US miner under further investigation after destroying WA habitat of black cockatoos, quokkas and numbats

US mining company Alcoa’s strip-mining of Western Australia’s jarrah forest is under further investigation after its “deliberate repeat breach” of environmental laws that destroyed habitat for protected species – including black cockatoos, quokkas and numbats – and cost it $40m to avoid prosecution. The ongoing inquiry into Alcoa’s clearing at its Willowdale mine was revealed in talking points for federal ministers prepared ahead of the February announcement of a record $55m settlement for clearing at its Huntly mine. News of another federal investigation piles more pressure on Alcoa’s bauxite mining in south-west WA, which threatens Perth’s water supply , has destroyed about 280 sq km of jarrah forest, none of which the company has rehabilitated in 60 years, and when refined into alumina, results in mercury-laden emissions , contaminated groundwater and millions of tonnes of unstable toxic bauxite residue . Alcoa is pushing the WA and federal governments to approve an expansion of its northern Huntly mine, much of it around Perth’s largest drinking water dam, the Serpentine. Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email The February deal included Alcoa spending $40m to remedy what the government called “a deliberate repeat breach – 318 hectares cleared while under investigation” in 2023 and 2024, according to the talking points released in response to a freedom of information request. …