Valeria Mine Proposal

The Valeria project would be a massive new coal mine near the towns of Emerald and Capella in Central Queensland.

Glencore want to produce 20 million tonnes of coal over 35 years from 6 open-cut pits sprawling over almost 30,000 hectares of high-value farmland and remnant bushland. The mine is planned to continue until 2067.

If Glencore gets the green light on this massive coal project:

Close to 5,000 hectares of remnant and regrowth vegetation could be cleared, destroying critical habitat for 22 listed threatened species, including koalas, the Greater Glider, the ‘Retro Slider’ snake and the Australian Painted Snipe

Image: Painted Snipe

High-value farmland would be destroyed, potentially including over 1,100ha of Strategic Cropping Land

Image: Lake Maraboon (Fairbairn Dam)

Water bores, creeks and rivers fed by groundwater would almost certainly experience draw down, with flow-on impacts to farmers and groundwater-dependent ecosystems
Important wetlands in the area, including along Theresa Creek and the nearby Lake Maraboon (Fairbairn Dam), could be impacted by groundwater draw-down or changes to flooding regimes as a result of Glencore’s diversions and levees

You can read more about the project and its environmental impacts in the EPBC Act referral here and the IAS.

Image: Retro Slider