2011 Newsletter

Updated 27/01/2012


Corner Gorge Goulburn River

STOP PRESS!!!

Lue Action Group formed to oppose
Kingsgate Silver Mine

"Impacts from the proposed mine on the Lue district will be life changing and irreversible".

Open-pit 1km wide x 300m deep
Only 1.5 kms from the Lue village
24hour/7 day operation
blasting 6 days per week

http://www.lueactiongroup.org/

The beautiful
Bylong Valley
is
under threat from
coal mining

Bylong Valley Protection Alliance21 Jan 11 | Mid-Western Regional Council has called for a moratorium on new exploration and mining in the Bylong Valley and a study into the effects of mining across the region Moolarben Coal Mine in court over river pollutionBy 2012 the mines in just the Ulan Wollar area are planning to extract over 40 million tonnes per year of coal .
This amount of fossil carbon fuel will
produce over 100 million tonnes of greenhouse gases
exceeding the total emissions from the whole transport system for Australia
(79 Million tonnes CO2-e - ABS 2004 )
FAST FACTS

Map of Ulan-Wollar
showing the extent of the
mining area
The open cut footprint
from these mines
is equvilent to a
1km wide X 52 kms long
pit dug from
Mudgee to the
Goulburn River
BRETT WHITELY MURAL rediscovered
near The DRIP GORGE .
The ABC article wrongly states the mural is in National Park ! It is covered by a EL mining lease. Saga of Nude Brett Whitely Mural SMH Article
Links to other areas of the State also affected by Coal Mining .............. RiverSOS
Caroona Coal Action Group
Caroona, Liverpool Plains
Anvil Hill Alliance,
Wybong, Upper Hunter
Wyong Aust Gas Alliance
Wyong Valley
Bickham, Pages River
Upper HunterBARRINGTON-GLOUCESTER-STROUD Preservation Alliance also see
Rising Tide Website
Hunter Environment Lobby
Hunter Community Environment Centre
EFFECTS OF MINING
Water
Loss of Biodiversity
Social Impacts
Land degradation
Global Warming.... 
Mudgee District Environment Group
Enquiries about this webpage
Email Webmaster Chairperson
Di O'Mara
PO Box 114 Mudgee NSW 2850Contact:
Bev Smiles
bevsmiles@bigpond.com
0263734330
0428817282.
Monthly Meetings
4th Thursday/month

 

Land court challenge to Ulan West Coal Project continued.......

Legal precedent:
Ulan Coal Mines required to offset greenhouse pollution

The NSW Land and Environment Court will set a national precedent by requiring the Xstrata-owned Ulan coal mine to offset its greenhouse gas emissions as a condition of approval for expansion.

'In principle' approval has been granted by the Court to the Ulan mine expansion subject to a number of more stringent environmental conditions, including that it offsets greenhouse emissions related to the production and transport of its coal (scope 1 and 2 emissions).

The Ulan mine expansion will need to offset 23.5 million tonnes of greenhouse emissions each year, increasing NSW’s contribution to global emissions by 0.8% per year.

Legal action against the Ulan coal mine expansion was brought by the NSW Environmental Defender’s Office on behalf of NCC member group the Hunter Environment Lobby.

Read the full determination here:

RENEWABLE ENERGY OPTIONS for
Mid Western Region
Link to Notes:

Solar Thermal Power Plant - Beryl
Slides , Notes

The L & E COURT'S FINAL RULING ARE STILL OUTSTANDING

Moolarben Coal Operations
(Yancoal Pty Ltd)
in the Land and Environment Court (9 July 2010) for a number of pollution events of the Goulburn River. The Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW) provided evidence that extensive clearing and earthworks on the site of the Moolarben coal project did not have adequate sediment and erosion controls as required under their
Conditions of Approval.
 Stage 2 MCO is still being assessed
by Department Planning.

Moolarben Mega Coal Mine
Moolarben Coal Mine Stage 2 :
Link to map of mines
Moolarben Stage 1 was approved in September 2007. Felix Resources have now applied for Stage 2 and a modification of Stage 1 infrastructure.

If approved this will create a mega mine producing 17 million tonnes of new coal per year for 24 years

  • The unsustainable extraction of groundwater and interference to aquifer and river system due to mine subsidence, dewatering and on site water use.

  • The removal of a total of 851 ha of remnant native vegetation
    Includes 157 ha of CEEC (Critically Endangered Ecological Communities) that provides habitat to a range of threatened woodland birds including Regent and Painted Honeyeaters, Hooded Robin, Brown Treecreeper, Diamond Firetail (referred under EPBC Act)

  • Removal of over 11 km of creek habitat in the Murragamba Creek (also rated as significant cultural landscape) and Eastern Creek valleys including two groundwater dependant ecosystems (GDEs).

  • Removal of five Aboriginal heritage sites of high significance and 16 sites of medium significance. An additional two Aboriginal heritage sites of high significance and seven sites of medium significance will be disturbed. Underground 2 surrounds a significant site in a 100m cliff line (C7 - Site ID S2MC236) containing numerous artworks - hand stencils, animal tracks and animal motifs. The mine has provided only a 55 metre buffer area to protect this area from subsidence.

  • Cumulative impacts MCM will inflict on this catchment deserve serious offsets and protective measures around important natural and cultural features that are valued by society. There is wide spread support for the inclusion of the Goulburn River Drip Gorge, riparian area and adjacent escarpments into the Goulburn River National Park. This area has multiple values (cultural, scenic, educational, tourism and now a Brett Whitley Mural) and is of national significance. It is also supports a sensitive and connected groundwater system that is poorly understood.

The Drip and Corner Gorges on the Goulburn River are part of a visually dramatic and culturally significant landscape - inspirational to many people including the Australian artist
Brett Whitely. See interview with filmmaker Peter Kingston on the mural

This iconic place is priceless and should be granted maximum protection from mining
under the Goulburn River National Park

.........stop the
Coal industry from destroying our groundwater and rivers...
Why?
Mining threatens many catchments:

Follow the following links for more information
on mining impacts:
Waratah Riverlet, Nepean & Cataract Rivers - Sydney Water catchment
Wyong Valley - Australian Coal Alliance
Caroona - Liverpool Plains
Mammy's Creek - Gloucester
Pages River - Bickham Upper Hunter
BimbleBox Wildlife Refuge - Desert Uplands Qld.
Goulburn River Gorges - Upper Hunter Valley
It also destroys the biodiversity
and natural heritage;
fracture local communities
and fuels climate change...
.................................................