Did you know…
- There are plans to start coal mining in the Margaret River region.
- The first proposed mine site is at Osmington, 15km from the town centre. That’s above the ground…
- Below ground the mine tunnels could travel kilometres under landowners’ properties and businesses.
- The first lease allows for mining under the Margaret River itself.
- Shafts would be drilled through the Leederville aquifer, which provides water to Cowaramup and Margaret River residents.
- It is estimated that 40 tonnes of coal would be trucked from the site every nine minutes, day and night, for about the next 20 years.
- A major road would have to be built through State forest to allow road trains access to Sues Road and then onto Bussell Highway, the main conduit from Bunbury to Margaret River.
- The coal would be washed at Capel using 1,000 litres of water for every one tonne of coal.
- The waste water would need to be dealt with since it would contain a range of hazardous substances.
- The plan is for the washed coal to be transported to Bunbury Port for export to India – a major coal producing country.
- Project managers for the proposed Osmington mine are LD Operations, a NSW-based company. However, the owners are AMCI, a trans-national company (70%) and an Australian concern headed up by Nedlands man Norman Taylor (30%) . See vassecoal.com.au for details.
- Mining Minister Norman Moore has just renewed the Osmington lease. It now expires in 21 years.
- The Sue coal seam runs from Busselton and Dunsborough in the north to Augusta in the south.
- There are more than 20 leases under consideration.
- NO COAL!tion has put a 180-page submission to the Environmental Protection Agency,
apparently the only authority which can put a stop to the proposed Osmington mine since the Mining Act overrides all other authorities.
- NO COAL!tion believes that coal mining in the southwest will cause irreparable damage to the land, our water supplies, the livelihoods of residents, the viability of businesses, and the Margaret River food, wine and tourism brand, which has been developed through hard work over the last 40 years.
- Local peak bodies – commercial and not-for-profit – are united in opposing the undermining of the Margaret River region, and the Augusta Margaret River Shire Council has opposed it.