Environmental Sustainability
The potential effects from the project's activities will be avoided or limited through the use of environmental design features, controls, or other mitigation measures. These include specific management plans and operating procedures. These potential effects will be verified through a compliance monitoring program. The Southey Mine will exercise adaptive management in accordance to local industry practices; monitoring data will be collected to ensure that safeguards are working as predicted. If the data suggests a potential for an unpredicted change in the environment the project will be changed to avoid causing this change. Beyond limiting potential effects, during production Yancoal Canada will follow through on commitments to contribute to the creation and continuation of regional environmental monitoring, remediation, or protection programs.
Community Sustainability
The optimization of positive effects from the project is required. The strategy focuses on socio-economic benefits such as infrastructure improvement, employment and business opportunities, to improving the quality of life for local community members. Transparent and open communication with local communities is essential, especially regarding the hiring and procurement needs of the project and the timing of these needs. Communication also contributes to the potential for sustainable capacity building. Yancoal Canada is committed to participating in and contributing to the identification, creation and utilization of local employment opportunities. Part of the project development requires that infrastructure improvements and upgrades will be needed. An increased need for and demand on infrastructure is being planned for in cooperation with local municipalities. Cooperation is being sought in order to produce positive externalities from the project, such as improved local telecommunications, waste treatment, waste disposal, and water supplies. Yancoal Canada intends to continue to be a good neighbour/good corporate citizen, contributing to the local quality of life and acting as a responsible member of the community.
Economic Sustainability
In order to ensure sustainability, Yancoal believes it is necessary to provide a relatively stable, predictable, and long term operation. Economic sustainability requires a development approach that makes it possible to use available resources to their full potential. The idea is to promote the use of the resource in a way that is both efficient and responsible, and likely to provide long-term benefits.