South32 coal mine fined $15,000 for pumping sludge into Mount Kembla creek.

By Tim Fernandez (2021, April 1). ABC News. (edited)

The environmental watchdog has fined an Illawarra mine for breaching the conditions of its licence. A water dam built by South32 to hold mining waste released millions of litres of coal sludge into local waterways last. August after heavy rainfall caused South32's water dam to fail.

The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) issued the mine a $15,000 penalty for non-compliance with its environmental protection licence.

South32, the company that owns the mine, was required to employ an independent expert to monitor the environmental impacts of the spill.

"This monitoring showed a small reduction in aquatic animals near the mine immediately after the spill," said Jacinta Hanemann, the EPA's acting director, regulatory operations metro.

"Subsequent testing has shown no long-term impacts from the incident.

"South32 carried out the remediation work and environmental monitoring that was required by the EPA.

"It is also performing structural reviews of all similar infrastructure at the mine to avoid incidents like this in the future." Citizen scientist Jessica Whittaker is one of a group of residents who raised concerns about the spill and documented the impact on the local flora and fauna.

"You can get fined $8,000 for pouring paint into a drain - and we're fining a coal company that release 10 megalitres of coal sludge into a suburban creek $15,000. Is this the value that we put on our aquatic ecosystems? I am really gutted," Ms Whittaker said.

The company said in a statement a review by external consultants found. the incident has caused no ongoing problems for the waterways.

"This monitoring found there were no long-term impacts associated with the event."

Required:

Environmental costs can be classified in to five tiers of cost categories: conventional costs, compliance costs, contingent costs, relationship and image costs or societal costs.

Pick two different tiers of environmental costs, and give an example of that environmental cost classification related to the news article above. For each example, explain why it is classified under that environmental cost category.