M Central Coast Aero Club’s 2018 try and fly day member for Dobell, Emma McBride has expressed concerns about some elements of advice provided to the Federal Environment Minister, Josh Frydenberg, on Wallarah II.
The Independent Scientifi c Committee on Coal Seam Gas and Large Coal Mining Development provided new advice to the Federal Department of Environment and Energy to assist he minister to decide whether or not to approve Wallarah II under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999. The new advice was released on June 18, and concluded that supplementary assessments by the NSW Planning Advisory Commission (PAC) and the mining company had “satisfactorily addressed the potential impacts of the mine, including those to the Central Coast Water Supply System”.
“I am still working my way through the detail of the June 18 advice from the Independent Expert Scientific Committee,” Ms McBride said. “One thing that worries me is that it shows that some of the impacts of the mine, such as the location for re-entry of treated water into the catchment, have not even been considered yet,” she said. “This is a project I have never supported and my concerns remain. “The Minister needs to make sure that processes are followed and that he is making decisions with all the information required, not just vague plans for management of impacts not yet known. “Our water and environment are too precious to risk.”
Source: Media statement, Jul 23 Alysson Watson, office of Emma McBride