BVPA member Jodie Nancarrow appealed to councillors at their meeting this week to work openly with the group in its campaign against three potential coal mines in the valley.

“We don’t need any more rest areas or dunnies – we need support,” she told councillors.

“We’re fighting for our lives.”

Ms Nancarrow said that residents were concerned that council had not advised them that it had given approval for seismic testing in the valley.

She said council approved the testing by Hansen Bailley on behalf of Anglo Coal in November and a letter drop on November 30 advised residents that the testing would begin on December 1.

“It seems to us it was rubber stamped,” she said.

“If we being encouraged to ‘man up’, to be particular with land access agreements, why does council not make it hard for these companies to jump through the hoops?”

Ms Nancarrow described the testing along council road reserves as “sneaky”, since the crews used “Roadwork ahead” signs to hide the real nature of their work.

But council manager of group planning and development Catherine Van Laeren said the Roads Act allowed companies to access the road reserve for testing, subject to having traffic management controls in place.

“We actually can’t say no, but we can say there are types of conditions they need to address,” she said.

Ms Nancarrow urged council to take a stand on coal mining in the region.

“Has council ever thought to say ‘no’ to mining in the area? It seems council can say one thing and do another.”

General manager Warwick Bennett said that council had been notified only minutes earlier that the Department of Planning had issued director general’s requirements for Cascade Coal’s application to mine in the valley, giving council until January 21 to respond.

“Quite frankly, once it gets to director general’s requirements, you are getting very much down the track of a fait accompli,” he said.

Cr Elwyn Lang, Cr Esme Martens, Cr Percy Thompson, Cr Russell Holden and Cr Peter Shelley spoke against mining in Bylong.

Cr Lang said he would “fight tooth and nail” to prevent mining in Bylong Valley.

“I think that it’s one of the great tragedies if this could go ahead in the Bylong Valley,” he said.

“…We cannot let that happen and if that happens we might as well give up the ghost.

“No people involved in farming would be allowed to do what they are going to do but they can just walk in and destroy your homeland.”