A second treesit has been set up at the site of the Tar Sands Blockade in Texas; both sits are ongoing. In other news:
A second treesit has been set up at the site of the Tar Sands Blockade in Texas; both sits are ongoing. In other news:
The tar sands blockade has successfully delayed construction of the pipeline for two days by locking themselves to construction machinery and shutting down the construction sites. There have been two successful blockades at construction sites in Livingston and Saltillo, Texas.
Transcanada surveyors were also prevented from preparing for construction when landowners and community members turned them away north of Winnsboro at an ongoing vigil to protect a local vineyard which will be destroyed if construction begins.
Two journalists working for the New York Times were handcuffed, detained and then turned away from private property by local law enforcement employed as private security guards for TransCanada.
Nevertheless, the New York Times still ran a front-page article about the Tar Sands Blockade, including the first tree blockade in Texas history.
On August 19th the Transcanada corporation officially began construction of the Keystone XL pipeline which will carry poisonous tar sands from Alberta Canada to the Gulf of Mexico despite overwhelming opposition from landowners and concerned residents, but a broad coalition called the Tar Sands Blockade is organizing to stop it.
Environmental activists have been celebrating a victory on Gotland Island, off the coast of southeast Sweden, as tree felling machinery remained idle on Saturday evening.
Environmental activists have been celebrating a victory on Gotland Island, off the coast of southeast Sweden, as tree felling machinery remained idle on Saturday evening.
“It was a smart and brave decision,” field biologist Alva Snis Sigtryggsson told Swedish news agency TT. “It feels like a partial victory.”
Earlier in the day police had to use cutting equipment to remove Greenpeace protestors who had chained themselves to the machinery. The tree clearance was planned to make way for a controversial limestone quarry in the Ojnare forest adjacent to an EU designated Natura 2000 protected area.
The forestry owners’ association, Mellanskog, issued a statement indicating that the forest clearance will be stopped until after a High Court Ruling on the issue.
“We are well aware that Nordkalk has a legal right to start work here but we want to avoid long term splits and bitterness in this community where we have many members,” the association wrote.
The mining company’s communication chief, Eva Feldt, called the decision “deplorable” and blamed the country governor for putting pressure on the forestry group.
Environmental groups, including the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation and Greenpeace have pledged to block all attempts to open a quarry in the area which they say should be protected in line with European Union rules on biodiversity.
The Swedish Ojnare Forest has been described as unlike any other on the planet – with unique ancient pine forests, short in stature due to the cold climate, yet with individual trees up to 1000 years old, in ecosystems containing 265 endangered species. These old forests shroud the island’s unique and complex groundwater system, and their destruction will place the island’s biggest freshwater source at risk. The area’s unique natural ecosystem habitats are of high national interest for nature conservation, as the Ojnare Forest is located between and adjacent to two European Natura 2000 conservation areas, and is proposed to become a National Park. The Ojnare Forest and its natural ecosystems are under attack by a large open pit limestone mine that would cover 420 acres with a 26 meter deep toxic hole.
Over the objections of the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, and despite appeals to the Supreme Court, preparatory work for the mine is already underway. There is a major forest protest occupation ongoing at Gotland Island against this logging and mining. Protesters have been occupying Ojnareskogen since July, and in recent days some 70 police officers have come to remove them, and the number of protestors has risen to over 100 – ranging from self-described rebels against ecocide, to families with small children. Despite having already started clearing land for in excess of what had been approved, Mellanskog decided on Saturday to suspend the ongoing logging on Gotland pending a decision from the Supreme Court. While a positive development, protest continues until the logging and entire project are cancelled.
Although the acutely threatened area is “only” 170 hectares in size, the case reveals Sweden’s weak forest protection legislation and possible resource allocation corruption. Only a few percent of Sweden’s high conservation value forests remain, and only 3.3 percent of the productive forest area is protected. The verdict in this case will be used by other corporations to clearcut and exploit other old natural ecosystems in the country. Ecological Internet has a long history of successfully supporting local Scandinavian old-growth forest protection movements. In 2009, our network sent 1,117,294 protest emails in a successful campaign stopping industrial development in 80% of Finland’s Central Lapland wilderness, covering tens of thousands of hectares. Few thought such protections were possible, yet with strong local organizing backed up by EI’s unprecedented global network’s international campaign, it was one of many great victories for Earth’s old forests.
Residents in western Orange County began fighting the project over a year ago, and have taken every legal step possible. FERC (the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) approved the project with a 3 to 2 vote, unprecedented in their history as a rubber stamping revolving door for industry. The split decision was the result of an alternative site proposed by residents, which would involve the expansion of an already existing compression facility. With their decision, FERC confirmed what we already knew, that when the interests of industry come up against community, the government is no ally. The gas industry has plans to turn Minisink and Western Orange County into a hub for operations, with another compression station and an $800 million dollar natural gas power plant already in the early stages of regulatory approval.
The community, however, has no plans to bow to industry or FERC. They have responded with a promise for daily action. On day 1, the site was successfully blockaded for over half the day, and only one resident was arrested (he was released within 2 hours with a ticket for disorderly conduct). On day 2, there were numerous work stoppages as a result of soft blockades (one brave individual was arrested), vehicular intervention, and the actions of one resident who jumped on top of a piece of heavy machinery (and amazingly managed to avoid arrest). On day 3, around 75 people, including many children and local families marched from the site through town and back again to continue to spread awareness about the toxic compressor station and strengthen resolve. On Day 4, a flash mob stopped traffic to the site for about an hour, with CBS news coming to cover the story. As we approach the 5th day, it remains to be seen how this campaign will escalate in the near future.
One thing is certain; no one in this area saw resistance of this magnitude coming. Hopefully this signals a sea change in the way things have been in the Hudson Valley. This bio-region has suffered enough suburbanization, gentrification, pollution, and downright dirty dealing. From Indian point (the nuclear plant with no evacuation plan) to PCBs, natural gas infrastructure to green-washed incinerator projects, we are here to let it be known that the heyday of industry is over. No compressor station! No compromise! Long live the Indiana Bat!
The next day of action is this Saturday (10/6/12) with another march, followed by a direct action training presented by Hudson Valley Earth First!
WINNSBORO, TEXAS – Monday, October 1, 2012 8:00AM – A Tar Sands Blockade protester has stopped the destruction of a small family farm in East Texas by locking himself in front of oncoming Keystone XL clearing equipment.
WINNSBORO, TEXAS – Monday, October 1, 2012 8:00AM – A Tar Sands Blockade protester has stopped the destruction of a small family farm in East Texas by locking himself in front of oncoming Keystone XL clearing equipment. Houston resident, Alejandro de la Torre, 28, is taking action to stop the Keystone XL pipeline from destroying the home of yet another Texas family threatened by TransCanada’s poisonous tar sands slurry.
In a powerful display of conviction, De la Torre locked his arm into a concrete capsule buried directly in the proposed path of the toxic pipeline. This courageous act is preventing TransCanada’s unwelcomed onslaught of machines from devastating property captured through eminent domain abuse. Follow live updates on facebook and twitter.
“I was raised in New Orleans, so I’ve seen how local communities suffer at the hands of multinational corporations,” attests de la Torre. “I’m willing to risk arrest today to stop this tar sands pipeline because I have the privilege to help protect the safety of those most affected. Keystone XL endangers the health and safety of everyone from the landowners and their families now threatened by cancer causing leaks, to the refinery communities in Houston that have to breathe the dirty air, as well as people of color around the world who are disproportionately affected by climate change.”
In a separate protest just miles away on the other side of Winnsboro, Tar Sands Blockade’s aerial tree protest enters into its second week. Sitters in platforms nearly 100 feet in the air are not deterred by reckless behavior on the part of TransCanada’s work crews. Despite repeated warning of the dangers on the part of the protesters, the company is encouraging the use of dangerous tree clearing equipment within feet of protesters’ trees, endangering their lives.
Today’s blockade comes less than a week after TransCanada supervisors encouraged law enforcement to brutalize two peaceful protesters who were acting in defense of the largest tree blockade in Texas history. One of the abused protesters, Benjamin Franklin, explained why peaceful civil disobedience must continue despite the violence orchestrated by TransCanada, “I encourage everyone to persevere in the face of this type of sheer brutality. To follow one’s moral compass in spite of extreme challenges is the way we move forward towards a more humane, tar sands-free planet.”
Below is a previously recorded video of the landowner, Susan Scott whose land stands to be clear-cut today, confronting TransCanada’s surveyors.
“TransCanada doesn’t have any local community ties, it lies about the safety of its pipeline because it cares more about money than about people,” claims Ron Seifert, spokesperson for Tar Sands Blockade. “If this multinational corporation had any compassion for East Texan’s homes, it would respect our constitutionally protected property rights instead of condemning the land and using it for its own private gain.”
UPDATE: 9:30AM – Police Arrive and Begin to Calmly Access the Situation
UPDATE: 10:30AM – TransCanada Workers Bringing Shovels and Threatening to Dig Alejandro Out
UPDATE: 11:00AM – Police Baffled About How to Respond – TransCanada Helicopter Circling Overhead
UPDATE: 11:30AM – Fire and Rescue Crews Arrive With More Plain Clothes Police
UPDATE: 1:00PM – Police Steal Camera From Observers Standing Nearby on Private Property
After the the torture tactics used on our blockaders last week at the encouragement of TransCanada supervisors we’ve made ever effort to ensure we have observers on the scene carefully watching with a video camera. Observers were standing nearby on private property when police confiscated their camera! Fortunately, TV crews are arriving on the scene and hopefully they wouldn’t be subjected to this same obstruction of civil liberties.
UPDATE: 1:15PM – Police Attach Hand-Cuffs to Alejandro’s Ankles – Undeterred He Holds Strong
UPDATE: 1:25PM – Police Put a Screen Around Alejandro So Observers Can’t Watch and Protect Him
Since the police stole our main camera right now we only have photo of the screen taken far away with a cell phone camera. A backup photographer arrived on the scene later and took high definition photos that we’ll upload on our flickr stream tonight.
UPDATE: 3:00PM – Police Chiseling Away at the Underground Capsule That Alejandro is Locked Into
UPDATE: 3:45PM – Alejandro Has Been Arrested For Helping Save a Family Farm From Keystone XL
After delaying construction for almost an entire day Alejandro has been extracted from the underground capsule and arrested. Through his brave actions he was able to bring to light the disrespect that local landowners have suffered at the hands of TransCanada’s eminent domain abuse and trampling of landowner rights.
UPDATE: 4:00PM – Bulldozer Has Moved in to Level More of the Family Farm
After being delayed almost an entire work-day by Alejandro’s actions Keystone XL construction crews quickly moved in with machinery to get in at least one hour of work bulldozing a local landowners beloved family farm before the end of the work day.
UPDATE: 6:00PM – Read Alejandro’s Story of How His Passion For Environmental Justice Motivates Him
“I’m willing to risk arrest because I have a certain amount of personal privilege that allows me to participate. I don’t live near a Gulf refinery, or on land that’s at risk from a devastating tar sands spill, so I’m able to play a small part in an action that will really help people’s lives. I’m here to stand up for people on the front lines because they’re being trampled to make way for corporate profits.
I’m sick of seeing these devastating affects on a personal and community level and on a grand global scale in which corporations and their profits call all the shots.”
UPDATE: OCTOBER 2nd, 9:00AM – Alejandro’s Bail Set at $10,000
Yesterday Houston resident Alejandro de la Torre delayed Keystone XL clear cutting operations on a family farm outside Winnsboro, Texas for almost an entire day. De la Torre locked himself to an underground capsule in the pathway of Keystone XL to protect the farm, saying simply that “I’m here to stand up for people on the front lines because they’re being trampled to make way for corporate profits.” After Wood County Sheriff Department confiscated peaceful observers camera’s they arrested him for his courageous action.
De la Torre is currently being held on trumped up charges and a bail set at $10,000, an outrageous sum for a nonviolent peaceful protester. As a supporter of Alejandro and the blockade please demonstrate your support with a generous donation to his bail.
UPDATE: OCTOBER 2nd, 10:0AM- Alejandro Released!
Alejandro de la Torre has been released from Wood County Jail. When more information becomes available we will update. For now, check out what Alejandro said before he was arrested on our blog.
After yesterday’s audacious move by TransCanada to cut around the west side of the tree blockade and completely outside of the designated Keystone XL pathway, or easement, blockaders have taken action.
After yesterday’s audacious move by TransCanada to cut around the west side of the tree blockade and completely outside of the designated Keystone XL pathway, or easement, blockaders have taken action.
In the middle of the night blockaders erected a 30 foot high timber pole in the newly clear-cut pathway. Lifelong Texan Mary Germanati has climbed atop the pole and is refusing to come down until the Keystone XL pipeline is stopped for good. The pole is a free standing structure that’s safely supported by numerous life-line ropes to keep it upright. If TransCanada moves to sever these support ropes it could seriously injure Germanati. Yesterday their machinery was operating so close that it shook the timber scaffolding wall and severed ropes attached to nearby trees intended to keep a safe buffer between the machinery and the blockaders. Now that we are livestreaming our hope is that the eyes of the world will prevent them from recklessly endangering peaceful protestors.
UPDATE: 9:00AM – Sheriff Arrives and Tries to Talk Blockader Down From Her Pole
UPDATE: 10:00AM – Livestream is Down Due to Technical Difficulties
Sorry folks, we’re doing our best down here in the backwoods of East Texas. Thanks for your patience as we attempt to bring you live footage of the tree blockade. You can help us buy the technical equipment we need to continually improve the quality of the coverage.
UPDATE: 11:00AM – Workers and Sheriff Unsure How to Get Mary Down – Situation is Steady
Blockaders on the ground have been talking with TransCanada workers to explain how they are unable to proceed with today’s clear-cutting operation because Mary is securely up a 40 foot pole in their pathway. Workers and the sheriff are unsure how to get Mary down from her blockade. A TransCanada worker is filming everyone, hence we’ve been wearing masks for our own legal protection.
UPDATE: 1:00PM – TransCanada Workers in the Distance – Mary Holding Strong After yesterday’s close encounters with TransCanada’s heavy machinery operating dangerously close to peaceful tree blockaders things are calm today. It seems that Mary’s presence on a 40 foot pole in the clear-cut path of the Keystone XL has deterred their operations for the day. Workers and police are still milling around on the ground. The only sound audible from the tree blockade is a wood-chipper and excavator moving slash piles of felled trees further away along the clear-cut scar. Hold strong Mary!
UPDATE: 5:00PM – Mary’s Action Stopped All New Clear-Cutting Today
Lifelong Texan Mary Germanati remains quietly perched on top of her 40 foot pole in the middle of Keystone XL clear-cutting site. TransCanada workers and police, unsure of how to deal with Mary, avoided her all day and didn’t bring the heavy machinery back to the clear-cut they had begun the day before. About a dozen workers on foot and four-wheelers roamed around on the ground.
Over a hundred people came to hear about the proposals from the developers and protest groups in a balanced debate. In the event, the developers represented by Mr. Gerwyn Williams of UK Methane pulled out just hours before the meeting started leaving the floor to the opposition. The meeting was organized by the alliance of groups under the umbrella of Frack Free Somerset.
Coalbed Methane is one of a number of interrelated ‘extreme gas’ extraction technologies (including fracking for shale gas, and underground coal gasification). Coalbed Methane is a process for extracting gas from coal seams fairly close to the surface.
Somerset residents heard from speakers representing various opposition groups including Transition Keynsham, Frack Off, and Bristol Rising Tide.
Laura Corfield from Transition Keynsham detailed how UK Methane are about to submit a planning application to carry out test drilling in the Hicks Gate area of Keynsham to Bath and North East Somerset Council.
She said: “All Somerset residents should be concerned about these proposals and it is vital that they now lodge their objections to UK Methane’s planning application. If we don’t stop them now, we can expect drilling rigs all over Somerset, endangering our water supplies and local environment.”
Edward Lloyd-Davies from the national group ‘Frack Off’ related the multiple problems experienced in the US and Australia where coalbed methane has been going on for some years. These include methane escapes, contamination of drinking water, huge quantities of produced water contaminated with toxic salts needing disposal and subsidence. He produced estimates of the potential extent of drilling in Somerset based on information from UK Methane’s Australian parent company. This indicated up to 2100 drilling sites with extensive gas pipelines across the Somerset countryside.
A spokesperson from Rising Tide said: “It is no good this industry claiming that they will do it differently in the UK because we have tighter regulation. The licensing regime for the ‘extreme gas’ in the UK is based on off-shore oil extraction. Regulation falls between the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the Environment Agency, the Health and Safety Executive and local planning authorities and is totally uncoordinated. Experience in Lancashire has shown one company operating outside its planning permission and in contravention of its planning conditions.”
Wells Town Councillor, Chris Briton chaired the meeting and heard local residents express strong concerns about pollution of drinking water and local rivers and environmental impacts on the Somerset countryside.
The audience was overwhelmingly opposed the UK Methane’s proposals.
I’m writing to ya’ll from a safe space nearby the Tar Sands Blockade in rural east Texas. Early this week, heeding the call of friends and comrades already on site, we assembled a crew of Earth First!ers from the Northeast US and made the 30+ hour drive to the site to provide crucial reinforcement. The tree village set upon site is one of the most fantastic things we’ve ever seen, and the emerging pictures on the internet do it no justice. Down below the pods, hideous monsters in the form of massive feller bunchersand dozers fill the air with the heinous sounds of corporate ecocide: mechanical whirs, sawing, and worst of the all the sound of beautiful trees hundreds of years old falling to their death, driving wildlife from their homes.
Yesterday a feller buncher began clearing through a section of the forest, rapidly advancing towards one of the tree sitters. Clearly printed in large letters on the side of the death machine read a warning to stay back at least 500 feet. A roving team on the ground that I was part of began cat-and-mousing the feller buncher, trying to keep our comrade in the tree safe. On the ground two TransCanada workers and one local sheriff operating as an armed mercenary of the corporation oversaw the operations, trying to move through the felled trees to push back our crew from the clear cut site. We continued to advance, determined not only to protect our comrade above in the canopy but to push them back and show them that we are not scared and that we will RESIST. At one point as we had just watched the feller buncher take down an 80 foot water oak not 40 feet away from the sitter and we heard our friend screaming from above pleading for the safety of their life, I ran towards the machine about 25 feet away making eye contact with the driver who continued to operate the machine and yelling to TransCanada and their bought and paid sheriff that we would not stay back, that they were going to kill our friend if they continued to advance and they were required by law to stop the machine. The sheriff approached saying that “they” (speaking as if they were actually part of TC) weren’t coming any further at that point and they turned the machine around to continue clear cutting. A crew of 7 of us held our ground and remained in defense of the sitter on the opposite side of a creek where we were forced to watch tree after tree fall. A dense part of the forest was instantly turned in to a morose tree morgue.
Overcome with emotions, having never seen a clearcut myself and certainly having never faced down a massive feller buncher, I moved back through the clearcut, across the creek where our friend sat above us in a tree. Feeling the energy coming from the mercilessly mauled fresh tree stumps, I lay over a large one crying uncontrollably as I watched the remaining few trees off in the distance be cut and wrestled out of place. I angrily contemplated the enormity of the corporate state, the cancer that is capitalism, and the injustice of the entire situation. Comrades were there to comfort me and together we all walked away from the horrible scene feeling renewed in our fight and certain in our decision to come to Texas to fight this madness and call attention to this scene.
As I write this now I’m receiving word from the site that they’re cutting in from the south side, only 20 feet away from the sitter we spent yesterday protecting. North from there at the wall that y’all have seen photos of earlier this week, several of our friends’ lives are at risk and trees are being cut dangerously close. TC is now clearing from the west side of the site, attempting to box our site in and presumably make way for cherry pickers and other extraction devices.
One of the locals who is currently resisting the Keystone XL pipeline in solidarity with several local landowners shared stories with a few of us. It is absolutely clear that TransCanada is paying off local law enforcement officers. In addition TC is relentlessly trying to serve people with lawsuits, putting gag orders on landowners who had previously been strong allies, and buying off others. Yesterday one of our key allies awoke to TC in their yard with a big feller buncher. TC had promised them multiple times both verbally and in formally written depositions that they would give “fair” notice before beginning to destroy their land. It seems like TC knew that this area is quickly receiving an influx of resisters and gave this landowner no warning, knowing that we’d have certainly acted at that site.
Despite the situation we are keeping spirits high. Last night I came out of the woods with three comrades to head to a safe space to write this communique to y’all. We were excited to find that many new friends and many familiar faces had arrived to reinforce the site. We’re here for the long haul and are asking y’all to come down to help defend our friends in the trees and stand up to TransCanada and their dirty pipeline. What we’re doing is not enough, but there is strength in numbers and with the aid of more friends we can turn up the heat on TC. There are many opportunities to plug in in various ways hereand the pipeline is going in all across this region. There are many allies and a supportive campaign. We sit here anxiously waiting to re-join our comrades and worried for their safety, and eager to return to the woods and keep up the fight. We hope to see you in the woods.
Newcastle residents and activists dressed in medical gowns protested the lack of consideration of health and climate change effects in the proposed building of a fourth coal terminal at the port of Newcastle, already the world's largest coal port. A peaceful protest and 'lockon' occurred outside The office of NSW Minister for Planning Brad Hazzard last Thursday who is due to consider the merits of the proposal.
Dressed as doctors and patients, about 20 protestors holding banners and placards occupied the front steps of Governor Macquarie Tower at 1 Farrer Place, Sydney.
Two campaigners were allowed in to meet with Minister Hazzard's staff. They spent 25 minutes discussing the 4th terminal and relaying the community's concerns over health and climate and requested a public meeting in Newcastle with the Minister.
On the steps of the building Spokesperson Alex McInnis said "We are here because there are plans to expand Newcastle coal port, which is going to hurt the health of the community because of the impact of coal dust. It's also going to damage our farmland and climate."
"So, we've come to Minister for Planning Brad Hazzard's office to urge him to reject the planned expansion of the coal port and listen to the communities concerns over health and put those concerns in front of the interests of the coal companies and reject the coal terminal." she said.
Another protestor dressed in a medical gown said: "We are here today because in the respiratory unit the asthma caused by coal dust in the Hunter region and Newcastle is a serious health hazard. We are asking Minister Hazzard not to allow the proposed 4th coal terminal in Newcastle to go ahead."
Police attended and asked the protestors to move. Some voluntarily left the steps. Two protestors in medical gowns refused and had their locks removed by the Police Rescue Squad and were taken away and arrested.
The fourth coal terminal at Newcastle proposed by Port Waratah Coal Services will expand coal export capacity from 210 to 330 million tonnes each year, yet the demand for coal appears to be falling. Mining and transport of this coal will double the coal dust pollution from coal trains, piles and coal loaders that people breath in towns throughout the Hunter Valley.
Medical academics have argued that Newcastle’s T4 project puts short-term profit before health. Public health and comprehensive health monitoring has taken second place in coal regions to the arguments in favour of economic development. The long term health costs are simply never factored into the economic costs.
The medical and health issues of coal are well known. Coal dust contributes to asthma, cancer, heart disease and stroke and it interferes with lung development and compromises intellectual capacity. In the US there has been health costing data gathered showing that if the cost of disease resulting from coal was paid for by the coal and power industries it would almost double the cost of electricity. Up to 50,000 deaths each year in the US are attributed to pollution from power plants. A 2009 report by Physicians for Social Responsibility (USA) outlined 'Coal's Assault on Human Health' and the need to phase out coal on health, energy and climate grounds.
In Australia we have a woeful record of pollution monitoring and assessing health costs from coal. A good start to addressing the imbalance between economic development and health would be establishing comprehensive pollution monitoring done regularly and independantly for all coal areas – mines, transport corridors, ports, coal fired power stations and nearby residential areas – at the expense of the coal industry and make the data publicly available. Read more at Something in the air: time for independent testing in coal areas.
The Coal Terminal Action Group is raising money to monitor coal dust in suburbs between the Hunter Valley coal mines and Newcastle’s port.
Doctors for the Environment in their submission and comment on the Environment Impact statement said :"From the data presented, Newcastle is a polluted town with likely existing health impacts and now we have a proposal that will undoubtedly increase pollution. It is not that Australia needs to make this sacrifice for energy security, as alternatives to burning coal for energy currently exist. Furthermore the morbidity and mortality conferred on the world’s people by the export of this coal would not be insignificant."
Takver is a citizen journalist from Melbourne Australia who has been writing on climate change, science and protests since 2004. This article was originally published at Australia Indymedia
BBC’s COUNRTYFILE PROGRAMME INVESTIGATES WHY A REMOTE HAMLET IS ON THE FRONT LINE OF A PLANNING BATTLE OF NATIONAL IMPORTANCE.
THE LOOSE ANTI OPEN-CAST NETWORK
BBC’s COUNRTYFILE PROGRAMME INVESTIGATES WHY A REMOTE HAMLET IS ON THE FRONT LINE OF A PLANNING BATTLE OF NATIONAL IMPORTANCE.
A small village, of just 75 households, is all that may stand between preserving large sections of the English countryside and the expressed desire of the UK Mineral Extraction Industry to see more permissions given to exploiting England’s mineral resources in areas that are more environmentally sensitive and / or are closer to where people live.
The unfortunate village is Halton Lea Gate, located on the Cumbria / Northumberland border and near an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. A team from the BBC’s Counrtyfile programme was filming there recently to investigate why this spot now finds itself on the front line of a national planning controversy.
In early August, after a Public Inquiry into an Appeal to grant permission for an Opencast Mine, the Inspector found in favour of the Applicant. The sting in the tale, for all other communities in England, is the reasoning given by the Inspector to allow the Appeal. His reasoning set a new case law precedent, it is argued, which affects all future mineral planning applications in England.
What the Applicant has to replicate in the future, is the argument used here: that there is a national need for the mineral in question, in this case coal. If they can persuade the Planning Authority (or the Inspector, if the Application has gone to an Appeal) that this is the case, then ‘great weight’ has to be attached to this claim. So much weight it seems, that this factor alone may override all other considerations. (1)
This situation has arisen as a consequence of the Government implementing the new National Planning Policy Framework. In the time leading up to the 2010 election, lobbying organisations such as Coalpro and the CBI lobbied long and hard for a relaxation of the planning rules for mineral extraction. (2) It seems, from this example, the first Public Inquiry for mineral extraction to be held under the new rules, that their efforts have been rewarded. The advice of the Inspector has now gone to the Department of Communities and Local Government to be confirmed or rejected by a Minister.
The BBC came to investigate the issue and explore why local people have taken on the task of raising £40,000 so that they can mount a Judicial Review over the decision. If local people are successful in raising the money and mounting a successful action, they may have prevented the floodgates from opening and saved England from experiencing a rash of mineral planning applications for developing swathes of the countryside. This is now a Public Appeal, and donations can be made payable to The North Pennines Protection Group, who have been one of the local groups who have opposed this Application
An e petition to the Government has been started about this planning decision and its implication for similar planning decisions elsewhere which can be signed by following this link:
Steve Leary for the Loose Anti Opencast Network commented
“ LAON was contacted by the BBC in the lead up to filming for the Countryside programme. We are delighted to be able to cooperate in the making of the programme and show why we argue that this is an issue of national importance which will affect other communities up and down the Country if the decision is not changed.
We know of five other opencast mine applications, near Smally in Derbyshire (George Farm) , Kirklees, Sth. Yorkshire (Dearne Lea), Trowel in Nottinghamshire (Shortwood Farm) , Whittonstall in Northumberland ( Hoodsclose) and Gateshead (Birklands) that will be affected by this decision if it stands.
In addition, we are aware of three other sites where a potential applicant is making the final decision to proceed with a full application in Gateshead, Marley Hill Reclamation) , Derbyshire ( Hill Top Project near Clay Cross) and Northumberland (Ferneybeds near Widdrington Station, Northumberland) which might also be affected.
The issue here though, we believe, goes way beyond opencast mining. It’s about relaxing the rules around all forms of mineral extraction from pits for sand, gravel and clay to quarries for granite and limestone to opencast mines for coal. This is what the industry lobbied for and now, it seems, the Government has delivered, if it upholds the Inspector’s recommendation to approve the Application and the Judicial Review fails. We therefore urge people everywhere, who cherish and love our countryside, to support both the petition and the public appeal for money to take this case to a Judicial Review.”
The Counrtyfile edition of the programme is to be broadcast on Sunday 30th September 2012. It will include a 12 minute section on the Halton Lea Gate issue.
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References
1) For more information on the significance of this decision as far as opencast mine applications are concerned see LAON PR7 here
The Loose Anti-Opencast Network (LAON) has been in existence since 2009. It functions as a medium through to oppose open cast mine applications through which any person / group can communicate ideas, information, requests for information and possibly concerted actions if we find a target. In addition feel free to invite any other person / group who oppose opencast mining applications, to join the network so that it grows. At present LAON links individuals and groups in N Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Northumberland, Co Durham, Leeds, Kirklees Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Walsall.
A march is taking place on Saturday 22nd September to show the strength of opposition to any proposal to seek to opencast mine on the Hilltop Project site. For more info see
A march is taking place on Saturday 22nd September to show the strength of opposition to any proposal to seek to opencast mine on the Hilltop Project site. For more info see
