October 24, 2022
The last hurdle preventing New Hope moving ahead with its Stage 3 expansion of the New Acland coal mine has been removed.
Late last week, the Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water granted New Hope a water licence for the expansion to go ahead.
A company statement said the grant followed the Land Court process, the Co-Ordinator-General’s consultation process and the separate independent assessment of the Department of Environment and the Resources Minister.
New Hope now holds all the primary approvals required to enable the resumption of mining operations at New Acland.
Chair Robert Millner said it was a “defining moment” for the company.
“New Acland Stage 3 stacks up environmentally, socially and financially,” he said.
“(It) will secure jobs in the region and provide significant economic benefits for Queensland.”
The approval of the water licence follows the approval of the mining leases for the project by Resources Minister Scott Stewart in August after more than a decade of court cases and delays.
The latest news was greeted with alarm by opponents of the mine.
“There is a lot riding on the grant of this water licence. Farm water bores are at risk from drawdown or pollution from this mine expansion and we’ll be pursuing every avenue to protect them,” Oakey Coal Action Alliance (OCAA) secretary Paul King said.
“This is what the fight has been about all along, the need to protect water relied on by farmers.
“Extracting coal from beneath the ground drains water relied on by farmers in the surrounding district, and we believe that fact needs to be heard and considered by a court.
“We are continuing this fight to protect the ten million litres of milk produced by the dairies who rely on that groundwater.”
The Lock The Gate Alliance immediately launched an online fundraising campaign to “help local farmers get urgent expert analysis and legal scrutiny” of the water licence approval.
OCAA president Aileen Harrison said this was the “last chance to stop this mine”.
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