Whitehaven Coal has been advised by the Federal Government that it’s controversial biodiversity offset package for the Maules Creek coal mine was found to be fully compliant with the project’s approval conditions.
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The company has come under fire in recent months from environmental groups, farmers, Elders and anti-coal activists, who claim it provided “false and misleading” information about its biodiversity offsets in order to secure Federal environmental approval.
They believe there is not enough Box Gum forest left to offset the Maules Creek coal mine.
This week Whitehaven Coal was cleared of the allegations, and welcomed advice from the Commonwealth Department of the Environment that an Independent Review found the project to be fully compliant.
“We welcome the fact that the government has dismissed the claim that our offsets package was based on false and misleading information,” Whitehaven Coal CEO and Managing Director Paul Flynn said.
The Department found that two independent reports – the Independent Peer Review of Offsets for the Maules Creek Mine Project and the Verification Report for Additional Offsets – are “sound based on the data and information provided”.
It found that “both reports adequately review both the originally proposed offsets and the additional offsets, verifying the total quantity of CEEC (Box Gum Woodland) and threatened fauna habitat”.
The quantity and quality of the offsets for the threatened fauna species was also found to meet the requirements of the conditions of approval.
Whitehaven Coal’s approved offsets package provides for the conservation in perpetuity of around 13,000 hectares of equivalent of better quality land in exchange for the disturbance of 1600 hectares of land.
The company says this represents an offset ratio to disturbance of five times in less sensitive areas and over 10 times in more sensitive areas.
“Today’s outcome is a very significant endorsement of the robustness of the scientific methodologies applied by both the company and the independent reviewer, and the substantial overall adequacy of the offsets package being offered,” Mr Flynn said.
No further action will be taken by the department in relation to the matter.
Phil Laird, from the Maules Creek Community Council, which opposes the project, said this morning the matter had been under investigation since February, 2013.
“The company has not been exonerated over this matter,” Mr Laird said.
“The compliance department of the Department of the Environment told us that there was “insufficient evidence” to take the matter forward.
“It is simply a case of the department not being able to say that the company had been “reckless or malicious” in supplying false or misleading information on its offsets program.
“The fact the company has recently purchased an additional 3000ha in offset land completely vindicates the community’s stand on this issue.”
Mr Laird said people continue to have no faith in the system of approvals.
“Political donations, lobbying of high level politicians and the delay in the release in particular of this report continues to undermine our faith in the system.
“Tie in slush funds, donations to political parties and the ongoing ICAC investigation and it is easy to see the problem with mining in NSW.
“In short, this protest will not be going away,”Mr Laird concluded.
