The Wilderness Society welcomes freeze on NSW mining developments

Media Release
The Wilderness Society Sydney Inc
21 May 2011

The Wilderness Society has today welcomed the announcement of a 60-day moratorium on mining developments in NSW while a stakeholder panel has been set up to investigate the true impacts of coal on our natural environment and local communities.

"It is a positive step forward that shows the NSW Government is listening to the community who are outraged over the hold that the mining companies have over our state." said Chris Daley, Campaigner for The Wilderness Society.

"Mining developments in NSW are threatening our natural environment, fragmenting our landscape and further destroying biodiversity in critical areas."

The announcement by the Minister for Planning, Brad Hazzard, follows calls from environment groups for a moratorium on coal seam gas developments as it poses a significant unknown threat to our natural environment and agricultural land.

The Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke recently called in the Pilliga Eastern Star Gas development as a controlled action, subject to Federal approval, these decisions demonstrate that community concern over coal seam gas development is justified.

The Wilderness Society is particularly concerned by the impact that coal seam gas extraction will have on the health of our rivers through the release of toxic wastewater and byproducts, while the extraction of groundwater from aquifers and the location of evaporation ponds have the potential to cause further harm to our freshwater systems.

"We hope to be given the opportunity to work with the NSW Coalition Government throughout this stakeholder process to ensure that the true environmental impact of mining is brought to the public’s attention." concluded Chris Daley.