Law changes urged for Ohinewai

Press, 25 May 1984, Page 7

Law changes urged for Ohinewai

Changes to the Coal Mines Act should be given priority and introduced to Parliament this session, according to the Environmental Defence Society. The Auckland-based

society contracted with the Commission of the Environment to prepare an analysis of the 1979 act. They were concerned with the lack of an acceptable statutory procedure for evaluating the big coalmining project at

Ohinewai. Lignite mining proposals for Southland also concerned the society, a public interest law group. Its executive secretary Mrs Marjorie van Roon said

the analysis had revealed a flawed and inadequate procedure that was in urgent need of reform. "The proposed 900.060 tonnes a year opencast mine at Ohinewai raises very important environmental concerns." said Mrs van Roon. It would be located next to the country's most valuable wetland. "We need to know that the act will be changed to incorporate an environmental appraisal procedure — one that will ensure that if the Ohinewai mine has unacceptable environmental impacts then it won’t be permitted to proceed," she said. The Minister of Energy,

Mr Birch, had announced his intention to review the Coal Mines Act but further assurances were needed. "There is no excuse for delay. There is too much at stake." Mrs van Roon said. The analysis said that the Act did not adequately provide for the assessment of environmental issues, or for affected persons and the public to participate in the decision-making process for coal mining rights. It also established that coal mining proposals did not require a number of statutory consents that other land uses were required to obtain.