Stop Whitehaven Coal from opening a whole new coal mining area south of Narrabri

Whitehaven Coal wants approval to explore for more coal in two new areas just south of Narrabri called Gorman North.

Please send a short email (which counts as a submission) OPPOSING the release of this new area for coal exploration. Public comment closes on Wednesday 21 April 2022.

We’re also cc’ing Deputy Premier Paul Toole as he is the responsible Minister.

Whitehaven Coal wants approval to explore for more coal in two new areas just south of Narrabri called Gorman North.

Please send a short email (which counts as a submission) OPPOSING the release of this new area for coal exploration. Public comment closes on Wednesday 21 April 2022.

We’re also cc’ing Deputy Premier Paul Toole as he is the responsible Minister.

Send an Email to oppose Gorman North coal exploration

348 emails sent

Email the Manager Coal Grants and Titles and cc the NSW Deputy Premier Paul Toole. Let them both know you oppose further exploration for coal in this area. Please feel free to personalise your email for the best response.

Where do you live?

Compose your email

Name

Email

Subject:

Dear Manager Coal Grants and Titles and Mr Deputy Premier,

I am writing to object to the granting of Whitehaven Coal’s application for coal exploration leases - ELA6442 and ELA6443.

It doesn’t make any sense to open up this area to new coal exploration:

- Undertaking exploration activities, such as seismic testing and drilling of test holes is opposed by the local community.

- Should Gorman North be utilised for mining, it will impact a populated area of small properties where landholders have a high reliance on bore water and no access to town water supplies.

- Having a potential new coal mine hanging over this area will halt local investment, create division and increase uncertainty for the business community as locals consider if they will stay.

- These ELAs cover a significant area of Pilliga State Forest which is already under severe threat from gas well infrastructure and the Narrabri Underground coal mine. Further activities will exacerbate the impacts to wildlife.

- Whitehaven’s own Social Impact Assessment (pg 197) for Narrabri Underground Stage 3 found that Whitehaven is a poor neighbour, does not help the community and that mining is damaging local people’s way of life.

- When the NSW Government decided in December 2021 not to proceed with new coal exploration west of the Blue Mountains (Hawkins Rumker), your government declared that “the expected demand for thermal coal is … expected to decline and at a rate faster than anticipated”.

- The ‘Future of Coal statement’ promised “a transparent, competitive tender process” for new release areas but it does not look like Narrabri is going to get this.

- Distinguished climate scientists from the UNSW Climate Change Research Centre said in Feb 2022 that “[t]here is no carbon budget left that can be spent by an extension of coal mining at Narrabri … coal still in the ground must be left in the ground.”

- These ELAs are in highly visible locations, from both the Kamilaroi Highway, the passenger rail line and from peri-urban areas of Narrabri where people have chosen to live for the agricultural and natural assets in their vistas.

- These ELAs are adjacent to the Namoi River which is a crucial feeder for the Murray-Darling Basin. The River is already affected by mining and further mining exploration will worsen these impacts.

- This company is not a fit and proper entity to be worthy of being granted an Exploration Licence. It is a repeat offender with more than 54 fines, breeches and convictions.

I understand that Gorman North was identified a couple of years ago as a place where coal exploration might be considered following a decision under the “strategic release framework”. This process should include a Preliminary Regional Issues Assessment (PRIA) (as the community around Rylstone recently had) that allows for an assessment of environmental, economic and social impacts and a full opportunity for public comment prior to a decision about releasing land for coal exploration.

In the government’s own words, the PRIA process would “summarise the key issues, opportunities and constraints associated with releasing the areas for resource exploration”.
However, Whitehaven has short cut this process by directly applying for the licences, outside the strategic release framework. If the NSW Government accepts Whitehaven’s application none of the above assessment and consultation will occur.

I object to any “operational allocation” of these coal exploration leases.

* https://www.regional.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/1236973/Strategic-Statement-on-Coal-Exploration-and-Mining-in-NSW.pdf

P.S. At a minimum, our community deserves the benefit of a more thorough and transparent process which means these applications must go through the Strategic Release Framework / Preliminary Regional Issues Assessment (PRIA) process.

How we use the data you enter on this form

Do Gooder (the advocacy platform powering this online action) processes personal information from you that you enter on this form so that we can provide the functions and related services to you and The Campaigner (the organisation responsible for this online action) for their legitimate purposes, including possibly exporting it to other systems, and to effectively respond to enquiries and communications related to those services.

Specifically when you enter:

Your location data (residential address or postcode) it is used to locate your elected representative, to pre-populate your email signature and to provide The Campaigner with a visualisation of the location of the support for this campaign.
All other data you may enter, including your email address, name, telephone number, commentary and so on is used by The Campaigner to advocate for the campaign’s goals and where required may be sent to the target of the campaign.

The data collected by Do Gooder is also used by us in aggregate form to improve the service and may be held on your behalf outside your country of residence by our third party service providers. These providers are bound by contract to only use personal information on our behalf, in accordance with agreed terms. While the privacy laws of the country in which personal information is stored or transferred may be different from those in your country, we will always have safeguards in place when storing or transferring personal information. We will never sell, rent, loan or in any other way pass your information on to other parties other than to provide this service to you and The Campaigner.

The personal information collected by Do Gooder is held subject to a Data Processing Agreement between Do Gooder and The Campaigner in compliance with the EU's GDPR and Australian law.

Learn more about our privacy policy here

How is my data used?