Farmers in the Namoi Valley region of northern New South Wales have condemned the Independent Planning Commission鈥檚 decision on (IPC) April 1 to approve Whitehaven聽Coal expanding its Narrabri mine.
The decision聽came one day after聽聽in the NSW Land and Environment Court for pollution 鈥 there was an uncontrolled release of small styrofoam balls, used in explosive mixtures at a mine.
Whitehaven聽has been investigated or found guilty of breaches more than .
The mine鈥檚 expansion is estimated to produce nearly聽half a billion tonnes of carbon emissions, drain at least nine water bores relied on by local farmers and cause subsidence in the Pilliga Forest 鈥 including at culturally significant sites for the Gomeroi people.
Lock the Gate Alliance (LGA) spokesperson Georgina Woods said the IPC鈥檚 conditions meant little given Whitehaven's repeated criminal behavior.聽鈥淲e know that聽Whitehaven聽has no problem violating the conditions placed on its mining operations.鈥
Woods criticised the commissioners for acknowledging, albeit tentatively, the harm of burning more coal and approving the expansion during the catastrophic flooding in the Northern Rivers.
鈥淓ast coast communities are suffering cataclysmic, ongoing devastation due to recent floods which were made worse due to the burning of fossil fuels. Every tonne of greenhouse gas is making this danger worse.鈥 She said climate change is costing 鈥渦ntold emotional and physical damage鈥.
Boggabri farmer Sally Hunter said Namoi Valley communities were angry that Whitehaven聽was being rewarded for illegal behaviour. She said locals would bear the cost in terms of drained water bores and degraded landscapes.
鈥淚t beggars belief this company can commit serious crimes and, instead of being appropriately punished, it is given more land to destroy, more water to drain, more lives to upend. This is a disgraceful decision by the IPC, and will haunt our region and NSW for generations to come,鈥 Hunter said.
Whitehaven聽has also applied for two new coal exploration areas at Gorman North, south of Narrabri. LGA is campaigning to stop these and is encouraging .