Summary: The Environmental Protection Authority has released advice and recommendations to the Minister for Environment on a proposal by Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Limited to mine hematite ore at Koolanooka Hills and at two locations at Mungada part of the Blue Hills Range, to reinstate the Mungada Haul Road to its original width and construct an accommodation camp at Old Karara Homestead.
Release Date: 2 June 2009
Details: The Environmental Protection Authority has released advice and recommendations to the Minister for Environment on a proposal by Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Limited to mine hematite ore at Koolanooka Hills and at two locations at Mungada (part of the Blue Hills Range), to reinstate the Mungada Haul Road to its original width and construct an accommodation camp at Old Karara Homestead.
EPA Chairman Paul Vogel said that EPA advice and recommendations given to the Minister for Environment on Sinosteel Midwest’s proposal was consistent with that given in April on the Karara Mining or Gindalbie proposals.
“That is that development of any kind on the Mungada Ridge is not supported as the EPA considers that the whole of the Mungada Ridge should be reserved in its entirety in an A Class Nature Reserve,” he said.
‘The Mungada East mine cannot be managed to meet the EPA’s objectives in relation to the conservation of biodiversity and ecological integrity and the EPA has recommended that it not proceed.
‘However, the EPA has recommended environmental conditions to the Minister for Environment to apply to the majority of Sinosteel Midwest’s proposal, that is for Koolanooka Hills, the Mungada West mine, Mungada Haul Road and the accommodation camp at Old Karara Homestead.
‘The Blue Hills area, and other Banded Iron Stone formations, have very significant regional conservation values and contain a variety of rare and endemic species and communities. Until recently no areas in the Range were nominated for conservation.
‘The values associated with the Blue Hills Range were identified in the Strategic Review of the Conservation and Resource Values of the Banded Iron Formation of the Yilgarn Craton undertaken, at the request of the EPA, by the Departments of Environment and Conservation and Industry and Resources as one of the “highest biodiversity and landscape value sites that are intact and protectable and a high priority for conservation.”’
EPA Report 1328 is available at www.epa.wa.gov.au. There is a two week public appeal period on the report closing COB 16th June 2009.
EPA Media contact: Charlie Maling, 6467 5415, 0400 866 450
Status: Final
Appeals close