Adani coalmine: Australian court overturns approval
Canberra, Aug 5: A court in Australia has revoked Adani's federal environmental approval to build the Carmichael coal mine in Quensland, media reported.
The mining giant Adani's environmental authority has been set aside after the court found Environment Minister Greg Hunt had not properly considered advice about two threatened species - the yakka skink and the ornamental snake, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
The decision has got warm welcome from environmentalists in Australia.
The court took the decision while hearing a plea filed by Mackay Conservation Group in the Federal Court in January, alleging that greenhouse gas emissions from the mine, vulnerable species and Adani's environmental track record had not been taken into account.
"The
Minister
conceded
that
he
had
made
an
error
and
Adani
did
as
well
that
the
proper
process
hadn't
been
followed
in
approving
the
Carmichael
mine,"
Mackay
Conservation
Group
coordinator
Ellen
Roberts
said.
"He
is
required
to
take
advice
from
his
department
on
threatened
species
into
account
and
he
didn't
do
that.
"A lot of new information has emerged since Greg Hunt made his approval and we call on him to now reject the mine."
HC exempts Adani group from paying duty retrospectively
The
project,
which
will
produce
up
to
60
million
tonnes
of
coal
for
export
a
year,
has
faced
fierce
environmental
opposition
because
of
the
proximity
of
coal
terminals
at
Abbot
Point
to
the
Great
Barrier
Reef.
Adani
blamed
the
court's
decision
on
an
error
by
the
environment
department.
"It is regrettable that a technical legal error from the Federal Environment Department has exposed the approval to an adverse decision," Adani's spokesman said.
"It should be noted the approval did include appropriate conditions to manage the species protection of the yakka skink and ornamental snake.
There are growing calls for the federal and Queensland governments to put a stop to the development and investigate the approvals process for it after information that has been brought to light about Adani's environmental and corporate practices.
OneIndia News