Home / Environment / Alcoa Fined $55M for Habitat Destruction
Alcoa Fined $55M for Habitat Destruction
18 Feb
Summary
- Alcoa faces $55m penalty for unlawful clearing in protected species habitat.
- An 18-month exemption allows further clearing for bauxite mining.
- Funds will support conservation, research, and invasive species control.
The environment minister, Murray Watt, has issued an unprecedented $55 million penalty to US mining giant Alcoa. This penalty, known as an enforceable undertaking, is for unlawfully clearing more than 2,000 hectares of land between 2019 and 2025.
The cleared areas were in known habitats for protected species, including endangered black cockatoos, within Western Australia's northern jarrah forests, south of Perth. Alcoa will fund significant environmental measures, including $40 million for permanent ecological offsets.
Minister Watt also granted Alcoa an 18-month exemption to continue clearing habitat for bauxite mining. This exemption allows the government time to consider Alcoa's proposal to extend its mining operations until 2045.
This exemption is seen by some as setting a dangerous precedent, potentially prioritizing commercial interests over environmental protection. Environmental groups have voiced concerns that this could harm unique biodiversity and that rehabilitation cannot fully restore the damage from strip mining.
