Today the Public Works committee of the NSW Parliament has agreed to an inquiry examining the legacy of toxic coal ash from power plants. The inquiry will accept public submissions and report by 16 March 2020.
Upper House MP Abigail Boyd, Greens NSW spokesperson for Mining, Coal and CSG, and member of the Public Works committee, commented:
“Coal ash is nearly one fifth of our total waste output and people in NSW deserve to know how the Government plans to deal with it.
“We know from sales documents obtained by the Greens that the State Government retains the bulk of the liability for remediating these polluted sites.
“The Greens are concerned that the Government is putting off closing these polluting power stations because that will trigger potentially billions of dollars in clean-up costs.
“Importantly, the inquiry will also examine the economic and employment opportunities associated with coal ash re-use, site remediation and repurposing of the land.
“NSW needs thousands of good jobs and dealing with coal ash responsibly may provide a win-win for coal communities as well as the environment,” said Ms Boyd.