Calls for mine plan to get green light
THE Queensland Resources Council has called on the Palaszczuk Government to approve plans to expand the New Acland mine west of Toowoomba.
Last week the Oakey Coal Action Alliance aired claims that Department of Environment and Science staff were unduly influenced by personal relationships with New Hope Group staff, a suggestion that has been dismissed by QRC chief executive Ian Macfarlane.
Calling on the state government to “not be held to ransom by minority activist groups”, Mr Macfarlane said DES took more than six months to make its decision to grant an amended Environmental Authority to the controversial Stage 3 expansion.
“No resources project in Queensland history has been more scrutinised or assessed than New Acland Stage 3,” Mr Macfarlane said.
“New Hope Group, its workers and the local community have been stuck on a never-ending roundabout for more than 15 years.
“If the relevant government departments and Ministers Scott Stewart (Mining Leases) and Glenn Butcher (Associated Water Licence) believe New Acland Stage 3 should go ahead, then they should back themselves.
“If the Palaszczuk Government believes in its processes and people, it needs to declare New Acland Stage 3 a prescribed project. Otherwise, it is giving an indefinite green light to groups like OCAA, which is backed by the taxpayer-funded Environmental Defenders Office, to challenge every decision.”
OCAA secretary Paul King said New Hope “had no social licence” to have its expansion approved and called for the expansion plans to be scrapped.
“The New Acland mine is currently closed, and it should stay that way,” Mr King said.
“The bottom line is this controversial mine expansion will risk prime agricultural land and water resources and goes against the science that tells us emissions must rapidly decrease to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
“During our current food crisis, it doesn’t make sense to destroy prime agricultural land and put up to 10 million litres of milk production at risk by re-opening this mine.
“Local farmers and landholders are calling on the government to reject this licence and put an end to this dangerous project once and for all.”
Last week Resources Minister Scott Stewart said he would give “careful consideration” to any mining lease application for the proposed Stage 3 expansion when he received it from the Department of Resources.
“We’ve always said we will let the legal process finish before any decision was made about New Acland,” he said.