The NSW Greens have requested a public inquiry into the Port Kembla Coal Terminal (PKCT)'s proposal to lift restrictions on road delivery to its terminal.
The PKCT is seeking to extend their terminal’s 7am to 6pm curfew and is waiting for approval to receive coal by road 24 hours a day, every day, up to a million tonnes a year.
The Greens demanded that a public inquiry was necessary due to the Government's close links to coal companies.
Greens MP Lee Rhiannon said her concerns had been heightened after the submissions report prepared for the PKCT was "quietly placed on the NSW Department of Planning website” at the end of last year. Individuals who made submission had not been notified, she said.
Rhiannon said the 115-page report responding to submissions minimised legitimate concerns.
She said the Government had a responsibility to find a balance between the profits of companies and people's health and that the cumulative impact of additional coal and car freight from an expanded Port Kembla had been downplayed.
During the exhibition period in September and October last year 122 public submissions were received, of which 113 were objections. Of those, 43% came from residents of Mt Ousley and 27% from Bellambi.
The terminal responded by providing scope for a PKCT Driver's Code of Conduct, which would include designated haulage routes and noise minimisation controls.
The PKCT also pointed to a 2008 IRIS Research telephone survey of 330 households in which 59% of respondents indicated medium levels of support for the changes.
With Parliament not set to sit until March, Rhiannon called on Minister for Illawarra David Campbell to support a public inquiry before any final decision was made.
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