News Release Archive
ENVIRONMENT--STELLARTON MINE PROJECT ------------------------------------------------------------ After one of the most extensive assessments in its history, the Environmental Assessment Board has recommended Environment Minister Wayne Adams that Pioneer Coal's surface coal mine proposal for Stellarton be approved. However, The board has recommended, and the minister has agreed, to substantially reduce the size of the project. Mining will only be allowed to proceed west of MacGregor Avenue. The proponent will only be allowed to extract up to 2,592,200 tonnes of coal, approximately one third less than the company had applied to mine. "My job is to protect the environment. That is why I am ordering the proponent that they can only proceed with a smaller project, subject to extensive monitoring and have a community liaison committee to act as a watchdog for the interests of the residents." The proponent has been told that the project will only be allowed to proceed if it meets 60 conditions of release. A community liaison committee must be established, and will be given copies of all reports related to environmental monitoring. Those reports will be available to the public. "I want to ensure that the people of the area are given the facts," said Mr. Adams. The suppression of dust from such an operation will be extensively regulated. The minister has ordered the proponent work with the community liaison committee on a plan to install dust monitors in various locations on or near the mine site. Those monitors will operate continuously and the data will be regularly provided to a community liaison committee. Roads on the site will either be paved with asphalt or covered with washed gravel, depending on the level of trucking operations in various areas of the mine. All trucks leaving the site must be washed, and all trucks carrying coal must be covered with fitted tarps. To ensure that noise from the mine does not unduly impact on nearby residents, Mr. Adams has instructed the proponent that a noise monitoring and mitigation program must be submitted for approval. At a minimum, the company will have to establish a buffer zone around the mine site. Noise baffles will also be erected to deflect noise away from nearby residents. The company will also be required to use conveyor belts rather than trucks to transport waste rock. Noise monitoring stations must be established around the mine perimeter and on nearby private properties. These monitors will operate continuously. No mining will be allowed between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. Reclamation of the site is an integral part of the conditions of release. The minister has made it clear, that the site is to be returned to a more natural appearance on a gradual basis, rather than at the end of operations. The department will require the proponent to submit a detailed reclamation plan that includes specific information on landscaping to stabilize all non-active but previously, mined areas. This will also ensure dust levels are suppressed. The protection of water supplies and water courses will have to be ensured. In order to ensure the quality and quantity of groundwater supplies to nearby residents, the proponent must construct test wells close to existing residential properties. These test wells will be sampled on a bi-monthly basis. Tests on a representation sample of residential wells will be conducted on a weekly basis. If residential wells are negatively affected by the open pit mining operation, an alternate drinking water system will be provided. The board had recommended that a levy be granted to the Town of Stellarton on a per tonnage basis. But, after consulting with legal experts, the minister has rejected the recommendation, because it is beyond his statutory powers to impose such a stipulation. The Environmental Assessment Board review of the proposal took over four months. It included written and oral testimony from 94 witnesses, and 14 separate technical analyses, including four commissioned by the board. A copy of the entire conditions of release is available. -30- Contact: Paul McEachern 902-424-2575 trp Nov. 01, 1995