The Lock the Gate Alliance is hoping that the landmark Land and Environment Court decision to refuse the Rocky Hill coal mine near Gloucester, will have implications on the proposed Bylong project currently being reviewed by the Independent Planning Commission (IPC).
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Last week the court dismissed an appeal by Gloucester Resources, which was seeking to overturn a NSW Government decision to reject the mine because of its impact on the Gloucester community and its expected contribution to climate change through greenhouse gas emissions from the project.
Lock the Gate spokesperson Georgina Woods said the lessons of the judgement need to be applied to the Bylong project.
"At a time when the world is warming at a terrifying rate, this judgement marks a turning point for NSW’s consideration of new mines," she said.
“Other new coal mine projects, like the incredibly destructive Bylong coal mine, should now have this additional test applied.
“Lock the Gate is calling on the Independent Planning Commission to immediately commission an independent review of the climate change implications of the Bylong coal mine.
“As a large, greenfields thermal coal mine which will make a major contribution to global warming, the consequences of this legal decision should trigger a major reconsideration of the Bylong project.”
KEPCO Bylong Australia said in a statement that their "focus remains on the current process being conducted by the Independent Planning Commission to determine our application to advance the Bylong Coal Project".
"We are confident of the robustness of the environmental, economic and social impact information that has been prepared on behalf of the project over the last seven years, and the strong benefits that the project will create," the statement read.
A key difference between the projects being that the NSW Department of Planning and Environment recommended that Rocky Hill be refused, but Bylong was green-lit when it was referred to the IPC for approval, subject to stringent conditions.
The IPC is expected to hand down its decision on the Bylong proposal soon, having held a public meeting in November.