Time to call time on repeat offender Clarence Colliery
Today’s announcement that Clarence Colliery has been fined $815,000 for discharging polluted mine water into the Wollangambe River should be more than enough reason for the Government to reject the mine’s application to extend its operations for another five years out to 2031, says Greens MP and water and mining spokesperson Cate Faehrmann.
“This isn’t the first time that Clarence Colliery has severely polluted the Wollangambe River which flows into the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, but it must be the last,” Cate Faehrmann said.
“In 2017, more than 200 tonnes of coal fines turned sections of the river black for kilometres through the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. The company was fined more than $1 million and spent nearly $2 million on clean-up.
“Apologies were offered then. We were told lessons had been learned. Now we’re back here again.
“This is a World Heritage river. It’s irreplaceable. And yet we keep seeing the same company back before the court.
“The Nature Conservation Council’s Environmental Scorecard found Centennial Coal, the parent company, breached environmental licences more than 1,400 times over 23 years across its Blue Mountains operations. That’s not a one-off mistake, it’s a pattern of destruction.
“Clarence Colliery is due to close in December 2026, however the company is seeking a five-year extension out to 2031. With this track record, why would we gamble with five more years of risk to a World Heritage Area and Sydney’s drinking water?
“The Minns Government must reject the extension, reinstate strong water catchment protections that were weakened in 2017, and make it clear that some places are simply too precious to keep sacrificing for coal,” said Ms Faehrmann.