Group to oversee mining monitoring

An independent review group will be set up to monitor the environmental effects of iron sand mining off the coast of Taranaki.

Earlier this month Trans Tasman Resources was granted a mining permit by the Environmental Protection Authority to mine 50 million tonnes of iron sand each year for 35 years, up to 36 kilometres off the coastline in the South Taranaki Bight.

The EPA’s decision making committee included 109 conditions to the marine consent, with the establishment of a technical review group among them.

The eight-member group will be made up of a Taranaki Regional Council senior manager and representatives from iwi, fisheries, oil and gas, and the Department of Conservation.

Another condition requires TTR carry out environmental monitoring for two years before any mining gets underway and the review group will oversee this premining activity.

Information gathered during the monitoring phase will be used to compare against results during the actual mining process.

The monitoring would look at the effects of underwater noise, suspended sediment and fish life on the seabed.

The review group, which will be chosen six months before the monitoring begins, will have no powers of enforcement.

However, TRC director of resource management Fred McLay said the EPA, as consent authority, would have power to force TTR to abide by the conditions.

The idea for the group was part of the TRC’s submission during the mining hearings on the marine consent earlier this year, the council’s policy and planning committee, which meets on Tuesday, reported in the latest meeting agenda.

In its submission - which neither supported or opposed the application - the council asked the hearing committee to be involved in the regulation of the mining activity, McLay said.

‘‘The inclusion of a review group is partial fulfilment of this request,’’ he said.

The council had also told the hearing committee it would need to respond to any public complaints about the iron sand mining.

Any response would be a cost to the council and ratepayers, the council had said.

As a result the EPA ordered any costs fall on the consent holder. The EPA also said it would be responsible for dealing with complaints from the public.

Seabed environmental activist group, Kiwis Against Sea Bed Mining (KASM), would not comment on the review group’s future formation.

‘‘KASM is not getting into discussions around the review group, or the detail of any conditions around seabed mining off the South Taranaki Bight,’’ Cindy Baxter said.

‘‘That discussion is a long way down the track.

‘‘Right now our key focus is to stop the project from going ahead altogether, and our focus is concentrated on our appeal of the EPA decision as a priority as the deadline is next week.’’

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