{"id":487477,"date":"2026-02-18T07:50:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T07:50:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/487477\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T07:50:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T07:50:09","slug":"alcoa-hit-with-record-fine-for-illegally-clearing-wa-jarrah-forests-for-bauxite-mine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/487477\/","title":{"rendered":"Alcoa hit with record fine for illegally clearing WA jarrah forests for bauxite mine"},"content":{"rendered":"

US mining giant Alcoa has been forced to pay $55 million after unlawfully clearing parts of a Western Australian native forest to mine bauxite.<\/p>\n

The federal government on Wednesday confirmed Alcoa did not seek relevant approvals when it cleared a known habitat for nationally protected species in the Northern Jarrah Forest, south of Perth, between 2019 and 2025.<\/p>\n

The fine \u2014 described as “unprecedented” by the office of the Environment Minister Murray Watt \u2014 is part of a remediation deal the bauxite miner struck with the government to enable it to continue its operations.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

The money will go towards conservation initiatives such as strengthening invasive-species management and ecological offsets to preserve the remaining habitat in the area.<\/p>\n

The company has mined bauxite in WA since the 1960s and employs about 4,000 people in the state.<\/p>\n

Threatened species protection<\/p>\n

The settlement includes a new agreement covering Alcoa’s Huntly and Willowdale mining operations, around 100 kilometres south of Perth, until 2045.<\/p>\n

“This agreement will enable government to assess the cumulative environmental impacts of Alcoa’s local mining operations and provide strong protections for threatened species and ecological communities, while offering Alcoa long-term operational certainty,” Mr Watt said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Carnaby’s cockatoos are among the endangered species found in the Northern Jarrah Forest. (Supplied:\u00a0John Tucker)<\/p>\n

However, he said he had also allowed the company to continue with “limited land clearing” for the next 18 months, while the assessment is underway.<\/p>\n

Alcoa maintained it operated in accordance with the EPA Act, but has acknowledged the clearing.<\/p>\n

“We are committed to responsible operations and welcome this important step in transitioning our approvals to a contemporary assessment process that provides increased certainty for our operations and our people into the future,” Alcoa CEO William Oplinger said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Land clearing opposition<\/p>\n

The Pennsylvania-based company has cleared around 28,000 hectares of the world’s only jarrah forests in WA as part of its bauxite mining operation.<\/p>\n

The company is required to rehabilitate the land it mines before returning it to the state, but in 2023 was found not to have met the government’s rehabilitation completion criteria.<\/p>\n

It has faced growing opposition to further land clearing and the potential environmental impact in recent years.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, it was revealed the company was being investigated by WA’s environmental regulator over allegations it mined too close to a large jarrah tree.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The tree in close proximity to Alcoa’s mining activity, which is being investigated by the state’s environmental watchdog. (Supplied)<\/p>\n

“Significant trees” are protected under special exemption conditions allowing Alcoa to keep operating while its expansion is assessed by the EPA.<\/p>\n

Alcoa has denied any wrongdoing, but if a breach is proven, it could make it illegal for Alcoa to continue mining during the EPA assessment.<\/p>\n

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