Walk away Bylong coal mine appeal rejected
Proponents of a controversial coal mine planned for a rich farming area north-west of Sydney have had their appeal against an earlier rejection dismissed by the courts, raising the prospect the project will be scrapped.
The Court of Appeal on Tuesday dismissed the appeal by Korean energy giant KEPCO which is seeking to build a so-called greenfield coal mine in the Bylong Valley.
The Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal against an earlier rejection of a coal mine planned for the Bylong Valley north-west of Sydney. Credit:Brendan Esposito
The Independent Planning Commission dismissed the plan for a 6.5 million tonne a year mine two years ago, and a previous court appeal was also rejected in part because of the climate change impacts of digging up the fossil fuel.
KEPCO was also ordered to pay the court costs of the Bylong Valley Protection Alliance, which had fought against the mine proposal for years.
Rana Koroglu, a managing lawyer with the Environmental Defenders Office, said it was the third time “this destructive and climate-wrecking coal mine proposal has been defeatedâ€.
“It’s time for the proponent KEPCO to walk away,†Ms Koroglu said in a statement. “The most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report delivered a ‘code red’ for humanity on climate. It’s clear we cannot afford to develop more greenfield coal mines at a time when the world needs to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.â€
The Herald has sought comment from KEPCO.
More to come
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