Last week people from three different campaigns against opencast coal joined together to hand in a 113,000+ signature petition to James Brokenshire, Secretary of State for Housing Communities and Local Government, urging him to revoke permission for Druridge Bay and stop work at ‘Bradley’ in the Pont Valley.
His decision on both mines is expected this week.
June Davison from Campaign to Protect Pont Valley, brought a Judicial Review of James Brokenshire’s decision last year to let the Bradley mine go ahead.
She says: ‘We’ve been fighting for 40 years and it’s a disgrace that we’ve been waiting this long for a decision. The decision should be in line with his own government’s policy and it should recognise all the evidence we have now about climate catastrophe
Every day that we wait there is a Komatsu P3000 digging up 25 tonnes of coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel with every scoop…. That’s being put into stockpiles or being sold abroad.’
This comes as the UK went 2 weeks without coal, and it was discovered that coal being dug up and imported is sitting in power station stockpiles, and will not be burned according to UK government energy projections.
Outside James Brokenshire’s office we were joined by a brass band and a clogg dancer from the Pont Valley! Thanks to Campaign to Protect Pont valley, Save Druridge and Defend Dewley Hill for taking part in this colourful show of local resistance. Thank you to 38 degrees for the video!
