Media Release:
The Lock the Gate Alliance has backed protestors who have today entered a coal mining site to prevent the destruction of endangered bushland in Leard State Forest, near Narrabri in north-west NSW.
This morning, local environmental campaigner and Lock the Gate North-West NSW regional coordinator, Carmel Flint, locked on to a bulldozer clearing forest for one of the three mines being proposed for Leard State Forest.
5,000 hectares of bushland will be cleared for the mines of which over 1,000 ha is defined as critically endangered.
"Today the community has locked the gate to coal miners trying to destroy our public forests" said Drew Hutton, President of Lock the Gate Alliance.
"People all across NSW want to keep public forests for recreation, tourism and conservation not see them destroyed to fill the coffers of multi-national mining companies.
"The forestry department is supposed to protect our public forests for the benefit of all but this forest will be destroyed and turned into a giant open-cut coal pit.
"The NSW Government has shown scant regard for the people of NSW and the precious natural environment of Leard State Forest as it steams full-scale ahead to develop 3 massive coal mines.
"The National Party has walked away from its rural constituents. Farmers adjoining the mines will have 18,000t of mine dust dumped on their food-producing land each year.
"The Federal Environment Minister should now step in and show some urgent leadership on this issue.
"The bushland that is being destroyed is critically endangered at a national level and the Federal Minister can and should reject these proposed mines and expansions.
"I'm calling on Tony Burke to protect this endangered forest from any further open-cut coal mining," Mr Hutton said.
Contact: Drew Hutton 0428 487 110
No comments:
Post a Comment