Pike River coal prospecting approved

Press, 24 February 1987, Page 5

Pike River coal prospecting approved

Wellington reporter

Agreement on conditions for a coal-prospect-ing licence application by the Pike River Coal Company has been reached between three Cabinet Ministers.

The Minister of Energy, Mr Tizard, the Minister for the Environment, Mr Goff and the Minister of Forests, Mr Wetere, have allowed the firm to continue investigating the feasibility of the Pike River coalfield in the Paparoa Range north of Greymouth.

Mr Wetere has consented to prospecting on State forest land and Mr Tizard approved the granting of the licence.

It is estimated that the Pike River coalfield has 94 million tonnes of coal in the ground. A portion of this lies within the area of the proposed Paparoa National Park, being part of the area set aside in the West Coast forestry package agreed by all parties on November 7 last year.

That decision included a condition that the Pike River coalfield development would proceed on the basis that transport and surface facilities in the Paparoa National Park boundaries will be of low environmental impact

Mineral prospecting is permitted within national parks and reserves with the consent of the Minister for the Environment.

Key conditions in the prospecting licence are: • Before the work starts the Conservator of Forests and the licensee must agree on a work plan and method of implementation that will ensure that the operators do not unacceptably compromise forest management and other values. • Sediment limits on water discharges are complied with. • Visual impact, damage to vegetation and soil disturbance are minimised and the land is restored after prospecting finishes. • Prospecting methods

within thhe Pororari ecological area and Paparoa National Park are limited to hand-held methods and a seismic survey using portable generators, except that drilling using a drill rig located by helicopter is allowed under conditions subject to agreement between the conservator and the licensee.

The Ministers have decided that prospecting must be done under managed conditions to minimise environmental impact Compliance’ with the conditions of the licence will be monitored by the conservator and the Inspector of Mines. Where the conservator and licensee cannot agree, the Secretary for the Environ: ment will act as an environmental arbitrator. The Ministers said the conditions satisfied the requirements both of environmental ’sensitivity and practical prospecting needed to establish the feasibility of the coalfield development.