Environment minister Albert Jacob has ordered Western Australia's Environmental Protection Authority to revoke a December 2014 decision rejecting a proposal from Polaris Metals to mine in the Helena and Aurora Range.
The basis of the EPA decision is that mining in the range would have an irreversible impact on the land. Polaris countered that the range will be preserved through measures the company will implement while the mine is being developed. Jacob stepped in, telling the EPA to reassess the proposal through a Public Environmental Review, providing the State Government with the information to make a sound decision on whether mining in the Helena and Aurora Range will be allowed.
This didn't sit well with the Wilderness Society. Campaign manager Peter Robertson said the Minister just directly contradicted the advice the EPA gave and was caving to pressure from the industry.
Jacob denied there was any truth to this.
"I haven't said I think this project is environmentally acceptable, that still needs to be tested," he said, adding that the decision in no way hints at support for the project, but was just a means to thoroughly examine the mining proposal at the public level.
Robertson said the planned mining site was one of the last ranges with banded iron stone left intact in Western Australia. In addition to providing a habitat for endangered animals and endemic flowers, the Helena and Aurora Range features an incredible landscape with high scenic value, making it a popular tourist destination. And on top of all that, the range holds significance for the cultural heritage of the Aboriginal people.
The Wilderness Society campaign manager is calling on the Premier to intervene and decide on protecting the range in the future. The government and the Premier have stepped in before to prevent sensitive areas from being mined, stopping the bauxite mine in Mitchell Plateau, the copper mine in Horizontal Falls and the coal mine in Margaret River from operating.
Robertson believes the Premier and the government should do the same thing for the Helena and Aurora Range.
The EPA confirmed that it will be conducting a Public Environmental Review for Polaris Metals' proposal, submitting a report afterward, forwarding recommendations for Jacob to consider before making a final decision on the matter.
According to a spokesperson for the agency, the Environmental Protection Act gave Jacob the authority to send back proposals to the EPA and request more public assessments.
Photo: Peter Craven | Flickr
