Inquiry under s46 regarding the proposal by BHP Iron Ore (Jimblebar) Pty Ltd to rationalise and expand its existing operations at Jimblebar.

This operation, originally known as the McCamey's Monster Iron Ore Mining Proposal, was referred to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) by the previous proponent (Hancock Mining Ltd) in September 1987. The original proposal was subject to a Consultative Environmental Review (CER) level of assessment, and approval for the implementation of the project was granted by the Minister for the Environment on 8 March 1988 (Ministerial Statement 22). The original proposal involved mining from Wheelarra Hill, located in the Pilbara region of the north west of Western Australia, approximately 40 kilometres east of the town of Newman. The development involved the mining of scree ore only at a rate of up to five million tonnes per annum (mtpa), and the construction of a haul road for the transport of that material to Newman by truck.