Three delegates from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will reassess the proposed Stage 8 extension of the Roe Highway in Western Australia.
WA Environment Minister Albert Jacob has appointed Gerard Early, Michael Poole and Olga Barron to reassess the project as a result of the Supreme Court’s decision in December last year that the EPA’s previous assessment was invalid.
Mr. Jacob said in a statement that he approved the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) formally delegating its powers to assess the proposal under the Environmental Protection Act 1986.
Mr. Jacob said in the statement that the EPA board decided it should delegate its powers to an independent panel to avoid any actual or perceived conflicts of interest. None of the delegates were involved in the previous Roe 8 assessment.
“Mr Early is a highly experienced environmental consultant and Professor Poole and Dr Barron are eminent scientists and experts in their respective fields,” he said.
“I am confident the delegates will assess the proposal in an impartial and timely manner.”
Based in Canberra, Mr. Early is a consultant and former deputy secretary in the Commonwealth Department of Environment. Mr. Early will be the chairman of the delegates.
Professor Poole, who has an Order of Australia AM, is a consultant and former head of the CSIRO Centre for Mediterranean Agricultural Research.
Dr. Barron is Principal Research Scientist and Group Leader Water Resources Sector at the CSIRO.
The Office of the Environmental Protection Authority has been preparing documents for the reassessment and the delegates begin work this week.