science
High Court to Hear Appeal Over Mount Pleasant Coal Mine Extension
The High Court will consider whether planning authorities must account for climate change impacts, including greenhouse gas emissions from exported coal, when assessing mining projects. The case stems from a successful challenge by the Denman Aberdeen Muswellbrook Scone Healthy Environment Group against a 22-year extension of the Mount Pleasant coal mine approved in 2022.
Audio version
Tap play to generate a narrated version.
Developing·Limited corroboration so far. This page will refresh as more sources emerge.
The High Court will hear arguments today in a case examining what climate change impacts a planning authority must consider when evaluating a mining project. The operator of the Mount Pleasant coal mine in the Upper Hunter Valley is seeking to overturn a New South Wales Court of Appeal ruling that blocked a 22-year extension of the mine to 2048.
The extension was originally approved in 2022 as a State Significant Development. The appeal centers on the interpretation of a provision in the state's Environmental Planning and Assessment Act. That provision requires evaluation of the likely environmental impact on the natural and built environments and social and economic impacts on the locality.
Consent for the coal mine was originally granted in 1999. The company began mining operations on the site in 2018, establishing an open cut mine. The application to extend the project's life was lodged in 2021 with the state's Independent Planning Commission.
The process included an environmental impact statement that was publicly exhibited and drew a large number of submissions. A public hearing was also held. The Department of Planning and Environment determined at the time that the benefits of the project outweighed the costs and that greenhouse gas emissions had been accounted for in the state's Net Zero Plan.
It concluded the emissions from the project had been adequately assessed.
