Metropolitan Coal Project Independent ... - Peabody Energy

METROPOLITAN COAL PROJECT INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT
Recommendation:
Littlejohn’s Tree-frog is primarily a winter calling species and it is recommended that ongoing winter
surveys for this species are conducted as it has been recorded recently within the Lake Avon, Lake
Cataract and Lake Cordeaux Catchments.
In conclusion, the monitoring programs are adequately designed to determine if mining impacts may
affect threatened species, populations or ecological communities, or their habitats. Further, it has
been reported that the extraction of coal from the LW 20-22 mining areas has had no detectable
impact on these values. The monitoring data presented to date confirms that Metropolitan Colliery
has not exceeded the performance measures outlined in Table 1 of the Project Approval in relation to
threatened species, populations or ecological communities.
4.4 Blasting
[Project Approval Schedule 4 condition 7]
No blasting activities have been carried out on the surface operational areas of Metropolitan Coal
leases. Minor blasting underground has occurred when geological structures are encountered that
cannot be excavated by the continuous miner. It has also been required at times on the long-wall
where an area of roof falls ahead of the hydraulic supports (usually associated with mudstone roof
materials).
Blast and/or vibration monitoring has not been undertaken when blasting is conducted underground
as the small blasts and depth of the mining reduces the potential for impact and the underground
work areas (long-walls) are not under sensitive receptors.
Conclusion:
No blasting activities have occurred on the surface operational areas of Metropolitan Coal leases.
The audit concludes that Metropolitan Coal is currently meeting its obligations under the Department
of Planning Approval conditions for Schedule 4 "Specific Environmental Conditions — General"
Condition 7, however for completeness, a section be included in the either the Environmental
Management Strategy or Noise Management Plan to document blasting at the surface facility and its
restriction and process to conduct blasting in the unlikely occasion it would be required.
4.5 Bush Fire Management
4.5.1 Bushfire Management Plan
A Bushfire Management Plan (BMP) was prepared by Building Code & Bushfire Hazard Solutions Pty
Limited in 2010. The BMP includes Bushfire Management Maps. The BMP is based on the
requirements of the NSW Rural Fires Act 1997, Rural Fires Regulation 2008, the NSW Environmental
Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act), the principles of Ecologically Sustainable
Development, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, the RFS
documents known as Bushfire Environmental Assessment Code for NSW and Planning for Bushfire
Protection – 2006 for the purposes of bushfire hazard determination.
The BMP covers the Metropolitan Colliery, its neighbours and fire authorities providing a tool for
making informed decisions on mitigation and bushfire response issues. In assessing the impacts to
the Metropolitan Colliery site the bushfire risk was assessed and actions and recommendations to
treat the identified risks included in the BMP.
The assessment of bushfire risk included the following characteristics of the site:
Slope and topography;
Available fuels;
Site access and fire trails;
21 trevor brown & associates
applied environmental management consultants
aemc