Cadia’s Licence Should Not be Renewed After Latest Pollution Incident: Greens
Newmont’s Cadia Gold Mine should be stripped of its Environment Protection Licence after confirming today that its tailings dam has leaked contaminated water into groundwater, Greens MP and water and mining spokesperson Cate Faehrmann said today.
“This confirms what the community has been sounding the alarm about for years: that the Cadia mine is polluting the air and water with potentially serious ramifications for human health,” said Ms Faehrmann.
“It shouldn’t take the community trawling through hundreds of pages of reports to find out whether this massive gold mine is safe to live next to, but that’s what it’s taken.
“The Government has downplayed the seriousness of the studies and tests commissioned by the local community on the levels of pollutants in their drinking water, on their properties and in their blood.
“Throughout every step of this process, the Government has put taking tough action against Cadia’s operators in the too hard basket, at the expense of the community’s health and the environment. Surely, this is enough for them to now act.
“Recent reforms have given the EPA greater powers to apply to the Land and Environment Court to prevent serious and repeat offenders holding an Environment Protection Licence, and I urge the Minister to ensure these powers are exercised to the fullest extent possible when it comes to the Cadia Mine.
“The upcoming review of Cadia’s Environment Protection Licence needs to be strengthened considerably, including by ensuring that limits are placed on the pollutants for groundwater,” said Ms Faehrmann.