Venture Minerals Limited (ASX:VMS, OTC:VTMLF) has succeeded in its intervention in Tasmanian Supreme Court proceedings between environmental group the Tarkine National Coalition (TNC) and the director, Environment Protection Authority (EPA) of Tasmania.
The Chief Justice of Tasmania dismissed all three grounds of challenge brought by the TNC in relation to the 24-hour trucking permit granted to Venture for the Riley Iron Ore Mine, which argued that the trucking route would further endanger populations of Tasmanian devils.
Mine ready to restart
The Riley Mine has been in care and maintenance since the suspension of operations on September 17, 2021, but the company viewed the outcome of the Supreme Court case as a ‘substantial victory’.
Venture said the Supreme Court case had taken considerable effort from management and its legal advisers.
The Riley Mine is well maintained and ready to restart operations, so the court result clears the way for this to happen, when appropriate.
Venture says it continues to operate “within our permit conditions, respectful to the environment, wildlife and community in which we operate”, and thanked the efforts of its legal counsel and management in achieving this outcome.
The next step for Venture is to make submissions to recover its costs from the TNC.