The court hearing for the proposed Rocky Hill coal mine project in Gloucester is now underway.
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The NSW Land and Environment Court started to hear opening submissions in Sydney on Monday August 13, with the court moving operations to Gloucester on Wednesday August 15.
Gloucester Resources Limited, the company behind the project, and Yancoal Australia, the company behind the associated modification to the Stratford Coal Extension Project, are challenging the development application refusal by the Department of Planning and Environment’s independent Planning Assessment Commission late last year.
Groundswell Gloucester, represented by Environmental Defenders Office NSW (EDO NSW), will be appearing in court as a respondent in the case, along with the Minister for Planning.
This landmark hearing, the first its kind since the Paris Agreement, will hear expert testimony about climate change, the carbon budget and the impacts of the burning of fossil fuels.
Emeritus professor, Will Steffen and energy analyst, Tim Buckley plus over 60 community objectors will appear in court as part of hearing.
Once in Gloucester, the court will visit a range of sites around Gloucester throughout the day on Wednesday (August 15) continuing on Thursday morning (August 16) with the first objectors hearing to be held at the Gloucester Soldiers Club that afternoon from 12:45pm until 4pm. The objectors hearing will then continue on Friday morning (August 17) from 10am until noon.
The court hearing is due to run for up to three weeks with a decision not expected for several months.