West Cumbria Mining have been granted planning permission for the on land section of a coking coal mine which would reach under the Irish sea.
Lead by Keep Cumbrian Coal in the Hole and South Lakes Action on Climate Change – towards transition, a number of campaign groups and the local MP, Mr Farron, have called for the government to ‘call in’ the decision. This would mean that the approval by Cumbria County Council is reconsidered by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local government who would give the final decision.
Coal Action Network has today written to the Secretary of State to add to calls that this decision should be made by central government, due to the climate change impacts, as well as the biased presentation of information during the hearing.
Unlike Banks Group’s proposals for new coal mines this mine, if it were to go ahead Whitehaven would produce coking coal, mainly for export to Europe, by deep mining methods and could last 50 years. The coal would be used in steel works.
Although less well understood the climate change impacts of steel production are significant. In order to reach climate change reduction targets and prevent the worst of global warming, we need an urgent decarbonising of the steel industry.
The letter from the Coal Action Network is below.
Do you want to help?
Please sign the petition asking for a the decision to be called in.
[The banner in the image above reads, “Whitehaven when you find yourself in a hole stop digging”. It is from an action in Australia November 2014.]
[pdf-embedder url=”https://www.coalaction.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/LetterSoSCallInWEB.pdf”]
