The Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) and Lock the Gate Alliance said Glencore and Yancoal鈥檚 decision to withdraw one of two open cut coal mine expansions in the Hunter Valley is good news, but not the end of the matter.
HVO Continuation Project North and South was seeking approval from New South Wales and federal governments to mine an additional 780 million tonnes of thermal coal over 25 years, to 2050.
Hunter Environment Lobby (HEL) spokesperson Jan David said the fight is not over as the companies are expected to resubmit a new plan for one of its projects.
HEL initiated legal action in the Federal Court to try and overturn Glencore/Yancoal鈥檚 Hunter Valley Operations (HVO) North Project on the basis that the climate impacts on the Great Barrier Reef had not been considered.
Before the case was heard, however, HVO announced it was withdrawing its federal application and submitting an amended plan.
Glencore/Yancoal are the largest thermal coal mining and export companies to operate in Australia.聽HVO is licensed to extract 42 million tonnes of coal each year.
聽are concerned that the emissions of direct greenhouse gases, particularly methane, including a spike after 2040, especially as NSW is not on track to meet its 2030 and 2035 targets 鈥渨ithout further action by Government and the private sector鈥.
The government鈥檚 planning department told HVO that if this project proceeded all other sectors of the economy would likely have to reduce emissions more quickly to make up for it. NSW has signed up to net zero emissions by 2050.
Steve Phillips from Hunter Renewal聽said communities in the Hunter have been 鈥渃alling for a region-wide plan for our economy and our landscape post-coal for years鈥.
鈥淲e鈥檙e asking the NSW government to urgently release the millions of dollars it is sitting on in聽聽to rapidly accelerate new economic opportunities and support workers in the Hunter region.鈥
He said Glencore/Yancoal also needed to rapidly develop a detailed training and transition plan for workers which they have failed to produce for the HVO coal mine.
Lock the Gate Alliance聽National Coordinator Carmel Flint said HVO鈥檚 withdrawal of its federal coal expansion plan 鈥渦nderscores that this was an ill-conceived project from the outset鈥.
鈥淎ustralia鈥檚 agriculture and manufacturing sectors should not have to shoulder responsibility for greenhouse emissions from export coal mining companies and their expansion plans.鈥
According to The Australia Institute鈥檚 鈥淐oal Mine Tracker鈥, Glencore/Yancoal鈥檚 , which have been given permission, cover an area the size of nearly the entire electorates of Sydney and Grayndler.