Hunter community advocates are calling for law reform to make holistic transition and closure plans mandatory for all large coal mines, after the Minns Government awarded NSW's biggest coal mine - BHP’s Mt Arthur - a four year mining extension today.
BHP now has permission to continue mining at its current rate of 25 million tonnes of thermal coal per annum until 2030, four years beyond the end of its previous approval. Conditions have been placed on the mine requiring that the social impacts of its closure be mitigated, and that post-mining land uses be pursued.
Community advocates have welcomed these improvements, but they warn that much more robust transition and closure plans are required, and should be mandated for all mines.
While BHP has released “concept plans” for post-mining land uses at the site, advocates say these are not commitments, and leave many questions unanswered about the rehabilitation and repurposing of the massive disturbance footprint near Muswellbrook, which spans across 70 square kilometres and is 18km long at its coal face.
Hunter Renewal spokesperson Steve Phillips said the lack of certainty surrounding BHP’s Mt Arthur highlighted the need for the NSW Minns Government to require transparent and comprehensive closure plans for all large mines.
“BHP’s Mt Arthur is the first cab off the rank for major coal closures in the region - it will set the standard for rehabilitation in the Hunter, with more mines expected to close in coming years," he said.
“It is essential for the Hunter that the Mt Arthur closure is done right, with the interests of local communities and the environment prioritised, and rehabilitation obligations enforced.
“The NSW Government leaves mine closure up to mining giants: it doesn’t have laws regulating this huge, complex, long term process, the success of which is critical to the communities who must live with the outcome. Hunter residents have little trust in mining companies keeping their word.
“There is a real need for the Minns Government to step in and require legally-enforced, transparent closure plans that are guided by the local community. These must be in place many years before the expected closure date.
“BHP and other big coal companies are leaving the Hunter – it will be local people who must live with the consequences if mine closure is not done properly.”
ENDS
Background:
Hunter Renewal is calling on BHP to:
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Publish a transition and mine closure plan for the Mt Arthur mine.
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Implement the recommendations of the independent stakeholder consultation report it commissioned, including:
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Establish a community future fund;
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Incorporate the mine’s vast buffer lands into rehabilitation planning;
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Form a diverse and inclusive mine closure community group;
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Robust engagement with local community on future land uses for the site
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Hunter Renewal is calling on the Minns Government to:
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Make it the law that all large mines must prepare, and have ready, transition and closure plans that incorporate international best practice standards.
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Create a Hunter Transition Authority empowered to coordinate the region’s social, environmental, and economic transition beyond coal.
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Urgently release funding for economic diversification projects in the Hunter.