Rehabilitation of the Former Rum Jungle Mine Site

Department of Primary Industry and Resources

The Department of Primary Industry and Resources, the Proponent, proposes rehabilitation activities to address long-term environmental legacy issues at the former Rum Jungle mine site, including the satellite sites Mount Fitch and Mount Burton, located 6km north of Batchelor, Northern Territory.

The project requires assessment under the  NT Environmental Assessment Act 1982 and is a 'controlled action' under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The project is being assessed at the level of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) under the bilateral agreement between the NT and Australian Governments. The relevant controlling provisions are:

• listed threatened species and communities (sections 18 and 18A)
• protection of the environment from nuclear actions (sections 21 and 22A).

The NT EPA issued Terms of Reference for the preparation of the EIS on 17 March 2019.

On 23 September 2019, the Proponent notified the NT EPA of alterations to the Proposal.

The NT EPA considers that the altered Proposal has the potential to significantly impact the environment and it should continue to be assessed at the level of an EIS.

The NT EPA issued new Terms of Reference for the preparation of the EIS on 12 November 2019.

The Draft EIS was on public exhibition between 25 January 2020 and 6 March 2020.

A Supplement to the Draft EIS was requested received on 18 June 2020. Assessment of the proposal will continue under the Environmental Assessment Act 1982 and bilateral agreement under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

However, due to the  Environment Protection Act 2019 commencing 28 June 2020, transitional arrangements for the assessment will apply, including modified procedures and an environmental approval/refusal. In line with the NT EPA's transition policy PDF (758.0 KB) the supplement will be available to the public on the NT EPA's website for viewing only.