Cadia Gold Mine Fined for Air Pollution Violations
Newmont Corporation faces a $350,000 penalty for exceeding dust emission limits at its New South Wales mining site.
The New South Wales Land and Environment Court has imposed a fine of $350,000 on Newmont Corporation, the owner of the Cadia gold mine near Orange, Australia, for violating air pollution regulations.
The legal action was initiated by the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority (EPA) after the mine was found to have exceeded concentration limits for airborne solid dust particles on five separate occasions.
Newmont Corporation admitted guilt to the violations, which occurred in November 2021, March 2022, and May 2023. The court, presided over by Justice Sarah Pritchard SC, mandated the company to pay $350,000 in fines and also directed Newmont to contribute $61,500 to the state's Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) to fund a new dust monitoring system in Mudgee.
Additionally, the company is responsible for covering the legal expenses incurred by the Environment Protection Authority.
The identified breaches took place at a ventilation site within Cadia, known as VR8, which released dust from underground mining operations into the atmosphere via surface exhaust fans.
Sources of dust emissions included the operations of crushing stations, conveyor systems, and vehicle traffic.
Court documentation revealed that the maximum concentration limit for total solid particles was set at 100 milligrams per cubic metre.
However, measurements taken at the site indicated emissions of 210 mg/m³ on two separate dates in November 2021. Further samplings conducted in March 2022 reported emissions as high as 360 mg/m³.
Testing from two days in May 2023 noted alarming levels of dust, with figures ranging from 200 mg/m³ to 570 mg/m³, nearly six times the permissible limit.
In response to the allegations, Newmont enlisted Zephyr Environmental to conduct an air quality audit, completed in August 2022. The audit noted substantial particulate emissions from the VR8 location, observable from approximately two kilometres away during a site visit in April 2022.
The court ruling concluded that the pollution breaches were unlikely to have caused more than minimal environmental harm, attributing this to a significant portion of the emitted material compacting into mud globules that settled close to the ventilation site.
The court also observed that the mine had adhered to the original criteria for ultra-fine particulate matter during the violations.
Since the incidents, Newmont has undertaken measures to comply with environmental regulations, including the installation of additional mitigation infrastructure and amendments to its underground operation protocols.
A spokesperson for Newmont expressed that the health and safety of employees, the environment, and local communities are priorities for the company.
They acknowledged that their actions did not meet regulatory standards or the company’s own expectations.
Following the resolution of the issues related to the breaches, the mine has reportedly maintained compliance with air quality emissions standards since August 2023 and has made real-time air quality data available on its website.
The legal action was initiated by the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority (EPA) after the mine was found to have exceeded concentration limits for airborne solid dust particles on five separate occasions.
Newmont Corporation admitted guilt to the violations, which occurred in November 2021, March 2022, and May 2023. The court, presided over by Justice Sarah Pritchard SC, mandated the company to pay $350,000 in fines and also directed Newmont to contribute $61,500 to the state's Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) to fund a new dust monitoring system in Mudgee.
Additionally, the company is responsible for covering the legal expenses incurred by the Environment Protection Authority.
The identified breaches took place at a ventilation site within Cadia, known as VR8, which released dust from underground mining operations into the atmosphere via surface exhaust fans.
Sources of dust emissions included the operations of crushing stations, conveyor systems, and vehicle traffic.
Court documentation revealed that the maximum concentration limit for total solid particles was set at 100 milligrams per cubic metre.
However, measurements taken at the site indicated emissions of 210 mg/m³ on two separate dates in November 2021. Further samplings conducted in March 2022 reported emissions as high as 360 mg/m³.
Testing from two days in May 2023 noted alarming levels of dust, with figures ranging from 200 mg/m³ to 570 mg/m³, nearly six times the permissible limit.
In response to the allegations, Newmont enlisted Zephyr Environmental to conduct an air quality audit, completed in August 2022. The audit noted substantial particulate emissions from the VR8 location, observable from approximately two kilometres away during a site visit in April 2022.
The court ruling concluded that the pollution breaches were unlikely to have caused more than minimal environmental harm, attributing this to a significant portion of the emitted material compacting into mud globules that settled close to the ventilation site.
The court also observed that the mine had adhered to the original criteria for ultra-fine particulate matter during the violations.
Since the incidents, Newmont has undertaken measures to comply with environmental regulations, including the installation of additional mitigation infrastructure and amendments to its underground operation protocols.
A spokesperson for Newmont expressed that the health and safety of employees, the environment, and local communities are priorities for the company.
They acknowledged that their actions did not meet regulatory standards or the company’s own expectations.
Following the resolution of the issues related to the breaches, the mine has reportedly maintained compliance with air quality emissions standards since August 2023 and has made real-time air quality data available on its website.
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