COWBOY MINING INDUSTRY GETS THE ELECTION IT DESERVES

Tuesday, 15 March 2011 12:05

New mining and gas policies from the Coalition and ALP that seek to limit the environmental and social impacts of mining; and today’s hysterical reaction from the mining industry go to prove that ALP governments and the mining industry have indulged in unbalanced decision making for years, Total Environment Centre said today.

“They are reaping the costs of thinking that coal was king and that gas was the next big thing – and that they had unhindered pre-eminence amongst land uses in natural areas, rural towns and villages.  They miscalculated,” said Jeff Angel, Director of TEC.

“It’s absolutely essential that the next NSW government quickly completes the Coal and Gas Strategy so balance is injected into the decision making system.”

TEC Director Jeff Angel said, "the introduction of exclusion zones, the banning of exploration in waterways and protection of water sources, serious attention to cumulative impacts, withdrawal or no renewal of exploration licences, improved auditing and compliance, and the banning of dangerous fraccing practices for gas drilling and early environmental assessment of proposals – underlain by a strategy rather than the current cowboy approach – are all needed".

"The next Government must use the momentum generated by these policy announcements to deliver better outcomes for the regions, water catchments and bushland."

TEC is calling for an approach to mining that delivers certainty to the environment and mining affected communities.

"The mistakes of recent years that have seen places like the Hunter Valley transformed into a huge mining zone, longwall mines damaging rivers and swamps across Sydney's water supply catchment, the destroying of forests for open cut coal mines, the threats posed to food security and the confetti of exploration licences - must not be repeated."