The Environmental Protection Authority has assessed a proposal to grant exploration licence 70/765 over an area at Ocean Hill near Eneabba. An exploration licence (described in Part IV, Sections 57 - 70 of the Mining Act 1978) allows the licensee to explore for all minerals in or under the land.
The granting of the licence by the Minister for Mines provides the holder of the licence with security of tenure for five years and the right to enter the licence area to conduct exploration activity according to conditions placed on the licence. The licence area must be halved at the end of the third and fourth years and there are obligatory expenditure commitments.
On grant of licence, the Department of Mines has regulatory power via the licence conditions and requires a security or a bond to ensure that rehabilitation is completed to an acceptable standard. Many of the licence conditions relate to environmental protection issues and the Department of Mines has undertaken with the Environmental Protection Authority to apply a standard set of conditions on tenements, such as this one, which cover environmentally sensitive areas.
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