PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Queensland Natural Resources and Mines Minister Anthony Lynham has said that a number of statutory obligations and outstanding legal issues remained to be addressed before the $16.5-billion Carmichael coal mine and rail project could be approved.

Lynham’s warning comes shortly after the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection issued a final environmental authority (EA) for Indian firm Adani’s Carmichael project.

The EA contained some 140 conditions, including nine conditions relating to the black throated finch as required by the Land Court.

The project was also backed by the Queensland Land Court in December last year.

“For the proponent, and the people of regional Queensland looking for growth and jobs, the granting of an EA by the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection is a welcome sign of progress on a potential major project.

“However, it is critical that any project be dealt with not just efficiently but robustly in accordance with statutory requirements,” Lynham said.

He added that Commonwealth parliamentarians would be very aware of this need after the Environment Minister Greg Hunt was forced to re-make his decision on the mine and rail environmental impact statement late last year.

“Legislation requires that, before I can consider granting a lease, Adani must finalise compensation agreements with remaining land-holders, and with local government for affected road reserves under the footprint of the leases. In the meantime, I am taking detailed and careful advice on the next steps for the project.

“To date this has included the advice that, before I consider granting the lease, it would be appropriate for me to consider the certainty it would give government and Adani of having a High Court decision on a current application for judicial review of the key decision by the National Native Title Tribunal on the granting of the mining leases.”

Lynham noted that although not related to the granting of the mining lease, a number of other matters concerning related parts of the proposed project were still ongoing, including Adani’s negotiation of one remaining Indigenous Land Use Agreement with native title holders. 

Other outstanding issues included approvals for power, water, roadworks and airport.

The proposed Carmichael project would comprise an opencut and underground mine, running for a period of some 90 years and producing an average 60-million tonnes a year of thermal coal.