New coal mine in Cumbria

[Schmoana]

Looks like Cumbria CC are going to reconsider this but why are the government not intervening?

How can we tell China not to open new coal mines when we are doing the same?

And how can the government intervene in Lancashire fracking, overturning the county councils decision not to allow fracking, but not intervene in this?

What I wonder is will we be importing coal if we don't open this mine? Because if so, surely it is actually better for the environment to have the mine in the same country as where the coal will be used.

Rather hypocritical to have somewhere else do the mining and we get the benefit of the coal.

Oh the irony.......it's not like the government closed then all in the 70s and 80s, resulting in local economies being decimated.

They could open one in South Wales perhaps......

Good.......we need the jobs tbh.

People are complaining for a long list of reasons but tbh a lot of it stems from people not wanting their views being spoiled

Might help heritage railways operate going forward

@Onlineshopperforever Wed 10-Feb-21 00:05:55
Oh the irony.......it's not like the government closed then all in the 70s and 80s, resulting in local economies being decimated.

They closed because back then it was cheaper to import coal, if now it's cheaper to mine it ourselves then it makes financial sense to do so.

People are complaining for a long list of reasons but tbh a lot of it stems from people not wanting their views being spoiled

It’s because of the risk of methane leaks and its proximity to the nuclear ponds at Sellafield.

80% of it will be exported apparently.

Ah, if the majority will be exported then that will not be so environmentally friendly. I hadn't heard that about it to be fair, just that we need coking coal for steel and this would mean we could produce it ourselves.

I heard on the BBC Today programme that the exports will be going to European steel plants, and effectively displace coal from Australia, so still better than not producing it ourselves.

And it doesn't matter what we tell China about anything, they don't give a toss what we think.

Coal is not environmentally friendly by any definition.

Planning applications go to local planning unless they qualify as NSIP. Which is a different planning route and is determined by the relevant SoS.

I was surprised a coal mine didn't qualify as NSIP and was determined by council. But that is why it's a local decision, not a national one. Apparently the council said no planning reason to refuse.

I think this is about leadership. We are hosting the climate change conference and need to keep the moral high ground to encourage others to follow suit

We could be creating jobs in renewables NOT coal

Do we really need to create jobs for people when there are massive shortages in social and care and nursing? Especially so after Brexit.

Controversially I think this is one thing thatcher got right. Of course she should have protected the communities, but she had the right idea in closing coal mines. It’s the dirtiest of fuels, bad for emissions, particles, asthma etc

Do people not register climate change? some of these comments are unbelievable

The coal that will be produced from the proposed mine is apparently essential for the steel making process. This coal currently is imported from Australia, USA and Russia. Mining our own coal instead of importing it from so far away is self-evidently better for the environment (as long as the mine is managed properly of course, which I don’t see why it wouldn’t). The exports from this mine will apparently go to European steel making plants, which again is self-evidently better than importing it from USA, Russia and Australia.
Why is it better to move coal thousands of miles to a steel plant as is done now, rather than hundreds of miles, as the new mine will allow? Not opening the mine will make climate change worse. There’s no point occupying the “moral high ground” if that means more damage to the environment. How about facts and realism instead?
And if we make more equipment for renewables that will mean more steel is needed, which, if we don’t open the new mine, will mean more imported coal, which will mean more transport emissions. The only thing that “occupying the moral high ground” will allow is a better view of the increased pollution from NOT opening the mine.

There are alternatives to coal. We need to develop them, rather than relying on coal. Be forward thinking not backward thinking

I'm not looking backwards, I'm looking realistically at facts as they are now.
What are the alternatives? How long will it take to develop them? And how many thousands of tonnes of coal will travel thousands of miles in the meantime while we wait for them to be ready?
I'm not an expert on this topic and not involved in coal mining in any way, but nice to have a bit of balance and some facts.

@Fulmar, as much as I would prefer not to have a new coal mine, from what you have found out, it does seem that this is the least worst option in the current situation. These arguments need to be clarified publicly if the owners want the mine to be approved.