Shale oil ban outrages miners
Sean Parnell; 25/8/08
The mining industry has launched a savage attack on the Bligh Government for announcing a two-year moratorium on shale oil projects, labelling it a politically motivated decision aimed at saving a marginal seat and appeasing environmental groups. Already under fire over the Government’s refusal to allow uranium mining but its willingness to sell exploration permits, Premier Anna Bligh flew to north Queensland yesterday to formally announce that a $14 billion shale oil project would be blocked. The Queensland Energy Resources project would have involved the bulk sampling and exploration of about 400,000 tonnes of rock in the McFarlane deposit, 15km south of Proserpine. Ms Bligh heeded the concerns of community and environmental groups, who feared the Whitsundays tourism industry and the Great Barrier Reef were at risk.
See: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24235128-2702,00.html
Tags: Australia, Environment, Mining