Summary: Environmental Management and Monitoring Plans (EMMPs)

Dr Ian Cordery, Associate Professor, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UNSW

The following Environmental Management and Monitoring Plans (EMMPs) were reviewed:

– Environmental Management Commitments [Attachment 1 in full report]

– Frieda River Copper-Gold Project Environmental Management and Monitoring Plan [Attachment 2a in full report]

– Frieda River Hydroelectric Project Environmental Management and Monitoring Plan [Attachment 2b in full report]

– Sepik Infrastructure Project: Public road from Vanimo to Hotmin Environmental Management and Monitoring Plan [Attachment 2c in full report]

– Sepik Infrastructure Project: Vanimo Ocean Port Environmental Management and Monitoring Plan [Attachment 2d in full report] 

– Sepik Infrastructure Project: Green River Airport Environmental Management andMonitoring Plan [Attachment 2e in full report] 

– Sepik Power Grid Project Environmental Management and Monitoring Plan [Attachment 2f in full report] 

A large number of deficiencies and recommendations for the individual EMMPs and their sub-plans were identified. A number of key issues and concerns are outlined below.

• Factoring in high rainfall and potential seismic activity in Project locations it is uncertain that environmental management and monitoring measures and targets could be confidently implemented and achieved. Resolution of these uncertainties needs to be a pre-requisite for any decision regarding approval of the Project.

• To address high rainfall and potential seismic activity in Project locations, both an Earthquake Management Plan and a Flood Management Plan should be prepared as part of the EIS.

• The majority of EMMP measures and targets are qualitative and lack the necessary definition and commitment to enable targets to be effectively monitored, and to determine if environmental and/or social target outcomes will be met (or not).