New Projects

On 16 July 2009, ERA received notification from the NT that its proposal to construct an underground exploration decline (tunnel) at its Ranger operations was unlikely to result in significant enviornmental impacts and does not warrent formal assessment under the Environmental Assessment Act (EAA). ERA had earlier received a determination from the Commonwealth that the proposed exploration decline was not a controlled action under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).

The exploration decline will enable close spaced underground exploration drilling of the resource at Ranger 3 Deeps adjacent to and deeper than the operating mine Pit #3, and to undertake underground exploration drilling to the north, where the Ranger 3 Deeps orebody remains open.

On April 15 and later on May 19, the Commonwealth Department of Environment and Water Heritage and the Arts and the Northern Territory Minister for Natural Resources, Environmental and Heritage had, respectively, determined that ERA'S seperate project to construct a heap leach facility and associated infrastructure, under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and the Northern Territory Mining Management Act and Environemtnal Assessment Act was a controlled action under the EPBC Act and the Northern Territory EEA and will require formal environmental assessment under at the level of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

These two projects are quite separate and independent, and subject to independent Commonwealth and Northern Territory environmental assessment processes.

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