在 2004年3月29日星期一UTC+8下午1时01分04秒，Alan Liefting写道：
DoC report reveals Pike coal mine should not proceed
A Department of Conservation (DoC) report obtained under the Official
Information Act reveals that the controversial proposed Pike River coal
mine is inconsistent with conservation legislation and would degrade an
important and almost pristine area.
Forest and Bird is calling on Conservation Minister Chris Carter to turn
down the Pike River Coal Companys (PRCC) mining access application, to
prevent unacceptable damage to Paparoa National Park and conservation
land in the Paparoa Ranges.
Creating New Zealands second largest export coal mine adjacent to, and
eventually under, Paparoa National Park would be a supreme environmental
folly, said Forest and Bird field officer, Eugenie Sage.
The departments Conservancy Mining Report of 19 December 2003 is a
thorough and responsible evaluation of the mines impacts. It is based
on the work of departmental staff and independent geological and
geochemical experts. It clearly shows that the proposed coal mine is
inconsistent with both the Conservation and National Parks Acts and
should be turned down, she said.
The access road and mine facilities area would destroy forest habitat
in the Pike valley. Mining would severely degrade the pristine Pike
Stream and cause permanent water pollution problems from acid mine
drainage. Underground mining would create a major risk of subsidence and
landslips in the steep mountainous country in the headwaters of Pike
Stream, and surface cracking and subsidence on the fringes of Paparoa
National Park, she said.
The only responsible course of action for the Minister is to accept his
departments advice and decline access given the permanent damage the
mine would cause, and the ongoing water pollution and other problems
after mining ends, Ms Sage said.
According to the DoC report, PRCCs [Pike River Coal Companys]
proposal would result in a significant industrial intrusion into a
conservation area with natural resources of very high, if not pristine,
value. (p 47, para 217)
The report also says the Department holds serious concerns in relation
to the potential longterm adverse effects which could occur after the
completion of mining operations and whether the Department can protect
against significant losses. (p 89).
The report concludes, the proposed mining operations appear prima facie
to be inconsistent with the purposes for which the land is held. While
some of the potential adverse effects &may, in some instances be
safeguarded against by the imposition of appropriate conditions,
including rehabilitation, and/or offset by the provisions of
compensation, none of these either separately or collectively, seem
likely to prevent some significant loss to natural resources. (p 59,
para 267)
West Coast coal mining has, and continues to cause, major environmental
damage, Ms Sage said.
Underground mining at Strongman mine near Greymouth has caused sizeable
land slips at Ten Mile Creek, while the degraded Ngakawau River and
Mangatini Stream highlight the water pollutions associated with Solid
Energys Stockton coal mine. The Pike mine would be no different. DoCs
concerns are very well founded, Ms Sage said.
The mine would vandalise the national park boundary by drilling four
tunnels through the dramatic west-facing escarpment on the crest of the
Paparoa Range. But that would be just the beginning. The company wants
to mine for 20-30 years and has plans to mine under the park in five or
six years time. This would expose the headwaters of the Punakaiki River
to subsidence and landslips.
The area of the proposed mine is zoned Remote Experience. The forests
of the Pike valley, and the coal plateau and the crest of the Paparoa
Range with their distinctive stunted vegetation and spectacular views,
should be managed in a way that maintains their untouched, natural
state .[1] <outbind://11/#_ftn1> The report shows mining would ruin the
wilderness character of the area, she said.
There is no guarantee that any rehabilitation would be successful,
especially in the Pike valley where the miners plan to dump 85,000 cubic
metres of waste rock on the access road, mine facilities area and coal
dewatering plant site. Even if rehabilitation was to succeed, DoC
estimates that it would take centuries for equivalent forest to be
replaced after mining ceased. (p 75, para 317)
Saying no to the Pike mine would be sound conservation management,
Ms Sage said.