The Environmental Protection Authority has found Mineral Resources' plan to build a 125-kilometre road adjacent to Andrew Forrest’s Minderoo Station is unlikely to have any ‘material’ impact on nearby pastoral operations.
Mineral Resources subsidiary Onslow Infraco company lodged plans with the state’s environmental watchdog back in October 2021 seeking to clear 1,564 hectares of land within a 16,209 hectare development envelope to build a new private haul road.
The road is planned to connect MinRes’ approved Bungaroo South Mine located approximately 45 km southwest of Pannawonica, to the Port of Ashburton located 12 km from Onslow in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
During the two-week consultation period for the propsed project, the EPA said concerns had been raised regarding the road's potential impact to existing pastoral activities.
Among those flagging concerns were Andrew Forrest's private agribusiness Harvest Road, which reportedly told The Australian Financial Review that the proposal did not consider the impacts on livestock at Minderoo Station.
According to MinRes, the haul road would run adjacent to Minderoo Station and approximately 22 km from the homestead.
"Whilst the proposal will not intersect the station, the proponent will ensure that proposal activities do not interfere with pastoral interests," MinRes has previously said.
In a report released on Friday, the Environmental Protection Authority said that issues raised during the public consultation about potential impacts to pastoral operations were considered "unlikely to be material" because of the proponent’s minimisation measures.
However, the EPA said it expected the proponent to consult with affected pastoralists "and obtain their agreements regarding specific measures (e.g. dimension of underpasses) to further mitigate impacts."
The EPA has outlined several recommendations for the proposal if it is approved.
