Mining can sometimes be a tricky business, and mistakes can happen. Take, for instance, the recent case of Fe Metals, a subsidiary of Macro Metals, which found itself in hot water after inadvertently applying to explore the heavily contaminated landscape around Wittenoom. This small mining town in Western Australia has a dark history tainted by blue asbestos mining.
The head of Macro Metals, Simon Rushton, explained that the application to explore the asbestos-ridden area was actually made in error. It turns out that a contractor working with the company submitted the tenement application without realizing the location’s hazardous nature. Rushton shared,
“He detected the tenement had been dropped by a previous owner and made an application for it. He was unaware it was in the asbestos location.”
Wittenoom’s tragic past dates back to its days as a thriving asbestos mining hub until 1966 when its operations ceased due to health concerns. However, the environmental aftermath still haunts the region even today. The site was officially removed from maps in 2007 and subsequently demolished by government authorities in 2023.
Macro Metals had no intentions of mining within this dangerous territory. Despite any potential mineral wealth hidden beneath the contaminated soil, Rushton firmly stated,
“I wouldn’t care if there were 100 million tonnes of diamonds there; we wouldn’t be proceeding with that tenement.”
The risks to human health and safety are just too great to ignore.
While Fe Metals applied for exploration rights last year before withdrawing them this year due to clerical errors, questions about regulatory oversight have surfaced. Even though companies can technically submit mining applications for areas like Wittenoom under strict conditions, clarity on these regulations is crucial.
Rushton emphasized that more explicit guidelines need to be established early on regarding restricted zones like those tainted with asbestos. He stressed,
“I think there’s a compelling reason for making it clear [that]the area is off-limits.”
Safety should always come first when considering any form of resource extraction or exploration.
As experts weigh in on this misstep by Fe Metals and Macro Metals at large, it serves as a cautionary tale highlighting the importance of thorough research and due diligence before venturing into potentially hazardous territories.
