❓ A WA parliamentary question addresses the issue of abandoned mines, their rehabilitation, and the environmental bonds associated with operational mines in Western Australia. The Minister provides data on the number of abandoned and operational mines, rehabilitation efforts, and the status of environmental bonds.
AnsweredQoN 2792Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer the Minister to the article titled, ‘Miners walk from blight on landscape’, from
the West Australian
on the 13 September, in which the article claims that there are 5000 abandoned mines littering the State, and I ask -
(1) How many open cut mines have been abandoned in Western Australia?
(2) How many open cut abandoned mines have been, or are currently being rehabilitated?
(3) What action by Government or any other party, is being taken to clean up the remainder of these mines?
(4) How many operational mines are there in Western Australia?
(5) How many operational mines have environmental bonds, or similar attached to them?
the West Australian
on the 13 September, in which the article claims that there are 5000 abandoned mines littering the State, and I ask -
(1) How many open cut mines have been abandoned in Western Australia?
(2) How many open cut abandoned mines have been, or are currently being rehabilitated?
(3) What action by Government or any other party, is being taken to clean up the remainder of these mines?
(4) How many operational mines are there in Western Australia?
(5) How many operational mines have environmental bonds, or similar attached to them?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
9 November 2010
Responded by
Minister for Mines and Petroleum
Response time
49 days
(1) A search of the Department of Mines and Petroleum's publicly accessible mines and mineral deposit database (MINEDEX) indicates that there are 519 open cuts that might be considered abandoned open cut mines as they are larger than 20 metres long and 10 metres wide.
(2) At least 432 of the 519 sites have been rehabilitated to some degree. The majority of these are currently located on live mining tenements, where some tenement holders undertake some rehabilitation. Many of these sites remain prospective and are expected to be re-mined in the future.
(3) The Department of Mines and Petroleum has been a key contributor to the development of the national Abandoned Mines Strategic Framework, developed through the work of the Ministerial Council on Mineral and Petroleum Resources.
The Government currently does not have a specific fund for the rehabilitation of abandoned mines, however, tenement holders are assisting with abandoned mine site rehabilitation work on their tenements, and work is continuing in the Department of Mines and Petroleum to identify the highest risk sites for attention.
(4) A search of the Department of Mines and Petroleum's MINEDEX data base indicates that there are 1117 operating mines in Western Australia.
(5) Operating mines are on Mining Leases, one operating mine may be on more than one Mining Lease, and it is the Mining Lease that attracts the bond. Currently there are 3012 Mining Leases with environmental bonds that total approximately $800 million. This does not include most large mining projects operating under State Agreement Acts.
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(2) At least 432 of the 519 sites have been rehabilitated to some degree. The majority of these are currently located on live mining tenements, where some tenement holders undertake some rehabilitation. Many of these sites remain prospective and are expected to be re-mined in the future.
(3) The Department of Mines and Petroleum has been a key contributor to the development of the national Abandoned Mines Strategic Framework, developed through the work of the Ministerial Council on Mineral and Petroleum Resources.
The Government currently does not have a specific fund for the rehabilitation of abandoned mines, however, tenement holders are assisting with abandoned mine site rehabilitation work on their tenements, and work is continuing in the Department of Mines and Petroleum to identify the highest risk sites for attention.
(4) A search of the Department of Mines and Petroleum's MINEDEX data base indicates that there are 1117 operating mines in Western Australia.
(5) Operating mines are on Mining Leases, one operating mine may be on more than one Mining Lease, and it is the Mining Lease that attracts the bond. Currently there are 3012 Mining Leases with environmental bonds that total approximately $800 million. This does not include most large mining projects operating under State Agreement Acts.
Notice: This document is created or edited using unregistered or evaluation copy of rtLib valid for testing or development purposes only. To use it for productive or any other purposes please register it. You may purchase the license on
http://www.rtlib.com
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