A rally to protect the Reef from new shipping ports for exporting coal and minerals. (Photo: FusionVision/cc/flickr)
May 08, 2014
In the wake of warnings over the industry's threats to the Great Barrier Reef, the Australian state of Queensland on Thursday gave the OK to one of the world's biggest coal mines.
The slated project is the Adani Enterprises-owned Carmichael Mine in the state's Galilee Basin, and it is expected to produce as much as 60 million tonnes of coal a year and also include a rail line and water infrastructure.
"If it proceeds," said Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney, "the Carmichael project would not only be the largest coal mine in Australia and one of the largest in the world, but a vital project in opening up the hugely significant Galilee Basin."
Reutersreports that
[t]he port that Adani plans to use, Abbot Point, is facing a legal challenge from environmentalists fighting expansion plans that would involve dredging up 3m cubic meters of sand and dumping it near the Great Barrier Reef.
Seeney said this and other approvals show that Queensland "is open for business."
The project now awaits approval at the federal level.
The green light for the project comes a day after the Australian Marine Conservation Society warned in a report that the Great Barrier Reef faces an 'unprecedented' threat from industrial development as a result of seabed dredging for coal industry expansion. It also comes on the heels of a warning from UNESCO to re-list the Reef as a World Heritage in Danger site due to the "range of significant threats affecting the property," including the dredging at Abbot Point.
____________________
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
In the wake of warnings over the industry's threats to the Great Barrier Reef, the Australian state of Queensland on Thursday gave the OK to one of the world's biggest coal mines.
The slated project is the Adani Enterprises-owned Carmichael Mine in the state's Galilee Basin, and it is expected to produce as much as 60 million tonnes of coal a year and also include a rail line and water infrastructure.
"If it proceeds," said Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney, "the Carmichael project would not only be the largest coal mine in Australia and one of the largest in the world, but a vital project in opening up the hugely significant Galilee Basin."
Reutersreports that
[t]he port that Adani plans to use, Abbot Point, is facing a legal challenge from environmentalists fighting expansion plans that would involve dredging up 3m cubic meters of sand and dumping it near the Great Barrier Reef.
Seeney said this and other approvals show that Queensland "is open for business."
The project now awaits approval at the federal level.
The green light for the project comes a day after the Australian Marine Conservation Society warned in a report that the Great Barrier Reef faces an 'unprecedented' threat from industrial development as a result of seabed dredging for coal industry expansion. It also comes on the heels of a warning from UNESCO to re-list the Reef as a World Heritage in Danger site due to the "range of significant threats affecting the property," including the dredging at Abbot Point.
____________________
In the wake of warnings over the industry's threats to the Great Barrier Reef, the Australian state of Queensland on Thursday gave the OK to one of the world's biggest coal mines.
The slated project is the Adani Enterprises-owned Carmichael Mine in the state's Galilee Basin, and it is expected to produce as much as 60 million tonnes of coal a year and also include a rail line and water infrastructure.
"If it proceeds," said Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney, "the Carmichael project would not only be the largest coal mine in Australia and one of the largest in the world, but a vital project in opening up the hugely significant Galilee Basin."
Reutersreports that
[t]he port that Adani plans to use, Abbot Point, is facing a legal challenge from environmentalists fighting expansion plans that would involve dredging up 3m cubic meters of sand and dumping it near the Great Barrier Reef.
Seeney said this and other approvals show that Queensland "is open for business."
The project now awaits approval at the federal level.
The green light for the project comes a day after the Australian Marine Conservation Society warned in a report that the Great Barrier Reef faces an 'unprecedented' threat from industrial development as a result of seabed dredging for coal industry expansion. It also comes on the heels of a warning from UNESCO to re-list the Reef as a World Heritage in Danger site due to the "range of significant threats affecting the property," including the dredging at Abbot Point.
____________________
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.