Australia Grants Dumping Permit in Great Barrier Reef

The government agency responsible for protecting Australia's Great Barrier Reef has approved a plan to dump millions of cubic meters of dredged mud near the fragile ecosystem to expand a major coal port. Environmentalists were enraged by Friday's decision, saying the dredging to expand the port of Abbot Point in northern Queensland will endanger delicate coral and grasses, and increased shipping traffic will raise the risk of accidents, such as oil spills and collisions with the...

© La Voix de l'Amérique - vendredi 31 janvier 2014