PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has approved a 3.3 km buried steel pipeline within the Dampier to Bunbury gas pipeline corridor to connect the Pluto liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant and Karratha gas plant.
The approval was subject to a number of conditions including the protection of internationally significant Aboriginal rock art.
EPA chairperson Tom Hatton said it was the EPA’s view that impacts to the key environmental factors were manageable, provided the recommended conditions were imposed so the proposal did not have long-term impacts on Aboriginal heritage values or significant flora and fauna.
“The EPA’s assessment of the proposal as a whole took into account the impacts to the key environment factors of social surrounds (Aboriginal heritage and culture), flora and vegetation and terrestrial fauna and the proponent’s proposed mitigation measures,” Hatton said.
The EPA also recommended a condition requiring implementation of a construction environmental management plan to minimise impacts from construction activities to the Burrup Peninsula and to significant fauna likely to be in the area, in particular the Northern quoll and Pilbara olive python.
The EPA’s report to the Minister for Environment is now open for a 14-day public appeal period, closing June 18.