Ongoing mine operations queried

TWO City of Greater Bendigo councillors have voiced concerns about Agnico Eagle’s plans for the continued operation of its Fosterville Gold Mine.

Crs Jennifer Alden and David Fagg raised the issues at the council’s August meeting, which authorised CEO Andrew Cooney to endorse and lodge a submission on an environment effects statement associated with Agnico’s proposal for a 10-year extension of the mine’s operational life.

The decision came as the six-week consultation period on the EES ended on 30 August, with a City submission still only in its draft stages. It has engaged technical consultants to examine the statement and provide advice.

A final submission will be released publicly.

Cr Alden told the meeting she toured the mine recently and had never seen environmental impacts to the scale of those at the site east of Bendigo.

She described existing tailings ponds as “massive” and said extracted rock mounds were reaching “mountainous heights.”

It was therefore understandable that the State Government ordered an EES for Agnico’s Sustained Operations Project, Cr Alden said.

She said that while the City had been represented on the EES working group, understanding precise affects of continued operations on neighbouring properties was difficult.

Cr Alden also queried claims of economic benefits from proposed mine extensions and employment opportunities that would be created.

Economic benefit was “a pretty blunt tool,” she said, arguing that for the most part profits went to the company and its shareholders overseas (Agnico Eagle is headquartered in Canada).

“It is undeniable that the mine has been a major employer in the area and it does support many worthy causes … through sponsorships and donations,” Cr Alden said.

“And while it’s undeniable that those have a big impact locally, I would argue that it’s a very small drop in the bucket when compared with the amount of money being realised by the mine which is returned to the business in Canada and its shareholders.”

Cr Fagg said the EES involved “reams of data” and the council was probably the only entity with resources to examine it in detail in such a short time.

“It’s a task of overwhelming proportions and you have to say the weight is definitely in favour of Fosterville here,” Cr Fagg said.

“To my eye there are numerous areas in which Fosterville will need to provide more detail to justify how exactly they will protect community and environmental assets.

“The onus is on Fosterville to go above and beyond legislative requirements in order to maintain their social licence to operate.”

The Sustained Operations Project includes proposals to extend underground mining and existing open pits, build new tailings storage, a new brine evaporation pond and waste rock dump, and a managed aquifer recharge program that would inject treated water into the aquifer.

Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny will make the final decision on the plan.