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Environmental audit of Solid Energy's Stockton mine set for 2008

The PCE will audit Solid Energy's environmental management performance at the Stockton mine on the West Coast in 2008, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Dr Morgan Williams said today.

Over the last few years, Solid Energy has introduced a company environmental policy and other plans that acknowledge environmental management as a core business activity. However, it is too early to assess how effective they are in improving environmental performance at the company's mining sites, he said.

Dr Williams was speaking about Solid Energy's environmental management systems and performance, a PCE scoping report released on 20 November.

He says the report outlines areas the audit will focus on by way of 'serving notice' on aspects of environmental performance that the PCE considers need closer scrutiny. These include water quality, site rehabilitation, and Solid Energy's community consultation.

"Dedicated commitment to, and investment in, the current Environmental Management System is a good platform for progress. We hope to be able to report positively on it achieving its full potential."

Coal mining has been and remains important to New Zealand in terms of both local employment and the wider economy, says Dr Williams. However the environmental impacts of the extraction of coal need to be recognised and managed well, particularly given the magnitude of mining impacts at sites such as the Stockton mine, Solid Energy's largest opencast mine.

The company is New Zealand's largest coal mining company. As a state owned enterprise Solid Energy has a particular responsibility to demonstrate leadership in environmental management in the mining sector, he says.

For further information:

Email Dr Morgan Williams, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment. Ph (04) 471 1669, or

Email Bruce Taylor, Principal environmental investigator. Ph (04) 495 8354

SEE ALSO: Web introduction and full report.