Queensland’s Department of Environment and Science has approved Indian conglomerate Adani’s groundwater management plan for its controversial Carmichael mine in the states central Galilee Basin.
The approval was the last regulatory hurdle to be decided by the state Labor government.
Although construction at the mine site is expected to begin within days, the approval has been strongly criticised by groups opposed to the mine.
Over the past 18 months Adani had produced about a dozen versions of its groundwater management plan.
Previous attempts failed to meet key environmental requirements, including a plan to avoid destroying one of the world’s last unspoiled desert oases, the Doongmabulla Springs Complex.
Mackay Conservation Group (MCG) today condemned the Queensland government’s approval of Adani’s Groundwater plan.
The group expressed disappointment that the government had given in to bullying by the billionaire mining company and ignored the science, risking Queensland’s water.
MCG community organiser Emma Barrett said, “Today’s decision has ignored expert warnings that Adani’s mine could permanently damage Queensland’s groundwater.
“Leading water scientists tell us that Adani’s modelling is flawed, not fit for purpose and risks drying up the ecologically important Doongmabulla Springs.
The Doongmabulla Springs is home to four endangered plant and animal species including birds, herbs and grasses.
After the federal Labor Party’s poor results at the recent federal election, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk last month said she was “fed up” with both the federal and state delays for the Indian miner and gave her Environment Department new deadlines.
Today’s approval comes almost a fortnight after the Department granted approval for the mine’s conservation plan for the endangered black-throated finch.
While today’s decision allows Adani to break ground, designs for its railway line to get coal to the Abbot Point terminal, north of Bowen, are yet to be finalised.
Adani has approvals to produce up to 60 million tonnes of thermal coal every year but at this stage is only planning to produce about 27.5 million tonnes.
Adani originally claimed the mine would offer thousands of jobs but a federal government minister recently admitted it would probably only employ about 100 people.
Strong criticism has also been voiced by the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) which said; “The Palaszczuk government decision to give a key environmental approval to Adani’s coal mine puts millions of corals and ocean wildlife on the state’s iconic Great Barrier Reef at risk.”
AMCS Great Barrier Reef campaigner Shani Tager said this was “a very bad decision” for the Reef.
Late yesterday the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) won a Federal Court appeal, which found the Australian Federal Government had not properly assessed about 2000 public submissions on Adani’s plans to use river water.
However, the ACF conceded that the decision was unlikely to further delay the controversial project given today’s “green light”.
It is the first mine to gain approval for the Galilee Basin, another six are proposed for the region.
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