coal infrastructure

Queensland’s internationally famed coast line is under siege with the QR National Wiggins Island rail project opening the floodgates to 34 new coal mine projects proposed across the state.

Friends of the Earth spokesperson Dr Bradley Smith warns that it's important to recognise the costs of these projects on the community and environment.

“This rail project will worsen the one track, two speed economy that is hurting Queensland communities and our iconic environment” said Dr. Smith.

A landmark case in Australia’s environmental history will begin in Brisbane on Monday when environment group Friends of the Earth take on global mining giant Xstrata in a bid to have a proposed mega coal mine in Queensland rejected.

The court case will be the first ever in Australia to argue exclusively for outright refusal of a coal mine based on climate change impacts.

Landholders

Pat and Helen Devlin and farmers and landholders on the edge of the mining lease who have objected to the mine. Their submissions will be heard by the court in the first week of proceedings.

Stop the Wandoan Mega Coal Mine!

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This week marks the next step in our epic court battle with multinational coal mining giant Xstrata. Friends of the Earth were presented with 7 pages of questions from Xstrata's lawyers regarding the details of their objection. Our concern about the future of the Great Barrier Reef is a key reason for initiating legal proceedings against the mine.

The Lock the Gate Alliance has renewed calls to ban hydraulic fracturing ('fracking') in the coal seam gas industry in the light of a recent study in the US into the quality of drinking water that is in close proximity to gas wells.

UPDATE Thurs 5 May: The directions hearing went well, and the case is scheduled for two weeks starting on August 22nd. Over the next few months we'll working with the Environmental Defenders Office, putting together our case to show that this mine will cause unacceptable impacts on the climate, the reef and Queensland's environment.

Global mining giant Xstrata will today face the Land Court of Queensland over the greenhouse impacts of its proposed Wandoan mega coal mine.

Friends of the Earth lodged the objection with the Land Court due to the colossal carbon emissions from the mine. Friends of the Earth spokesperson Dr John Mackenzie says that the mega mine will have disastrous impacts and should simply not go ahead.

Queensland Gas Corporation (QGC) is seeking to have the Queensland Government water down environmental approvals for the disposal of contaminated coal seam gas (CSG) water and to build more evaporation ponds to increase its brine storage.

In fact, they are seeking Queensland Government approval to amend their environmental authority (EA) to allow them to dispose of more CSG water into the Murray Darling Basin at Wieambilla Creek, near Chinchilla. 

CHALLENGE TO WANDOAN COAL MINE LAUNCHED IN QUEENSLAND COURT

On Friday 25th February, 2011, Friends of the Earth lodged an objection against a massive open cut coal mine proposed by Xstrata Coal for west of Wandoan in South West Queensland.

The Leader of The Queensland Party and Member for Beaudesert, Aidan McLindon, has called for a moratorium on coal-seam gas exploration on farming property and in areas where drinking water may be affected. Mr McLindon said that the discovery of the cancer-causing agent benzene in three wells near Mackay increased the need to proceed with caution and to put people’s lives and livelihoods before the interests of mining companies.