Over it's almost thirty years of existence, the Ranger uranium mine in Kakadu National Park has had a somewhat chequered history when it comes to safety breaches affecting both its workers and the surrounding world heritage listed landscape.

Mine operator ERA, Energy Resources Australia, has had 200 environmental incidents logged against Ranger since it commenced extracting uranium oxide in 1980 and ERA is also the first mining company to be successfully prosecuted in the Northern Territory for environmental breaches.

The company announced record profits last year and now wants to use a new processing method to leach what it calls low grade mineralised material from exisiting stockpiles using sulphuric acid.

On top of that late last month a Federal senate committee was told by the mines' supervising scientist that as much as 100 thousand litres of contaminated water from the mine's tailings dam was seeping underground every day. Despite assurances that there was no cause for concern the Greens and environmeental groups are calling for the mine to be closed down rather than expanded.