KUANTAN: Lynas Malaysia has rebutted Semambu assemblyman Lee Chean Chung's assertions that the rare earth materials producer has violated the law by storing large quantities of scheduled wastes on-site.
Lynas Malaysia managing director Datuk Mashal Ahmad said Lee's comments were incorrect and not new as the management of residues was a key subject of the Pakatan Harapan government's review committee.
Mashal said this was the review that found Lynas to be compliant with relevant regulations and the company's residue storage facilities operated in a proper manner.
"These findings are consistent with several independent and scientific reviews, including by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
"More specifically, Regulation 9(6) of the Storage of Scheduled Wastes, Environmental Quality (Scheduled Wastes) Regulations 2005 states that 'a waste generator may apply to the director-general (of the Department of Environment) in writing to store more than 20 metric tonnes of scheduled wastes'."
Mashal explained that the neutralisation underflow (NUF) residue was a magnesium-rich gypsum, which was non-radioactive and non-toxic.
"As a 'scheduled waste' under Malaysian regulations, it is regulated by the Department of Environment (DOE). The DoE has periodically consented to the storage of NUF on-site while allowing Lynas to pursue R&D on the reuse of NUF.
"Lynas' R&D has demonstrated that NUF has several commercial uses, including in the construction industry and in agriculture," he said in a statement Thursday (April 18).
On Wednesday (April 17), Lee said Lynas had accumulated 1.13 million tonnes of NUF over the six years of its operation, thus it had violated the law for storing the waste on-site for a very long time.
"Secondly, considering Gebeng is an industrial area and not a disposal site, NUF should not be in Gebeng," Lee said after submitting his feedback on Lynas' environmental impact assessment (EIA) report on its proposed storage of NUF.
He said Lynas did not meet the criteria required to ensure the people's well-being and health as well as the environment were protected.
"Therefore, it is reasonable to reject the EIA," said Lee.
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