WHITEHAVEN Coal has been given permission to develop a controversial coal mine in northeastern NSW that green groups warn will "carve the heart" out of the region's native woodlands.
Environment Minister Tony Burke on Monday granted strict conditional approval to Whitehaven's Maules Creek open-cut mine proposal and the nearby Boggabri project, controlled by Japanese company Idemitsu.
More work must be done before the projects can actually proceed but Mr Burke said he was satisfied the conditions would prevent unacceptable impacts on the environment.
"As the conditions make clear where more work, new plans or further modelling needs to take place, then this must be carried out to my satisfaction," Mr Burke said in a statement.
Last week, Mr Burke extended his department's timeframe for considering the Maules Creek project until April 30, much to the disappointment of Whitehaven and its investors.
But he was forced to act on Monday after the leaking of a commercially sensitive letter at the weekend that indicated he had the intention of approving the mine back in December.
Mr Burke has accused the NSW government of leaking the letter, and has ruled it out of any future dealings with the coal company over its flagship development.
Maules Creek made headlines when activist Jonathan Moylan admitted sending a press release to media outlets in early January falsely claiming the ANZ Bank had pulled its $1.2 billion loan to the miner.
Community and environment activists fear the project threatens koala habitats and thousands of hectares of old-growth forests and will force farmers off their land through soil damage.
The Nature Conservation Council of NSW accused Mr Burke of making the "unconscionable" decision to destroy thousands of hectares of state forest for short-term mining profits.
"This decision sounds the death knell for this extraordinary area, and will leave a permanent scar on the landscape," NCC chief executive officer Pepe Clarke said in a statement.
The Australian Greens said it was just the latest "crime" committed by Mr Burke against the government.
The Gillard government was just one of the "arms of the mining industry" and voters wouldn't forget in September, Greens leader Christine Milne said.
Mr Burke said the companies must minimise their impacts on the Leard State Forest and provide "enduring protection" for more than 15,000 hectares of offset projects in the surrounding areas.
These proposed offset areas aim to build wildlife corridors between the Maules Creek and Boggabri mine to protect native species including koalas and swift parrots.
Mr Burke also granted conditional approval for a coal seam methane gas project at Gloucester owned by AGL Energy, but warned it wouldn't go ahead if tests showed there could be an impact on groundwater.
The approvals were welcomed by the NSW Minerals Council, which said the mines would be subjected to some of the strictest conditions in the world and would deliver jobs and economic growth for regional NSW.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Green groups slam Maules Creek approval
Dengan url
http://cucidollaran.blogspot.com/2013/02/green-groups-slam-maules-creek-approval.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Green groups slam Maules Creek approval
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Green groups slam Maules Creek approval
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar