Shree Minerals have lodged an appeal against the Environment Protection Authority over an Environment Protection Notice issued requiring them to comply with original permit conditions after the Supreme Court struck down watered down permit amendments in December 2014. The unlawful permit amendments were sought by Shree after company revealed having 20 times as much acid producing waste as was assessed by the original permits.
Shree have unlawfully stored acid producing waste rock above ground since November 2013.
Save the Tarkine has obtained a copy of the Environment Protection Notice, and has expressed concern that the notice would give Shree another 13 months to comply with the permit conditions, on top of the sixteen months of non-compliance that have passed already.
“We are concerned at the leniency being given to Shree after they have created this problem through an obvious contempt for the system” , said Save the Tarkine Campaign Coordinator, Scott Jordan.
“But we are even more concerned that Shree believes they can continue to defy permits and game the system”.
“Shree are not currently mining, and should been able to place the acid producing material into the storage cell inside the mine pit as required by the original permit in the four months since the Supreme Court’s decision”.
“For heaven’s sake, it only took seven months to mine. How can it take another thirteen months to shift the waste pile less than 50 metres”.
“And how can it be that Shree finds this unreasonable. The truth is, they just don’t want to comply at all”.
“We have serious concerns that on the basis of Treasury’s iron ore price predictions, Shree are unlikely to resume mining and that this is a ploy to avoid it’s obligations”.
Save the Tarkine has sought to be joined as a party to the appeal, and will seek a shorter timeframe for the to be waste transferred into a compliant ‘in-pit’ facility.
Scott Jordan, Campaign Coordinator Save The Tarkine
