values or increases environmental harm than what is previously permitted under the EA. All disturbed areas the subject of this amendment application will be rehabilitated or restored to achieve sites that are: ∕ Safe to humans and wildlife; ∕ Non-polluting; ∕ Stable; and ∕ Able to sustain an appropriate land use after rehabilitation or restoration. The ancillary infrastructure final land outcome, rehabilitation obligations and justification are provided in in Table 50. As described in Section 5.2, all ancillary infrastructure is located on land that has been previously disturbed by historical mining activities but is not authorised for disturbance under the current EA. This EA amendment proposes to include the ancillary infrastructure as mine features. It is intended that the ancillary infrastructure will be rehabilitated to achieve the land outcome specified in the EA, being land management monitoring and maintenance of rehabilitated areas. An opportunity exists to hand over some infrastructure to the landholder through future amendments to existing landholder agreements, however in the absence of these amendments to support this application rehabilitation outcomes are proposed. The land outcome as provided in the EA is “Land management monitoring and maintenance of rehabilitated areas”. This is not a ‘post-mining’ use, and under section 754(3) of the EP Act has been interpreted as a NUMA. The land outcome provides for monitoring of mined areas by the State under the AMLP. Considering that all ancillary infrastructure locations are positioned on land that has been historically disturbed by mining, the land suitability from the EA and historical contamination of the area, best practice management for the ancillary infrastructure is not to achieve a revegetated landform. Residual sources of contamination will remain at the area following the completion of Heritage Minerals’ mining activities, which Heritage Minerals has no control over or liability to rehabilitate. Establishing vegetation on selected mining domains without removal of remaining contamination sources across the entirety of the site (for which Heritage Minerals has no control or liability), including waste rock dumps and other areas disturbed by historic mining activities, is not an outcome that can be sustained nor is it consistent with the State’s remediation strategies. The corresponding Land Suitability Objective for each mine feature in Table F2 of the EA is Class 4 (Unsuitable land with severe limitations). In this context, achievement of a specific land use is precluded. The most significant factor when considering achieving a sustainable use of land, for either an agricultural (e.g. cropping or grazing outcome) or a native vegetation outcome is primarily the historical contamination constraint.
Project number: 25B061
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