Minister's coal comments inappropriate

West Coast Environment Network will not withdraw its appeals against Australian company Bathurst Resource's proposed mine on the Denniston Plateau north of Westport.

“We'd like to extend our sympathy to the Spring Creek miners and their families – we've never asked for existing jobs to be lost because we really understand how these boom and bust cycles negatively affect communities,” says West Coast Environment Network spokesperson Lynley Hargreaves.

“Steven Joyce's comments are really just a kneejerk reaction to divert attention away from Solid Energy's mismanagement – the Minister should direct the company to get those miners back to work.”

“The Escarpment Mine case starts at the Environment Court in October, and it's deeply inappropriate for a Minister to intervene in a case that is before the courts. There are very important issues at stake here – we are talking about large-scale opencast mining on high-value conservation land,” she adds.

“What's also at stake is whether the impact on climate change of that mining expansion can even be considered. Here on the West Coast we are vulnerable to climate change – our three main towns are all on river mouths and close to sea level. Franz Josef Glacier – our biggest tourism drawcard – is undergoing a huge retreat.”

“Coal needs to be phased out slowly, and opening and closing mines whenever world coal prices fluctuate is incredibly unhelpful, both in terms of community cohesion and a sustainable future for the West Coast.”

ENDS

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