The board of US aluminium giant Alcoa which is battling to obtain vital mining approvals in WA replaced chief executive Roy Harvey on Sunday.
Roger Cook relayed concerns about the threats the company’s mining operations posed to drinking water supplies and forests in the Darling Scarp
Digging into Alcoa’s mining in WA’s jarrah forests long-shielded by government-endorsed secrecy has revealed an environmental mess.
WA’s environmental watchdog has invited public comment on whether it should undertake a detailed independent review of Alcoa’s mining in WA’s jarrah forests.
The value of US miner Alcoa dropped $650 million after Wall Street was told there was “no fixed timetable” for gaining access to new areas of jarrah forest to mine.
Premier Roger Cook may choose not to stop Alcoa extending its lease to 2045,but the US miner has numerous environmental obstacles to continue extracting bauxite from south-west WA.
The federal member backed the south west town’s push for further concessions from the miner but cautioned that a compromise was needed between jobs and the environment.
The US bauxite miner will not touch an 8300-hectare area of jarrah forest south-east of Pinjarra.
The Melbourne-based company that owns 40 per cent of Alcoa’s WA operation has defended its mining against claims it threatens Perth’s water supply and the jarrah forest.
US bauxite miner Alcoa is having to reassure US investors that its crucial WA operations are not imperilled by concerns its land clearing threatens Perth’s water supply.
Bunnings is monitoring whether timber harvested by the WA government is sustainable amid concerns about the US miner’s rehabilitation of WA’s south west forests.