The Guardian 14 November, 2007
Serious dust problem
requires urgent attention
The ongoing serious dust problems that are affecting mining communities in NSW needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency according to Greens MP Lee Rhiannon and Upper Hunter environmental activist Peter Kennedy
On Tuesday October 30 Ms Rhiannon was in Muswellbrook, NSW to meet with concerned locals over the ongoing problems associated with excessive dust that is coming from the local coal mines. These large open cut mines are very close to the township of Muswellbrook, in fact the Bengalla mine dumps are just 2.7 kms from Peter Kennedy’s house.
With the planned mine expansion that is expected for the Hunter area, the dust situation will become worse as each new mine is commissioned and it would seem that consideration of the ill effects this will have on people’s health is not on the agenda. Despite all the glossy mining company brochures distributed around the Hunter Valley towns and their claims about world class mining and environmental practices, the dust haze over the Hunter is growing steadily day by day.
With the closest office of the EPA (Environmental Protection Authority) being Newcastle, some two hours drive away, it has proved pointless in contacting the Authority in regards to excessive dust emissions. It can take days for an inspector to turn up to investigate a dust complaint concerning their mine by which time dust emission have an uncanny habit of being reduced!
In order to get onto and investigate Upper Hunter complaints more quickly the Greens and Peter Kennedy are calling on the NSW State Government to re-establish an office of the EPA in Muswellbrook to cope with the expected mine expansion in the near future.
There had been a local EPA office in Muswellbrook but since it was closed down in 2003, complaints have had to go via the Newcastle office.
Both the Greens and the CPA agree that if the office was re-opened it would have to be staffed over the weekend as it seems that is when the dust problems seem to be at their worst. If any mining companies were brought before the land and environment court they should be fined heavily, with convictions recorded against them for future reference.
Should they re-offend, consent for any planned mine expansion or change to the mine operating conditions should be denied.
It has been reported that there have been 1,041 cases of environmental breaches and only 80 of them have been successfully resolved.
The Upper Hunter coalfields provide the NSW Government with approx $400 million in state revenue and it would seem only fair that the health of local communities should be protected from this major problem. Over the past two years, $100 million has been spent in Muswellbrook on a rail siding, a passing loop, a coal wagon unloader, and an overland conveyor to the stockpiles at Bayswater Power station — all done with state taxpayers’ money to prop up the coal industry further.
With the hot summer months nearly on us, the dust situation can only get worse if the government does not take control and see that the people of the Upper Hunter do not have to breathe this foul dust-laden air.