Front Line
A group of people have gathered on the haul road of Idemitsu Kosan’s Boggabri Coal Mine today to protest the destruction of the Leard State Forest.
All trucks have ground to a halt at the intersection with Therribri Road near the Namoi River.
“We are here today to prevent the destruction of the Leard State Forest,” said Murray Drechsler, a spokesperson for Front Line Action on Coal.
“Idemitsu’s Boggabri mine plans to expand fourfold, destroying 2,000 hectares of habitat for koalas, regent honeyeaters and the swift parrot.”
“We will not give in until this forest is protected,” Mr. Drechsler said.
The Boggabri Coal mine sits entirely within the Leard State Forest, forming a coal complex with the Tarrawonga and Maules Creek mines which would drop the water table by over 5 metres and emit 18,000 tonnes of coal dust in the local area.
The Federal approval of the mine’s expansion is currently being challenged in court.