Subscribe to the RSS feedSinosteel’s Weld Range Iron Ore Project given Conditional Approval
Sinosteel Midwest Corporation’s Weld Range Iron Ore Project has today been granted conditional approval by the Environmental Protection Authority. The project is located in an environmentally significant area of Banded Iron Formation in the Mid-west region of WA and has been the subject of rigorous state environmental impact assessment, with a PER submitted in July 2010 and a final response to PER submissions submitted in April this year. Paul Vogel, Chairman of the EPA, stated “While there were no declared rare flora or threatened ecological communities in the project area, more than 3,500 hectares of native vegetation, including part of a priority ecological community, will be cleared so the conditions the EPA have recommended would ensure impacts to vegetation communities are limited.”
Conditions for the Project include targeted surveys for priority species and ensuring the number of invasive species does not increase. Sinosteel will also have to commit to monitoring native vegetation and fauna habitat as well as feral animal populations as part of their environmental offsets.
The proposal will now be subject to a two week appeals process, due to end on Monday July 2nd, 2012.
Conditional approval from the EPA marks a significant hurdle in the approvals process for Sinosteel. ecologia strongly values their professional long-term working relationship with Sinosteel Midwest Corporation and would like to congratulate them on the exciting progress with their major iron ore project.
