The mining industry has launched a scathing attack on a Senate report, which calls for every coal wagon in the country to be covered.
It’s among a raft of new measures recommended following a national inquiry into air quality.
The mining industry has launched a scathing attack on a Senate report, which calls for every coal wagon in the country to be covered.
It’s among a raft of new measures recommended following a national inquiry into air quality.
Welcome and long-overdue call for better protection from environmental harm from mining and transport of coal. Predictable reaction from an industry in denial that it is living on borrowed time. We badly need a just transition away from carbon fuelled economy, and belated protection for our health in the meantime.
^^ what he said
I live next to the coal line and the smell is strong but also with high winds our house and outdoor items get dusty everyday, I have noticed some had massive blue tarps over them which I think is a great idea.
I live in suburban Brisbane half a Km from the rail line and a black film settles continuously over everything in my home. Covering the coal trains is a small and symbolic step in taking responsibility for the implications of coal mining, processing and consumption but in my house it would be more than a symbol.
Living reasonably close to a rail line in the Hunter puts us at risk of earlier death, my cough will not go away, how has it impacted on my longevity, let alone all communities in the Hunter?
Looking at the problem of particulate dust and air quality from one small perspective seems to be flawed in its process when so many sources contribute to the makeup the particulate dust across our region and in fact across the country. Protecting persons at risk in our community and not just those along rail corridors from the small fraction of coal within the overall makeup of particulate dust seems to be biased to say the least. Many Schools, Day Care and Aged Care facilities are located along main roads with toxic exhaust and the dust from tyres of thousands of passing vehicles will obviously have a greater effect on the air quality than the occasional coal train. Why target such a small percentage of the dust make up when other contaminates may pose a greater threat to health?
Dust monitoring along the rail corridor has obviously created a large social divide, too long have we had a focused attack on coal mining and transport of coal to ports by hysterical opponents of the coal industry with little scientific evidence to quantify claims. This debate on air quality requires scientific evidence, not emotion fuelled by propaganda from interest based groups intent on damaging the industry that supplies jobs, investment and a great lifestyle to the people of the Hunter area. Perhaps the people who are trying to destroy this industry might spend some time researching to gather facts before emailing obvious fictional accounts of being able to smell coal dust or perceived effects on health.