Anvil Hill dossier

ANVIL HILL COAL MINE PROPOSAL

Proponent: NCIG member Centennial Coal.

Location: 20km west of Muswellbrook, in the Central Hunter Valley region of NSW.

Proposal: Centennial is proposing to “construct” a massive open-cut coal mine, with a footprint of 2238 hectares (that's 2.238 km by 10 km). About 1300 hectares of that is presently highly significant and rare Hunter Valley floor bushland, one of the largest stands remaining. Centennial's consultant company has identified 6 threatened plant species, 2 endangered plant populations, 19 threatened animal species, and 1 endangered ecological community in the Anvil Hill “Study Area”, but others have found more than that. The proposed mine, at its peak, would produce 10,5 million tonnes of Run-of-Mine (raw) coal. When burned, the coal from Anvil Hill would produce over 22 million tonnes of greenhouse pollution per year (comparison: the entire NSW transport sector emissions in 2004 were 22.6 million tonnes). The 2238 hectare footprint of the proposed mine is a large part of the lower end catchment of the Wybong Creek, which is the largest catchment area for the creek. The Wybong Creek is a major tributary of the Hunter River, via the Goulburn River. The Anvil Hill site is rich in Aboriginal sites and artefacts. It is part of the Wanarua nation.

Process as at end November 2006: Centennial has submitted an Environmental Assessment under Part 3a of the NSW EP&A Act (the planning act). The EA does not assess the impacts on life on earth caused by the burning of the coal and subsequent climate change. The Planning Minister appointed an Expert Panel (with rather narrow terms of reference), that sat in Muswellbrook in October 2006. The panel is yet to hand down its advice (which the Minister can ignore anyway). Centennial have produced a couple of “response to submissions” documents. All eyes are on the NSW Planning Minister. For updates see the Planning website: http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/asp/register2006.asp#hunt

Further info:
www.risingtide.org.au/node/58
www.anvilhill.org.au
www.centennialcoal.com.au

Local contacts:
Anvil Hill Project Watch Christine Phelps: christine.phelps{AT}reset.net.au