An industry warning that NSW could lose up to $22 billion in investment if restrictions are placed on the expansion of mining over the next parliamentary term, ignores the external environmental and human costs the community bears, according to Greens MP and mining spokesperson Cate Faehrmann.

“This warning ignores the external costs of mining, such as those to human health and the cost of losing productive farmland. It’s time the industry was required to factor in all the costs of the rapid expansion of the coal and gas industry,” said Ms Faehrmann.

“What is the true cost of losing thousands of hectares of productive agricultural land?

 “What price are we prepared to put on an aquifer contaminated with heavy metals as a result of the fracking process used in coal seam gas exploration and extraction?

 “What price are we prepared to put on the health of the citizens of Singleton and Muswellbrook, with research showing higher rates of asthma and respiratory diseases in these two towns which are surrounded by open cut coal mines?

“It’s critical that the next government assess what the rapid expansion of the coal and gas industry is costing us in terms of loss of farmland, water pollution and health impacts.

 “The total externality cost from coal-fired power stations alone in NSW for 2007-08 has been estimated at approximately $3 billion.

“It’s unsurprising the industry is coming down hard on the next government to lock in decades of coal and gas dependency.

“However, the transition to renewable energy must start with the next government. The sooner NSW does this, the stronger our economy will be in the longer term,” said Ms Faehrmann.

Media contact: Peter Stahel 0433 005 727