabed mining licenses based on the information at hand about whether this will have a significant environmental impact,” she said.
“There are too many examples of new technologies adopted and humans embarking on new activities where many years’ later scientists discovered these caused enormous environmental, social and/or economic consequences. The best-known example is the burning of fossil fuels causing climate change and subsequent intense storms, droughts, fires and other calamities of today. Could this have been predicted when the internal combustion engine was first invented?
“It should be noted that while the mining industry says that seabed mining is the answer to climate change, aside from the paradox of solving an environmental problem by creating a new one, there are many other flaws with that argument.”
Seabed Minerals Commissioner Herman says there are two phases of seabed minerals activities: (1) exploration and (2) harvesting/mining.
“I have said this before, and I will repeat it again for the benefit and understanding of our readers. Government is currently only considering exploration.
Government has not allowed harvesting to go ahead. We do not have the information and data to make an informed decision yet. Exploration is required to help make that decision, “she said.
“This expert licensing panel has been appointed to consider exploration only. They are experts in their specialist fields, and some have direct experience in SBM exploration licensing in overseas jurisdictions.”
On a separate note, Herman said she does not believe that the format of discussing seabed mining issues through back and forth exchanges in the Cook Islands News was helpful.
“It does not inspire genuine engagement on the issues at hand. I therefore invite Ms Evans to contact the Authority directly to discuss the concerns she has. There are a number of issues we actually agree on.”
Meanwhile the factors the Licensing Panel will consider in deciding whether to recommend the Seabed Minerals Minister (Prime Minister Mark Brown) to grant or decline the applications include (but are not limited to):
The applicant’s exploration work plans’ adequacy in assessing the nodule resource and gathering enough baseline environmental data to guide future environmental impact assessments;
The applicant’s competence, technology, and knowledge, as well as the financial resources , to carry out their proposed exploratory operations;
Whether applicants have in place the policies and processes necessary to perform their explorations safely, responsibly, and in compliance with Cook Islands laws
How the Cook Islands will benefit from their exploration activities
Currently, the Seabed Minerals Authority is in the process of obtaining due diligence assessments on the four applications. These will be used to help assess whether the applications meet the criteria in the Act and can progress to the Licensing Panel for their evaluation. The Authority will notify the public of the applications proceedings to the next stage which the public will have the opportunity to comment on.