EPA taking legal action over outstanding debt

3 December 2015

EPA taking legal action over outstanding debt

The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) is taking legal action to recover an outstanding $795,000 debt owed by Chatham Rock Phosphate Ltd (CRP).

CRP owes the debt for the costs involved in processing its application for a marine consent in 2014 to mine phosphorite on the Chatham Rise in New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The EPA declined the application because it concluded that mining would cause significant and permanent adverse effects on the existing benthic environment.

EPA Chief Executive Dr Allan Freeth said that the EEZ legislation required the EPA to take all reasonable steps to recover the costs associated with the marine consent process.

He said the EPA had undertaken a comprehensive review of the unpaid costs to address issues raised by CRP and considered that the costs were legitimate.

“As a responsible regulator we must uphold the principle behind the legislation, which is that those who benefit from the marine consent process should bear all reasonable costs associated with it.”

The EPA had, in good faith, been attempting to recover the debt from CRP outside the court process for several months. The unpaid charges were a debt due and the EPA was now seeking payment of the debt through the normal court process for recovering debt.

ENDS

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