Glencore wins against EPA

In a recent Land and Environment Case in New South Wales, Glencore’s Bulga coal mine avoided a potential $1 million-plus fine over Environmental Protection Agency claims that a tailings spill into a dam and nearby creek in 2011 was not reported quickly enough.

According to the Newcastle Herald, the company successfully argued its staff had assessed the incident then decided it needed to be reported.

“Justice Nicola Pain dismissed the charge and stated that the EPA had failed to prove the offence beyond reasonable doubt,” the newspaper reported.

“She noted that this was the first prosecution of its type since the law was introduced in 1997 and that the law had since been changed to state that an incident must be reported ‘immediately’ instead of ‘within a reasonable time’.”

The company reportedly spent $A287,000 on cleaning up the spill.

Boilermaker takes on UGL

Recent proceedings in the Supreme Court of Rockhampton reveal that 27-year-old boilermaker Dale Goody is suing his employer, UGL Operations and Maintenance, for damages of $1.99 million.

According to the Rockhampton Morning Bulletin, Goody fractured his ankle after tripping on a wire feeder after cutting a piece of steel at a workshop at Ensham Resources’ namesake coal mine in Emerald.

“Despite three surgical procedures, Mr Goody claims he continues to suffer pain, which has left him medically unfit to continue working as a boilermaker,” the newspaper reported.

Goody had reportedly only recently completed his apprenticeship around the time of the June 2010 accident.

Blair Athol restarts

Linc Energy has advanced its plans to reopen the once mighty Blair Athol open cut coal mine.

According to Central Queensland News, Linc offered 120 people jobs at the mine on Friday via email with more than 2000 applying.

New Emerald Coal operations executive general manager Jason O'Rourke reportedly said he hoped to have crews on the ground in April.

"About 60% were from Clermont," he reportedly said.

"Around 35% were from the Emerald, Mackay, Rockhampton areas, so you're still talking central Queensland.

However, he also revealed that Rio Tinto’s sale of the old mine to Linc (for $2) was not yet completed.

"The lease realignment is taking longer than we expected, we are still waiting for news from departments and Rio Tinto and there is a whole range of other things to flow on from there."

He said he hoped the approvals stage would be completed in the first quarter.