Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Although the requirements of the process can be onerous and expensive, very few mining
projects are immune, perhaps only a few small, local projects in developing countries.
Artisanal mining, a simple affair with pick, shovel and pan, persists in many develop-
ing countries, but modern, large-scale mining is a much more complex affair, even before
considering the EIA. And that process, as described at length in the foregoing chapters,
adds layer upon layer of complexity that makes the engineering phases of planning and
implementation seem almost simple by comparison. Because the EIA now goes far beyond
the physical impacts on local environment to address social and political realities, it repre-
sents a particularly sensitive management challenge, demanding continuing attention to
the human environment around, and often far beyond the mine site.
One need only look again at the Ok Tedi copper and gold mine in remote Papua New
Guinea, as referred to more than once in this text, to grasp the complexities. Although
PNG has comprehensive environmental laws, and the mine itself was planned to meet
high standards of environmental management, when during the construction stage, a
major landslide occurred on the abutment of the embankment planned to store tailings
from the project, the mining consortium and the PNG government were confronted with
a difi cult decision. Given the cost and the unstable geology of the region, rebuilding the
dam was out of the question. With a major stake in the project, and with an eye to long-
term cash l ow, the government would have been loath to cancel the project. The con-
sortium, likewise, was not keen to write off its hundreds of millions of invested capital.
Therefore, it was agreed that mine wastes would be discharged into the Fly River system.
The long-term consequences of this political/economic decision are now well known and
widely publicized: heavy siltation of the river, adverse effects on lifestyles of 30,000 local
inhabitants, loss of lowland forest vegetation over hundreds of square kilometres, reputa-
tional damage to involved consortium members and the mining industry as a whole, and
several hundred million dollars in legal costs and compensation. However, given the mas-
sive investment, and the revenue stream essential to pay it off, would any other decision
have been likely?
Such are the complexities of large mining projects.
Clearly, the mining industry has learnt from projects such as Ok Tedi. The industry
has now developed a suite of technologies to effectively manage environmental impacts
under most circumstances. And, more recently the industry has tackled the more difi cult
issues involved with the impacts of mining on the communities involved. It is hoped that
this review of all aspects of the EIA process associated with modern mining as presented
in this text, has provided a comprehensive coverage of the subject, which will enable the
reader to understand and participate actively and intelligently in the complexities of envi-
ronmental assessment.
The mining industry has encountered many difi cult challenges over its history, none
more serious than the environmental and social problems that emerged in the second half
of the twentieth century. The industry has responded to the challenges, initially in response
to public criticism but increasingly in a proactive way so that, in many respects, perform-
ance now exceeds legislative obligations and public perceptions. Challenges remain, par-
ticularly in relation to social impacts and opportunities for social benei ts in developing
countries. However, the industry is well placed to meet these challenges and to achieve
benei cial social outcomes. Today the industry has shifted the emphasis of environmen-
tal assessment from understanding, avoidance and mitigation of harm to the generation
of environmental, social and micro-economic benei ts, thereby creating a favourable net
impact from mine development. Creating these benei ts, rather than questions of legal and
regulatory compliance, and sharing benei ts equitably, will continue to dominate discus-
sions about mining in developing countries over the next decades.
Because the EIA now goes far
beyond the physical impacts on
local environment to address
social and political realities,
it represents a particularly
sensitive management challenge,
demanding continuing attention
to the human environment
around, and often far beyond the
mine site.
The industry has responded
to the challenges, initially in
response to public criticism
but increasingly in a proactive
way so that, in many respects,
performance now exceeds
legislative obligations and public
perceptions.
 
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