The New South Wales Department of Environment compliance officers are a conscientious and vigilant bunch and do not dedicate their time solely to investigating noise complaints about coal operations in the Hunter Valley.
It is their job to check that renewables adhere to NSW’s world class environmental standards.
These officers have issued two fines and a warning letter after finding conditions of approval were breached and Aboriginal heritage sites were disturbed at the Boco Rock Windfarm near Nimmitabel.
Boco Rock Wind Farm and Downer EDI Engineering Power Pty Limited were both issued $3000 fines by the Department after construction works disturbed three Aboriginal sites considered to be of moderate local scientific significance.
An investigation by Department compliance officers found approval conditions relating to the management of Aboriginal heritage had not been met.
A warning letter has also been issued to NGH Environmental for providing incorrect location information about heritage sites in the management plans provided to both companies.
A spokesperson from the Department said: “Our compliance officers conduct spot checks without warning, regular inspections and audits as well as work with companies to ensure they are sticking to the rules.
“The Department actively conducts compliance audits and also offers education and training.
“The Department can issue the highest on-the-spot fines in the country for breaches of conditions.”
Bravo to the Department. They might be downright nuisances but at least they’re fair.
Hogsback couldn’t believe his eyes. But then it got better.
The aforesaid compliance officers then fined AGL Energy $3000 for failing to meet conditions of approval attached to the Broken Hill Solar Plant.
AGL was required to upgrade a site access road at the Broken Hill Solar Plant and the Barrier Highway before the construction works commenced, with approval from Roads and Maritime Services.
The company has been found to have commenced construction at the solar plant site before the road upgrades had taken place and has been issued a $3000 fine from the Department.
AGL has offered to upgrade the road according Roads and Maritime Services safety standards, as required by the conditions of approval.
“The compliance team will visit the site again and make sure the roads have been fixed,” a spokesperson from the Department said.
Coal mining projects have to jump through a lot of environmental hoops to get approval in the fair state of NSW.
As was seen recently with Anglo American’s Drayton South expansion proposal in New South Wales’ Hunter Valley, not all projects get the green tick from the government and, as a result, jobs are lost and families and businesses in the regional economy can suffer great hardship.
Once the projects are up and running, the checks on compliance are constant and unrelenting.
Any slip and the fines and bad publicity are sure to come -- not to mention the local resident’s action groups.
Most coal mines operators are part of their community and their employees spend their weekends in their local area.
They’re not the environmental vandals they are portrayed to be. But, so it seems to Hogsback, renewables are not the saints either.
