Dust settles on Cockburn Cement inquiry

"Stricter dust emissions limits on all kilns used to produce lime and a peer-reviewed health study are among the recommendations arising from the Legislative Council Committee inquiry into the operations of Cockburn Cement Limited (CCL)" said committee member Greens MLC Lynn MacLaren today as the report was tabled.

"WAs environmental protection system was found lacking in our report," Ms MacLaren said.  "The Committee found that the Department of Environment and Conservation and its predecessors have not adequately ensured CCL’s compliance with its licence, and that decision-makers and governmental bodies had let the community down when assessing planning issues associated with CCL's plant."
"This issue is of great concern to the community, with the Committee receiving 97 submissions it is now incumbent on the Government to take our 23 recommendations on board so the people who live near the Munster plant can finally enjoy life just like anyone else without the nuisance of dust or the health complaints from air pollution."

Key aspects of the Committee’s recommendations are:

• CCL's attitude to the surrounding community was at times complacent and was responsible for contributing to, if not the primary cause of dust complaints in surrounding communities and that CCL's licence should be amended to require the company to clean, at its own expense, any excessive amounts of dust emitted from the plant and deposited onto surrounding properties.

• Government needs to commission experts to conduct comprehensive, rigorous and peer-reviewed health study of the residents living in the vicinity of CCL's Munster plant.

• Government amend CCL’s Munster plant licence to impose a stricter dust emissions limit from 150 mg/m3 to 30 mg/m3 on all kilns producing lime.

A copy of the report can be obtained from Parliament’s website