NCRA Approves Release of Lands In St. Ann to Noranda For Mining

The Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA) has approved the release of approximately 1,324 hectares of lands in St. Ann for mining to Noranda Jamaica Bauxite Partners.

Chief Executive Officer and Government Town Planner, National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), Peter Knight, made the disclosure during a virtual stakeholder briefing on the ‘NRCA’s Decision on Noranda’s Application for Mining in Special Mining Licence (SML) 173’, on Monday (January 3).

Mr. Knight said the lands that have been approved are confined to a limited geographical area.

He explained that the environmental permit application by Noranda was initially for 8,335 hectares, spanning the parishes of St. Ann and Trelawny.

An area totaling 891 hectares was clawed-back, thereby reducing the size of the SML available for mining to 6,183 hectares.

“The decision of the NRCA is to release an area of approximately 1,324 hectares of the 6,163 hectares, located exclusively in the parish of St Ann,” Mr. Knight said.

He noted that the area excludes the district of Madras and the school environs.

“The geographical area is the most disturbed in the SML and, in fact, overlaps the study area where the most detailed assessments were carried out by the consultants, thus allowing for this informed decision. The area primarily consists of secondary forests and fields. No disturbed broadleaf forest vegetation cover will be impacted in the geographical area released,” Mr. Knight pointed out.

He noted that Noranda has proposed mining in five-year cycles. The geographical area approved was included in the 2020 to 2024 phase one cycle, and is described in detail in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report.

Notably, Mr. Knight said the NRCA/NEPA will mandate additional studies to inform the renewal of the environmental permit and for consideration of any future applications for mining outside the limited geographical area released as phase one.

“This means that the terms of reference are to be developed and agreed on. The thinking is that the process to develop such terms of reference should involve stakeholders drawn from academia and environmental non-government organisations,” he pointed out.

The environmental permit is to be prepared in line with the NRCA’s decision and will include specific and general conditions.

The levying of a substantial environmental performance bond will be included as an integral part of the terms.

It includes collaborative and structured compliance monitoring oversight by multi-agency partners, particularly NEPA, the Water Resources Authority (WRA), Forestry Department, and Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT).

The NRCA has directed and agreed to incentivise NEPA to engage a qualified environmental professional to act as focal point to oversee compliance and monitoring.