Maules Creek Coal Mine faces more criminal charges: Knitting Nannas report

Maules Creek Coal Mine faces more criminal charges: Knitting Nannas report

When Whitehaven Coal recently faced serious criminal charges brought by the NSW EPA in a NSW Land and Environment Court trial, observers expected the Namoi region’s worst polluter to plead guilty and cop a fine. That is what Whitehaven did when its Narrabri underground mine was prosecuted in 2020 for 19 charges of causing significant harm in Pilliga Forest during coal exploration, and again when it pleaded guilty to a polluting blast at its Rocglen mine (near Gunnedah) in 2019. However, faced with nine separate blasting offences at its Maules Creek coal mine,…continue reading →
DPE rejects Santos bid to limit pipeline assessment but more scrutiny needed 

DPE rejects Santos bid to limit pipeline assessment but more scrutiny needed 

The NSW Department of Planning and Environment has rejected a bid by Santos to avoid cumulative impact assessment of its planned Narrabri Lateral Pipeline. In its Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (“SEARs”) issued on 9th February 2023, the Department called on Santos to consider “the potential cumulative impacts due to other developments in the vicinity (completed, underway or proposed)”. This is despite Santos claiming in its Scoping Report for the 60km gas pipeline that there would be no cumulative impacts in relation to atmospheric emissions (deliberate or accidental), biodiversity and bushfire risk, with other…continue reading →