ENVIRONMENTAL AGENCIES – WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Iron ore told to clean up its act

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 13 & 19 : 8-Oct-25

BHP is seeking approval for the second major extension of its Jimblebar iron ore hub since it opened in 1989. However, Western Australia’s Environmental Protection Authority has stated in its assessment of the expansion plans at Jimblebar that BHP and its Pilbara rivals Fortescue and Rio Tinto will find it more difficult to gain approval for future projects if they fail to prove that they can rehabilitate land and waterways after mining has ended. The EPA noted that there is "limited evidence" that big mining companies have successfully rehabilitated any such areas after six decades of mining in the Pilbara.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AUTHORITY, FORTESCUE LIMITED – ASX FMG, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

Watchdog threatens critical Browse

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Original article by Colin Packham
The Australian – Page: 18 : 7-Aug-24

Woodside Energy’s CEO Meg O’Neill has emphasised the importance of the company’s Browse LNG project. She contends that Browse is the only gas field of sufficient size to meet the forecast demand for energy over the near-term. The Browse project’s future is under scrutiny following a preliminary ruling from Western Australia’s Environmental Protection Authority that it presents a "unacceptable risk" to marine ecology. The EPA is expected to make a final recommendation on the project in 2025, although it can be overruled by the federal government. O’Neill has also defended Woodside’s deal to acquire a low-carbon ammonia project in the US.

CORPORATES
WOODSIDE ENERGY GROUP LIMITED – ASX WDS, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AUTHORITY

EPA blocks Woodside gas project

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Original article by Ben Potter, Tom Rabe, Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 18 : 6-Aug-24

Western Australia’s Environmental Protection Authority has advised that it expects to release its final determination on Woodside Energy’s Browse LNG project in 2025. However, the EPA has concluded in its preliminary decision that the project’s environmental risks are "unacceptable". It is particularly concerned about the project’s impact on pygmy blue whales and green turtle nesting sites, as well as the risk of oil spills near Scott Reef, which is off the coast of Broome. WA Premier Roger Cook says his government wants Browse to proceed, arguing that it will boost the state’s gas supply and help Asian countries to decarbonise.

CORPORATES
WOODSIDE ENERGY GROUP LIMITED – ASX WDS, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AUTHORITY, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET

Fortescue challenges oil and gas over emissions

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 13-Jun-19

Fortescue Metals Group CEO Elizabeth Gaines says the pure-play iron ore miner supports the Paris climate agreement and Australia’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions. However, she adds that Fortescue opposes any move to make it accountable for the scope 3 emissions of customers such as Chinese steel mills. Oil and gas producers have lobbied Western Australia’s Environmental Protection Authority to take into account scope 3 assessments when approving resources projects.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AUTHORITY, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC, CHEVRON CORPORATION, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO

WA ditches carbon offset rules

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Original article by Paul Garvey
The Australian – Page: 4 : 15-Mar-19

Western Australia’s Environmental Protection Authority has agreed to shelve new guidelines on emissions-intensive projects following intervention by the state government. Premier Mark McGowan stepped in following meetings with representatives of energy producers. The EPA will undertake further consultation regarding its proposed rules on carbon offsetting for new industrial projects. Oil and gas producers had expressed concern that the proposed guidelines would jeopardise a number of new projects in the state.

CORPORATES
WESTERN AUSTRALIA. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AUTHORITY, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, CHEVRON CORPORATION, ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Carbon offsets threaten projects

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Original article by Paul Garvey
The Australian – Page: 17 & 20 : 14-Mar-19

The Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority’s new guidelines on the carbon neutrality of resources projects continue to attract scrutiny. Macquarie Group has warned that the guidelines are likely to result in Woodside Petroleum’s Browse LNG project being delayed, and its modelling suggests that the cost of Browse could blow out by more than $US5bn. Woodside COO Meg O’Neill has told a conference in Perth that the EPA guidelines could jeopardise both the Browse and Scarborough projects, as well as the long-term future of the North West Shelf venture.

CORPORATES
WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AUTHORITY, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, REPUTEX ENERGY, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF MINES, INDUSTRY REGULATION AND SAFETY, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, ADANI MINING PTY LTD, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, THE CHAMBER OF MINERALS AND ENERGY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, BP PLC, ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC

Rio gets EPA approval for Pilbara mine

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Original article by Tess Ingram
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 & 26 : 19-Nov-14

Rio Tinto has received approval from the Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority for its Koodaideri iron ore mine in the Pilbara region. The approval is subject to a number of conditions. The new mine is forecast to yield some 70 million tonnes of iron ore each year, but Glyn Lawcock of UBS says Rio Tinto can achieve its annual target of 360 million tonnes without the mine’s contribution

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AUTHORITY, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, MOUNT BRUCE MINING PTY LTD