THE EPA decision to rule against a coal mine in the Margaret River wine region should be the death knell of any future ones, according to Vasse MLA Troy Buswell.
He said the mining company (LD Operations) should pack its bags and leave town as the EPA’s decision was reflective of the broader view of the community, as it offered no economic, social or environmental advantage to anyone on the back of the proposal.
The EPA Board said the proposed coal mine was environmentally unacceptable.
The mining company was seeking to mine coal in the Margaret River wine region, at Osmington.
EPA chairman Paul Vogel said in effect its decision was a “no” to the proposal.
“The board considered that there is likely to be significant impacts, or risk from the proposal on the Leederville and Sues aquifers and on significant environmental values, including the social surrounds of the Margaret River region which these aquifers support.”
He said the proposal taken as a whole presented unacceptable environmental values, thus making it unacceptable.
“The EPA will now prepare a report to the Minister for Environment recommending against the implementation of the coal mining proposal.
Mr Buswell said the EPA’s decision was a victory for the Capes community and for common sense. There was no sense in the proposal to mine coal in the world-renowned wine region.
“The refusal of this application should be the death knell for any other proposal along the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge,” he said.
“This should be a clear unambiguous message to the proponent, even though they may have the right of appeal, that they should pack their bags and leave town.”
LD Operations, expressed disappointment at the EPA’s determination that the Vasse Coal Project should not proceed to a full public environmental review and public engagement period.
They said they had not been provided with any information, evidence or reasons for the EPA’s determination to declare the level of assessment for the project environmentally unacceptable.
Managing director Peter Ross said LDO was seeking clarification of the basis for the decision and considering its rights in terms of appeal.
“We have requested this of the EPA a number of times and look forward to the opportunity to review all information before deciding where we go from here.
“However, we remain strongly of the view that the comprehensive and rigorous public environmental review process, supported by the extra consultation and peer review measures initiated by LDO, would have been a more appropriate process to understand and assess the technical elements, impacts and risks of the project before any decision on environmental acceptability was made.”
Brent Watson who has been the “email face” of the NO COALition protest group and who had pumped out 4450 emails on the issue up until yesterday, said Osmington had re-opened for business.
“People have their lives back and their collateral and that’s the human face of the issue,” he said.
“We are obviously ecstatic. The EPA has been so emphatic (in its decision), but considering the confetti of exploration licenses and leases littering the region, we are still looking to the Government for some strategic certainty for the region.
“From my point of view I think it has been a community maker. The community is to be commended.
“So many people put aside differences to unite to defend key water assets as well as social and environmental assets of the region. It has had a wonderful effect and reminds us that the people shouldn’t be discounted as one of the region’s major assets.”
And as for him? “I’d love to be a farmer again,” he quipped.
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