Review Of Environmental Impact Assessment Process

The WA Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has released its 'Review of the Environmental Impact Assessment Process in Western Australia' which contains recommendations for the reform of the State's impact assessment processes. The key recommendations of the review are as follows:

  • Imposition of a risk-based approach to environmental impact assessment.
  • Increased parallel processing with other assessment and approval processes to improve timeliness.
  • Reduction in the levels of assessment from five to two to simplify the assessment process.
  • Revision of memorandums of understanding with other government agencies to adopt a risk-based approach to determining the activities that require referral to the EPA.

The EPA has commenced implementation of a number of the recommendations.

Yeelirrie Uranium Mine

On 15 June 2009, the EPA determined that the Yeelirrie open cut uranium mine and associated infrastructure should be assessed at the level of Environmental Review and Management Programme with a 10 week public review period. This is the highest possible level of environmental impact assessment and is reserved for proposals of State interest that raise a number of significant environmental issues requiring detailed assessment.

Yeelirrie is the first uranium mine to be referred to the EPA for assessment since the Liberal State government lifted the ban on uranium mining. The EPA's determination provides an indication of the high level of scrutiny that will be applied to future uranium proposals.

EPA Releases Report On Sinosteel Proposal

The EPA has released 'Report 1328: Koolanooka-Blue Hills Direct Shipping Ore Mining Project' on the 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).

The EPA recommended to the Minister for the Environment that the majority of Sinosteel's proposal was capable of being implemented, subject to the imposition of environmental conditions. However, the EPA was against mining of the Mungada East project on the grounds that the proposed mine could not be managed to meet the EPA's objectives for the conservation of biodiversity and ecological integrity.

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