THE federal and NSW governments approved the Whitehaven Maules Creek coalmine near Narrabri in western NSW on false and misleading information about environmental offsets to endangered flora and fauna, according to experts commissioned by a protest group.
Phil Laird, national co-ordinator of the Lock the Gate Alliance, said two independent expert reports had recently reviewed the offsets proposed by Whitehaven Coal and found there were "very substantial, and apparently inexplicable, errors in the mapping of its biodiversity offsets".
In approving the $766 million mine, the federal and NSW state governments had acknowledged it would have a significant impact on biodiversity. Whitehaven had agreed to create biodiversity offset areas to compensate."The new expert reports confirm that the offsets do not provide 'like for like' habitat for the critically endangered box gum woodland, but are in fact a completely different ecosystem that is not under threat," Mr Laird said.
Whitehaven was given approval to clear 544ha of critically endangered box gum woodland, and 1665ha of habitat for 31 threatened species including the nationally threatened regent honeyeater, swift parrot and greater long-eared bat.It was required to offset this impact with 9334ha of equivalent or better habitat for the threatened species and 5532ha for the box gum woodland."
Just as the Independent Commission Against Corruption has identified major problems with the regulation of mining during the allocation of coal titles, this case reveals similar glaring weaknesses in the actual mining approval process," Mr Laird said."Mapping and assessments conducted by consultants for mining companies are not subject to any independent verification, and approvals are granted even with major uncertainty."
The NSW Environmental Defenders Office has written to the federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt calling for construction on the mine to be delayed until a full investigation has been completed into the provision of alleged false and misleading information.
Whitehaven and Mr Hunt's office did not respond to requests for comment. -
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We might not be able to buy friends, but governments can certainly be bought, it seems.
