Sydney Morning Herald reported that the AUD 6.4 billion coal mine at the centre of a dispute between the Queensland and federal governments has been given a list of four improvements it needs before it can win approval from federal environment minister Mr Tony Burke.

The massive Alpha Coal mine, JV between Ms Gina Rinehart's Hancock Coal and Indian giants GVK, was asked to detail more about how it will mitigate the impact of the project on a range of environmental factors, including the habitats of dugong and the Great Barrier Reef.

In a statement today, Mr Burke also told the developers to conduct further surveys into the impact on threatened species and to develop additional offsets. Mr Burke said he had met with the developers of Alpha Coal twice in the past ten days to explain his concerns and he expected to make a ruling on the project within the company's existing schedule for investment decisions.

Approvals for the massive mine and rail project have been stalled since Mr Burke expressed concerns with the standard of scrutiny applied by the Queensland Government in its approval process.

Source - Sydney Morning Herald

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