[Greens-Media] Coal companies pollution breaches threat to Illawarra water catchment

Lee Rhiannon Lee.Rhiannon at parliament.nsw.gov.au
Mon Dec 8 07:38:25 EST 2008


MEDIA RELEASE
8 December 2008


Coal companies pollution breaches threat to Illawarra water catchment


Greens MP and mining spokesperson said that the Illawarra coal mining
industry*s record of non-compliance with their Environment Protection
Authority (EPA) licences threatens the region's drinking catchments.
(Illawarra Mercury today)

In the Southern coalfields, 11 mines reported 559 incidents where
coal-mining companies failed to comply with their EPA licences from 2000
- 2007. Almost a third of these breaches can be traced to one company,
Tahmoor Coal Pty Ltd owned by Xstrata. 

*Coal companies are making huge windfall profits, yet the NSW
Government is failing to enforce the environmental conditions of mine
approval," Ms Rhiannon said.

*Local communities are at risk as coal companies disregard water
pollution conditions. Local communities do not want arsenic, nickel,
zinc and copper entering the water catchment.  

*Companies barely get a slap on the wrist for water pollution
breaches and so they continue to reoffend. 

*The NSW government continues to give the nod to new coal mines but
refuses to provide additional funding to overworked EPA offices. 

*The Minister for the Environment Carmel Tebbutt needs to recognise
that mining communities now require full-time inspectors to monitor
dust, noise, vibrations, water and air quality. 

"The EPA has a big job to do and needs more resources. 

*The results of round the clock on-site monitoring by the EPA should
be made available to local communities, and inspectors should impose
substantial fines on mining companies whenever they breach their
planning consent conditions,* said Ms Rhiannon. 


For more information: 	Lee Rhiannon * (02) 9230 3551, 0427 861 568



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