3 months ago
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US bauxite miner Alcoa will remove areas in the Perth Hills from its proposed exploration drilling plans following significant pressure from the local community and environmental groups.
In a statement released Monday, the mining company’s director of regulatory approvals Kane Moyle said the decision was in direct response to feedback about the potential “low-impact” exploration drilling during the Environmental Protection Authority’s recent public comment period.
Several areas for potential future exploration drilling within the Armadale, Kalamunda, Mundaring, Beverley and York local government areas were identified in the company’s 2023-2027 Mining and Management Plan.Credit: Philip Gostelow/Bloomberg
The environmental watchdog had been probing Alcoa’s 2023-27 Mining and Management Plan, a process previously undertaken by state bureaucrats, which included several areas in the Armadale, Kalamunda, Mundaring, Beverley and York local government areas identified as potential future exploration drilling sites.
“While exploration drilling is a low-impact activity and does not indicate an intention to mine an area but rather to broaden geological knowledge of the region, we understand the strong environmental and social values of the Perth Hills to local communities and the broader public,” Moyle said.
WA Premier Roger Cook said the state government had regular contact with Alcoa, and the company was “very cognisant of both the environmental and the social concerns in relation to their mining activities”.
“We are working with them closely around their mine management plan to ensure that we can really bring them into a contemporary environmental regime so that they can continue to benefit from mining the bauxite, we can continue to benefit from the many thousands of jobs that they create, and we can protect the environment at the same time,” he said.
But Conservation Council WA executive director Matt Roberts said Alcoa’s plans for the Perth Hills were a drop in the ocean compared to plans to expand mining in the Northern Jarrah Forest by 11,500 hectares over the next 20 years.
“The company cites community feedback for this decision, so it needs to start listening to the voices behind the 59,000 public submissions which were lodged with the EPA during the recent 12-week public consultation period over the expansion plans,” Roberts said.
“West Australian communities have sent a very loud and clear message that Alcoa had lost its social licence and the destruction of our precious jarrah forests will no longer be tolerated.
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“If Alcoa is given license to bulldoze a further parcel of forest the size of 27.5 Kings Parks we face the further loss of habitat for threatened species, and the almost certain contamination of Perth’s water supply.”
WA Greens environment spokeswoman Jess Beckerling said the Perth Hills decision was an incredible win, but was “by no means the end of the story”.
She said there was “no world in which it is acceptable” for plans in the Northern Jarrah Forest to go ahead.
“It’s no wonder the community is outraged by this proposal and why opposition to Alcoa’s forest mining is at an all-time high,” she said.
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