COAL MINING: Moratorium on new projects in New South Wales

AUSTRALIA - The government of New South Wales has imposed a 60-day ban on new coal mining projects in that state to allow time to solve disputes between farmers and the mining industry. Farmers fear that land and water resources may be damaged.

A report in Australian Mining said the industry believes the moratorium is unnecessary. However, miners do acknowledge that new means have to be found to deal with conflicts among farmers, environmentalists and their industry.

The New South Wales government plans to introduce a strategic regional land use policy prior to elections later this year. It plans to ensure that exploration licences for coal, coal seam gas and petroleum issued after the moratorium will be subject to public review and include agricultural impact statements.

An interactive map of Australia's mining projects is available at www.MiningAustralia.com.au/AustraliaMineMap.aspx.