Abandoned mine lands program queensland

Most abandoned mines date from before , before Queensland laws were amended to provide stronger environmental management and rehabilitation requirements for mining activities.

Financial provisioning scheme legislation was passed in late and came into effect from 1 April , further strengthening requirements. The scheme will reduce the financial risk to government if a resource authority holder fails to meet their environmental and rehabilitation obligations. Grants provided by the scheme will also support the rehabilitation of abandoned mines and improvements in rehabilitation techniques.

Home Environment, land and water Land, housing and property Land and vegetation management Abandoned mines Abandoned mine management in Queensland. Our aim is to make abandoned mines and operating plant : safe - by removing or mitigating hazards on site to prevent potential exposure of the surrounding community secure - by implementing control measures to limit the level of adverse impacts to the surrounding and downstream environments durable - by minimising the ongoing maintenance and monitoring requirements for a site including geotechnical and geochemical stability productive - by investigating opportunities to commercialise abandoned mines or repurpose the land for a future appropriate use.

Before coal companies begin mining at a site, they must post a reclamation bond. A company's bond may be forfeited to the Commonwealth if the company fails to mine and reclaim a site to the standards specified in its mining permit.

The forfeited funds are used by the state to reclaim the site for which the bond was posted. AML also administers a water supply replacement program. The division extends waterlines into areas where drinking water has been contaminated by past mining. The federal government gets its funding for AML programs by collecting a fee on every ton of coal produced by mining operations nationwide.

The division has a central office in Frankfort and field offices in Prestonsburg, London, Madisonville and Hazard. Page Image.