BHP Billiton has shelved plans for a vast new coal mine under a conservation area south of Sydney, after a scathing review by the state’s Planning Assessment Commission found that society would be better off if the coal remained in the ground.
The findings signal a change of direction for the state’s mining approval process, with the commission also deciding that remediation by the company would not be able to make up for the environmental damage it would cause.
See http://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/green-win-signals-shift-in-mine-approvals-20101027-173xn.html.