Today’s announcement,foreshadowed by this masthead in October,includes an exemption allowing Alcoa to keep mining ahead of an expected move before Christmas by the independent Environmental Protection Authority to subject some of its current mining to a more rigorous environmental assessment.
Without the exemption,the Environmental Protection Act would have forbidden Alcoa to continue to mine in areas under assessment.
A number ofnew environmental conditions have been imposed on Alcoa,including no clearing near trees capable of being a habitat for endangered black cockatoos or within one kilometre of the high watermark of any water reservoir. Mining is also banned where the slope exceeds 16 per cent.
WA Forest Alliance camping director Jess Beckerling said piecemeal concessions to protect forests,cockatoos and water were “just small scraps off Alcoa’s table”.
Beckerling said before the EPA could even start its assessment of Alcoa’s mining,Premier Roger Cook had told the company,“you can keep mining”.
“This exemption order will allow Alcoa to keep destroying ancient,highly biodiverse jarrah forests,” she said.
“Once they’re gone,they’re gone forever.”