Annual Report 2018
6. Progress update – Mine Rehabilitation Inquiry report – Coal mine operators During the 2015–16 Inquiry, the Board of Inquiry was unable to make a definitive assessment on the viable rehabilitation option for each of the three Latrobe Valley mines due to many areas of uncertainty that were not addressed by relevant agencies and the mine operators. These issues included mine stability, sourcing water, water quality and fire risk. The Board of Inquiry concluded that a significant amount of research must be conducted into these issues to provide certainty about the rehabilitation options, which must be done in the short to medium term and in a coordinated manner. In the Mine Rehabilitation Inquiry report, the Board of Inquiry made 17 recommendations to be implemented by the state. The associated actions are included in the Victorian Government Implementation Plan and reported on in chapter 4. The Board of Inquiry made two recommendations, and one affirmation, for implementation by the Latrobe Valley mine operators. Affirmation 1, in which the three Latrobe Valley coal mine operators committed to increasing coordination and collaboration between themselves and the regulator, was reported as complete in the 2017 IGEM Hazelwood report.
85
