Central West Environment Council to discuss mine approvals and issues at Orange meeting

The Central West Environment Council is hosting a public meeting in Orange at 3pm on June 17 at the Orange Ex Services Club.

President of the Belubula Headwaters Protection Group Dan Sutton said the aim of the public meeting is to bring together all the representative parties.

"There will be members from the BHPG, the Mudgee Region Action Group who opposed the Bowden's Silver Mine in Lue and the Cadia Community Sustainability Network who have led the efforts on reporting the air quality breaches from Cadia Gold Mine recently," he said.

"Up for discussion are the significant shortfalls in the DPE and IPC assessment process for McPhillamy's and Bowden's, and the DPE and EPA ability to enforce compliance and accountability at Cadia."

Vice chair of the CCSN Frances Retallack said the EPA in particular were difficult to deal with.

"The EPA behaves in such a way that it's frustrating and distressing to deal with them," she said.

"It becomes self-fulfilling as there isn't a problem because nobody complains, but nobody complains because the EPA doesn't do anything about it.

"Then people just give up, look the other way and get on with life until we get to where we are now, with a real problem."

The Bowdens Silver Project in central western NSW was given the go-ahead in April despite more than 1000 letters of opposition.

The site is located two kilometres from the village of Lue, east of Mudgee. It will operate from construction through to rehabilitation in 2046, mining two million tonnes of silver, lead and zinc each year.

The approval was granted on a series of conditions, including locals can access regular blood tests for lead, and the air is monitored for lead dust.

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