Month: May 2021

Following nearly a year of swirling allegations that Whitehaven Coal has been using its Maules Creek Coal Mine as an unofficial landfill to bury industrial tyres and waste oil, the Resource Assessments branch of the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment has approved two of Whitehaven’s other Namoi mines to bury off-the-road (OTR) tyres from mining vehicles. Feature Image: Example of the tyres being buried in their hundreds at Namoi Valley coal mines (Image supplied) A scandal concerning mass industrial tyre burials at Whitehaven Coal’s mines has embroiled three regulators, including the…continue reading →

The NSW Environment Protection Authority’s latest changes to Santos’ Environmental Protection Licence EPL 20350 include permission to transport and dispose of drill cuttings from the coal seam gas mining process, on site in the Pilliga State Forest which is a recharge zone of the Great Artesian Basin. This condition was approved in just 23 days and there is no available analysis of the chemical composition of the cuttings. The Licence changes will now free the way for Santos to dispose of this waste, which is known to be linked with elevated levels of…continue reading →

A landmark decision has been passed unanimously at the 2021 Annual General Meeting of the NSW Country Women’s Association calling on the NSW Government to cease the practice of offering Mineral Exploration Licences to $2 companies.The motion by White Cliffs Branch, which is part of the Darling River Group, refers to the practice of allowing companies with only $2 capitalisation to approach farmers to gain access to land for prospecting, placing the burden of risk and damage to their properties on landowners and not the mining companies. White Cliffs CWA members Penne Clarke,…continue reading →