The NSW EPA will amend all licences held by open cut mines in the state to include a new condition prohibiting the emission of blast fumes likely to offend members of the public.
The new licence condition states: ‘offensive blast fume must not be emitted from the premises’.
NSW EPA Chief Environmental Regulator Mark Gifford said that the EPA has improved its ability to take decisive compliance action against mines that emit offensive blast fumes.
“The EPA has worked with the mining and explosives industries to reduce the incidence of blast fume emissions. This included working with them to produce a code of practice for blasting to guide mining operators.
“Despite this, offensive blast fumes that impact on the community continue to occur,” Mr Gifford said.
The condition allows mines to continue managing challenging blast situations by temporarily blocking public access to the blast fume area, including adjoining roads.
The NSW EPA will progressively add the condition to all open cut coal mine licences by July 2015. All environment protection licences and the conditions these include are available here.
