Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Forest & Bird claims on Denniston Plateau smoke incorrect
18 August 2014
Forest & Bird claims on Denniston Plateau smoke incorrect
Calls by Forest & Bird for
the Department of Conservation to stop Bathurst Resources'
preparatory mining work on the Denniston Plateau because of
smoke coming from an old mine shaft are ill-informed,
Conservation Minister Dr Nick Smith said today.
“The smoke is coming from an old mine shaft where low level underground fires have burned for decades. These fires also occur naturally in this rich coal field. These smouldering seams pose no significant threat and are left to burn naturally. Smoke appears periodically relative to atmospheric conditions and has done so for many years,” Dr Smith says.
“It is ridiculous for Forest & Bird to blame Bathurst for these fires and to demand any work stop before they are put out. The smoke is some kilometres from Bathurst's escarpment mine. Forest & Bird should check with the Department and be better informed before making these sorts of public claims.
“This smoke from an old mine shaft just highlights the degree to which the Denniston Plateau has been previously mined and that it is not the pristine area that some claimed. It reinforces the Government's decision to allow the Denniston mine to proceed.”
ends
Gordon Campbell: On unemployment, Winston Peters’ low boiling point and music criticism
Labour Party: National Gaslights Women Fighting For Equal Pay
The Treasury: New Treasury Paper On The Productivity Slowdown
NZ Government: Government Recommits To Equal Pay
Emily Ireland - Local Democracy Reporter: Deputy Mayor ‘disgusted’ By Response To Georgina Beyer Sculpture
Te Pāti Māori: Māori Unemployment Rate Increases By More Than Four-Times National Rates
Government: Streamlining Building Consent Changes
