Sign our petition calling on the EPA to do what it takes to make Centennial clean up its act. 

Centennial Coal’s scaled back proposal to dump toxic coal mine wastewater into Sydney’s drinking water catchment has been approved by the Independent Planning Commission.

Thanks to community opposition, this is a ‘less bad’ outcome than what was originally proposed: to dump the dirty water into the dam over a 15-year period, but it’s still unacceptable.

The battle is not over and we need your help. We expect Centennial to submit another proposal in coming weeks to dump up to 26.5 million litres of stored wastewater daily from coal mine operations into pristine waterways leading to Warragamba Dam. 

Centennial Coal has not adopted technology that effectively cleans the wastewater of heavy metals, brine and salt toxic to aquatic life in the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area.  

If we don’t act now, it’s possible the NSW government will let Centennial get away with the unconscionable and release millions of litres of toxic wastewater every single day on our doorstep. 

A flood of toxic water 

Centennial’s underground coal mining has damaged groundwater flows under the Gardens of Stone State Conservation Area. To stop the resulting influx of groundwater into underground coal mines, Centennial removes more than 20 billion litres of groundwater every year, interrupting groundwater supply and drying out peat swamps. 

An underground wall ​stores groundwater​​ within the disused Angus Place mine​.  

An appalling track record 

Over a 23-year period, Centennial has been found to have breached its environmental licence more than 1400 times across 7 coal mine sites in the Greater Blue Mountains region. 

However, this may be just the tip of the iceberg, as ​some ​non-compliances appear to have gone unreported by the company but have been discovered by third parties and later verified​ or acted on by the EPA. 

• Lithgow Environment Group has conducted water monitoring in the Upper Coxs river catchment since 2006 including at Centennial licensed water discharge points and publishes their findings online.  

Expansion plans 

Centennial has already shown its hand. As part of its extension plans for the proposed Angus Place West coal mine, Centennial previously applied to discharge 10 million litres of dirty water daily directly into the creek. This wasn’t approved. 

It needs to remove the water to extend the mine: coal and water don’t mix.  

The Angus Place West mine proposes to mine 2 million tonnes of coal annually with impacts on climate, water quality, First Nations sites and in a place with 80 rare and threatened species and 16 threatened ecological communities. This proposal at Angus Place West has not yet been approved.

Read our report -  Centennial Coal: Environmental Scorecard in the Gardens of Stone

MEDIA RELEASE
18 December 2024  

The Nature Conservation Council of New South Wales (NCC), the state’s peak environmental organisation, has today welcomed the NSW Government’s appointment of Ausgrid as the preferred network operator for the Hunter-Central Coast Renewable Energy Zone (REZ). 

Statements attributable to NCC Senior Climate Campaigner, Jacqui Mills: 

“Today’s announcement is an exciting milestone in the development of NSW’s clean energy opportunities.  

“The Hunter REZ will ensure the region continues to power our state for decades to come, delivering real benefits locally. 

“This region is well placed with a skilled local workforce, abundant renewable energy potential and an existing electricity infrastructure network to utilise. 

“Renewables are creating jobs and alternative income streams for landholders across NSW and this project will bring these benefits to the Hunter.  

“As coal plants reach the end of their lives, renewables with storage are the cheapest and most reliable way to keep the lights on.” 

Statement ends 

Media contact: Anna Greer 
E: [email protected] M: 0493 733 529 PH: (02) 7208 9482  

Note: Spokesperson is available for comment on request.

Submission to the House Select Committee on Nuclear Energy Inquiry into Nuclear Power Generation in Australia

MEDIA RELEASE 
Tuesday 12^th November 

The Nature Conservation Council of New South Wales (NCC), the state’s leading environmental advocacy organisation, today welcomed the commitment from the NSW State Government to reduce planning delays for renewable energy projects and called for action to restore nature during the renewable energy transition.  

“Unblocking the clean energy pipeline is the first step to allowing cleaner, cheaper energy to flow to the people of NSW,” said Nature Conservation Council CEO Jacqui Mumford.  

“NSW needs a four-fold increase in wind farm construction to provide clean, cheap electricity ahead of the closure of the state’s aging coal-fired power stations.  

“The state is behind on its legislated climate targets and has already made the costly and polluting decision to extend the largest coal power station's closure date by two years. 

“The Nature Conservation Council is also calling on the government to fix nature laws to reverse the decline of biodiversity in the state. 

“The renewable energy transition is a ‘once in a generation’ opportunity to restore degraded habitat. Where developers are siting projects on already cleared land, they should be looking at opportunities to restore damaged creek lines or revegetate, for example.” 

“We are in a biodiversity crisis – only half of NSW’s threatened species expected to survive in 100 years due to pressures of climate change and land clearing.  

“Action is needed now to strengthen nature laws and use the renewable transition to reach emissions reductions and biodiversity goals.” 

The NSW Renewable Energy Planning Framework includes guidelines for wind, solar and transmission renewable energy projects, negotiating agreements with private landholders hosting infrastructure and ensuring benefits flow to local communities. 

Statement ends 

Media contact: Anna Greer 
E: [email protected] M: 0493 733 529 PH: (02) 7208 9482  

Note: NCC CEO Jacqui Mumford is available for comment on request.

The Albanese government has green-lit the clearing of over 1,790 hectares of koala habitat for new coal mines and expansions since 2022. Every hectare of habitat bulldozed pushes threatened species like the koala and greater glider to the brink. The Albanese can act now before it’s too late, and reject new coal mines and expansions to save these critical koala populations. 

Back in 2022 Labor came into power promising action on climate change and no new extinctions. But the Albanese Government approved several new coal mines and expansions that will clear over 1,790 hectares of koala habitat and turbocharge global heating - pushing the iconic species closer to extinction in the wild. There are still another 24 coal projects seeking approval to clear over 10,000 hectares of koala habitat. 

This level of proposed destruction and carbon pollution paints a grim future for koalas threatened by more habitat loss through extreme heat, bushfires and droughts exacerbated by climate change. 

The re-elected Albanese Government and Environment Minister Murray Watt, must take action to save the koala by rejecting disastrous new coal projects.

MEDIA RELEASE
10^th July 2024  

The Nature Conservation Council of New South Wales (NCC), the state’s leading environmental advocacy organisation, has welcomed the establishment of the NSW Net Zero Commission and appointment of inaugural Commissioners.   

The independent, expert commission has been established to provide expert advice on the steps we must take to achieve our legislated climate goals.  

NSW has legislated targets to reduce emissions by at least 50% by 2030, 70% by 2035 and reach net zero emissions by 2050. Recent government modelling has shown the state is currently tracking to undershoot these targets: -44% by 2030 and -65% by 2035.   

“We welcome the establishment of the Net Zero Commission and the independent expertise it will bring to climate policy in NSW,” said Nature Conservation Council NSW chief executive officer Jacqui Mumford. 

“This commission is an excellent framework to accelerate climate action and it is an opportunity to address some of the barriers to achieving our emissions reduction targets. 

“A sure-fire way to help get the state back on track to achieving our emissions reduction targets is to phase out destructive native forest logging and tackle runaway habitat clearing.” 

Quotes attributable to NCC CEO Jacqui Mumford:   

“NSW needs to urgently redouble emissions reduction efforts considering recent projections and the catastrophic impacts we continue to witness around the world. 

“Phasing out native forest logging and reining in habitat clearing would make immediate and significant contributions to our emissions efforts.  

“Land clearing is responsible for approximately 10% of Australia’s emissions, whilst ending native forest logging in NSW would prevent an estimated 2.4 million tons of greenhouse emissions every year.  

“Protecting and restoring forests and habitat is a crucial mitigation action if NSW is to meet our targets. 

“We will be writing to the commission to encourage their consideration of these nature-based solutions.  

“NCC also welcomes the recent parliamentary appointments to the Joint Standing Committee on Net Zero Future, which will have oversight of the Commission.  

“We look forward to working with all members to accelerate climate action.” 

Statement ends 

Sources for emissions data:  

Land clearing - Quarterly Update of Australia’s National Greenhouse Gas Inventory: June 2022, Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, https://www.dcceew.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/nggi-quarterly-update-june-2022.pdf   

Native Forestry - Sanger J, The Carbon Benefit from Protecting Australia’s Public Native Forests, sourced at https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7031078401469800448/

Media contact: Anna Greer  
E: [email protected] M: 0493 733 529 PH: (02) 7208 9482   

Note: NCC CEO Jacqui Mumford is available for comment on request

MEDIA RELEASE
June 19, 2024 

The Nature Conservation Council of New South Wales (NCC), the state’s leading environmental advocacy organisation, has today criticised the Federal Coalition’s “nuclear fantasy” as a commitment to higher energy bills for NSW households and more climate pollution. 

Today’s announcement of an uncosted plan from the Federal Coalition to build nuclear reactors at Liddell power station in the Hunter Valley and Mount Piper power station near Lithgow is a dangerous distraction from the renewable energy transition underway in NSW. 

International experience shows that it takes up to twenty years to build nuclear reactors, meaning that ageing coal fired power plants would continue to emit dangerous climate pollution for years to come.  

Statements attributable to NCC Chief Executive Officer Jacqui Mumford 

“The Federal Coalition has not released detailed research relating to sites in NSW nor come clean to the Australian people on the cost of building multi-billion dollar nuclear reactors. 

“The announcement is nothing more than the Federal Coalition pandering to its mates in the fossil fuels industry.   

“There’s no plan to deal with harmful nuclear waste, and no indication of how the Federal government would get around state-based bans on nuclear.  

“We should be replacing our polluting and ageing coal-fired power plants in NSW with renewable energy generation and storage, not with a nuclear fantasy. 

“Renewable energy is the cheapest and most affordable form of energy, and NSW needs to get on with the job of scaling it up to deliver a sustainable future and sound economic growth prospects for our state.” 

Statement ends 

Media contact: Anna Greer 
E: [email protected] M: 0493 733 529 PH: (02) 7208 9482  

Note: NCC CEO Jacqui Mumford is available for comment on request 

MEDIA RELEASE
June 18, 2024 

The Nature Conservation Council of New South Wales (NCC), the state’s leading environmental advocacy organisation, has today expressed disappointment that the NSW budget has again failed to deliver for nature.  

In the middle of an extinction crisis, funding for ecosystem restoration and threatened species is going backwards.  

NSW habitat is so degraded it can only support 29% of the plants and animals it once did. 1043 plants and animals in NSW are currently listed as at risk of extinction, a 50% increase in 10 years.   

Without significant public investment to grow protected areas and restore degraded ecosystems, many of the ecosystems that make our state so special will simply collapse.  

The NSW Labor Government is spending just 1.61%* of the budget on the environment, which is even less than last year.   

“Labor came into power promising to turn the tide, and yet this is the second year in a row nature funding, as a percentage, has declined,” NCC Chief Executive Officer Jacqui Mumford said. 

“Without a seismic shift in nature investment NSW will see more extinctions and fail to meet our ‘30 by 30’ Global Biodiversity Framework targets.”  

Statements attributable to NCC Chief Executive Officer Jacqui Mumford 

“The nature deficit needs to be addressed by proper investment in NSW’s biodiversity.  

“Whilst Premier Chris Minns loves spruiking the beauty of NSW nature and posting selfies in pretty places, it’s clear biodiversity isn’t a priority for this government.  

“There is a substantial investment in renewables, but NSW needs to do a lot more to turn the biodiversity crisis around. 

“We need to recognise that we have a dual crisis and that spending on renewable infrastructure will not in itself stop extinction and the tragic loss of biodiversity occurring all around us.  

“The number of listed threatened species continues to rise. However not even half (~40%) of these species are being managed under the Saving our Species (SoS) program. Clearly more funding is needed. 

“Taxpayers are again footing the bill for the horrific destruction of our native forests, with no plans to follow Qld, Victoria and Western Australia and save the budget millions of dollars a year by ending native forest logging.”  

Propping up the industrial logging of our native forests is an ongoing financial burden to NSW taxpayers. In the last 3 years, the native hardwood division of Forestry Corporation has lost $44m. NSW remains the only mainland state without a plan to phase out native forest logging, this must change. 

Statement ends 

Background 

*Budget Paper Number 1, General government sector expenses by function shows Environmental Protection receiving $1,964m in 2024-2025, which represents 1.61% of total expenditure v 1.67% in the 2023-24 Budget v 1.73% in the 2022-23 budget.

Media contact: Anna Greer 

E: [email protected] M: 0493 733 529 PH: (02) 7208 9482  

Note: NCC CEO Jacqui Mumford is available for comment on request 

May 24th 2024 

The Nature Conservation Council of New South Wales (NCC), the state’s leading environmental advocacy organisation, has today welcomed the announcement of new incentives for household batteries. 

Households with solar panels will be able to receive between $1600 to $2400 off the installation costs of household batteries under changes to the Peak Demand Reduction Scheme.  

“With NSW leading the way on rooftop solar this is a key piece of the renewable puzzle and will save households money and decrease grid demand in peak times,” said NCC climate campaigner Eve Altman. 

“In the wake of the Eraring extension it's important that the government is taking all steps possible to ensure reliability through the accelerated build of renewables. 

“Investment in household battery is going to be critical to our future energy mix. It increases reliability for both the household and the grid, and will save households money on up-front installation and energy bills. 

“We look forward to an ambitious consumer energy strategy and more incentives to help households enjoy the benefits of clean energy and lower bills.  

“Alongside batteries, demand responsive heat pumps are a leading way to reduce greenhouse emissions and household costs.  

"We look forward to seeing more announcements in the future to ensure we are getting to 100% reliable renewables as fast as possible." 

Statement ends 

Media contact: Anna Greer 
E: [email protected] M: 0493 733 529 PH: (02) 7208 9482