PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The Queensland government has certified 349 ha of progressively rehabilitated land at coal miner New Hope’s New Acland coal operations, on the Darling Downs.
New Hope MD Shane Stephan said that this was recognition of the company’s ongoing commitment to the environment, and the long-term sustainability of its operations.
“I’m proud to say that this is the largest single area of certified rehabilitation for an opencut coal mine in the state.”
Stephan said that the New Acland mine’s progressive rehabilitation methods went above and beyond what the environmental regulator requires, which was some of the highest environmental standards in the world.
“Once the pasture on our rehabilitated mined land is well established it is fenced off and handed to our pastoral operations Acland Pastoral Company (APC). This rehabilitated land has been a saviour for our pastoral operations, which had been experiencing drought conditions.
“Apart from being the right thing to do as custodians of the land – it also makes good business sense to rehabilitate to this high standard and have economically viable productive land as soon as possible behind mining operations,” Stephan said.
The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) has praised the coal miner’s environmental efforts
“New Hope has a resolute commitment to rehabilitating mined land and this is another example of the company’s leading practices when it comes to the sustainability of mining in regional Queensland,” QRC CEO Ian Macfarlane said.
“The Queensland resources industry is committed to sustainable environmental practices, including rehabilitation, which ensures our resources are developed to our best advantage both for local economies and for all Queenslanders.”