Earlier this month Coal Action Network group, CAGOO heard that UK Coal are no longer pursuing their application to mine at Great Oak near Newcastle under Lyme.

The site was controversial, like all of the other opencast sites, because no one wants to live next to an opencast coal mine. Additionally, in this case there was the history of the site where 78 men and boys died in a mining disaster and some of the bodies are entombed deep in the old mine shaft. Even the National Union of Miners was against this mine because the history of the deep mine on the same site.

Well done to everyone who fought this application and who were determined to ensure their area be protected from future damage from the coal industry.
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The US Government has pulled the plug on a flagship carbon capture project on which they had already spent hundreds of millions of dollars. Meanwhile, the UK Government is expected to make an imminent announcement of a grant of up to £1 billion to a similar coal power station ‘carbon capture’ project by a consortium including Drax plc, owners of the UK’s largest power station.

Read more at: http://corporatewatch.hosted.phplist.com/lists/lt.php?id=NkpTAFRMCw9bTAlRAgdQ

Hilltop Action Group are asking for Objection letters to the Application by Provectus. Provectus plan to excavate the area to a depth of 100ft over a 3-4 year period in order to extract around 200,000 tonnes of coal. They hope to sell it to Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station. We think it would keep the power station running for about 2 weeks!

Fore more details check out their website http://hilltopproject.com

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Thursday 5th february, 6:30-8:30pm, London

Tickets are free but the event is pretty much fully-booked – check Eventbrite to go on the ticket waiting list!

Featuring:

• A speaker from a US alliance of conservation organisations that are campaigning against the destruction of their country’s forests to produce pellets for Drax and other UK power stations. In the southern US, remnants of highly biodiverse and carbon rich wetland forests are being destroyed for pellet production.
• Richard Solly from the London Mining Network will report back from his recent visit to the world’s largest opencast mine in Colombia, Cerrejon, a mine linked to brutal evictions, pollutions and malnutrition amongst local communities.

Drax burns coal from Cerrejon and wood pellets from the southern US, but despite the clear evidence of forest destruction and community impacts they still receive millions in subsidies.

Please help spread the word via https://www.facebook.com/events/1004112519616395/

The site after tree felling

The site before tree felling

Residents are angry that coal company ReCycoal have put mine plans on hold indefinitely after clear felling the trees. The company has made the announcement citing low global coal prices.

In early 2013 Sheffield City Council approved ReCycoal’s Hesley wood Tip site. The coal site was heavily contested by local people but Sheffield council approved the mine. The Director of Public Health, asked for a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) due to concerns over the small particles affecting health especially with the cumulative effects of the M1. The council officer was determined to give the site the go ahead and didn’t want to delay the start of work by 5 weeks to allow a HIA as it would have prevented the company from felling the trees before the end of that years’ season.
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