1 month ago
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The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation is investigating Alcoa over a potential breach of the company’s exemption order allowing it to continue to mine bauxite in the Jarrahdale region.
A solitary jarrah tree is alleged to be the reason behind the investigation into Alcoa.
The alleged breach regards a solitary jarrah tree at the company’s Huntly mine site that requires a 10-metre buffer zone. A part of the company’s exemption conditions includes a requirement that mining must not occur within 10 metres of mature significant trees that can provide nesting for endangered black cockatoos.
According to independent news site Boiling Cold, the department has confirmed it is investigating the matter.
“It would not be appropriate to make further comment while the investigation is ongoing,” a department spokesperson said.
The WA Greens claim to have unearthed the evidence that has led to the DWER investigation, with MLC Jess Beckerling allegedly providing documentation of the potential breach.
“If the breach is confirmed, which I am confident it must be, then Alcoa must be immediately notified that its special exemption from WA’s environment laws is no longer valid and any clearing or mining activities must cease at least until the EPA’s assessment is complete,” she said.
“The Cook government should never have granted Alcoa this exemption from our environment laws in the first place, and the conditions imposed were wholly inadequate.
“A clear commitment was made to cancel Alcoa’s exemption if any breaches occurred. If this breach is confirmed, the government must immediately cancel the exemption order, Alcoa’s clearing must stop and no fresh order should be issued.”
An Alcoa spokesperson said the company was aware of the investigation and takes the conditions governing its operations very seriously.
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“We consider that we are operating in accordance with the section 6 exemption order,” the spokesperson said.
“We have been assisting DWER with inquiries regarding a significant tree at our Huntly mine. A tree is classified as significant based on its size.
“The tree was identified in 2014 pre-mining surveys and a 10 metre buffer was applied in line with relevant management plans at the time. The tree was not identified as a black cockatoo nesting tree.”
Alcoa said the clearing occurred in the area surrounding the tree in 2020, prior to the implementation of the section 6 conditions.
The company added that mining took place at various times until March 2024 and that none of this activity breached the applicable 10 metre buffer zone.
“At Alcoa we are focused on working responsibly to balance environmental and social considerations while producing aluminium, an essential material for decarbonisation and countless everyday products,” the spokesperson said.
“We continue to enhance protections for environmentally significant areas, including proposing to apply a 30-metre buffer around known and suitable black cockatoo nesting trees, significant trees, and nighttime roosting trees as part of the current environmental assessment of our operations.
“We continue to work with regulators, third-party consultants, and researchers to maintain our commitment to continuously improving our approaches to environmental protection, mining operations, and rehabilitation.
“There is an extensive body of peer-reviewed research, backed by data and in-field evidence, indicating that our rehabilitation work is establishing areas that are on the trajectory to becoming self-sustaining, resilient forest that meets post-mining completion criteria.”
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