It's time to end coal pollution

A petition calling for Coal Power stations to be retired on time and coal ash dams to be cleaned up is on the NSW Parliamentary web site and open for signatures now - there is a deadline of 12th October to get 500 signatures!

27 September 2023

 

IT'S time to end coal pollution on the the Central Coast and protect community and environmental heal. If 500 signatures are obtained, then the Minister is required to respond to the petition in parliament. If it doesn't happen, then it just disappears into the ether.

 

The residents of the Central Coast and Lake Macquarie state that premature deaths, terminal illnesses, asthma, and chronic health problems have been experienced by residents of the Central Coast and Lake Macquarie as a result of decades of air and water pollution from local coal power stations and their associated coal ash dams.

 

Residents are calling on the government to implement the 16 recommendations from the Coal Ash Inquiry of the Public Works Committee report dated 4 March 2021, and not grant any exemption licences or extensions to the life of coal power stations in New South Wales, especially Vales Point and Eraring power stations.

 

Communities in the northern suburbs of the Coast have for too far long been calling for better regulation of toxic waste, in particular coal ash dams, from the burning of coal in nearby power stations – but their cries have so far been falling on deaf ears. It’s time the government stepped up so that people have clean air to breathe and that they are safe from toxic pollution.

 

In August of this year, the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur, Dr Marcus Orellana and Halida Nasic, Human Rights Officer, travelled to the Central Coast to personally listen to the issues that residents have on the effects of pollution from coal and coal-fired power stations. But what is need is your help, too.

 

Anyone in NSW can sign the petition here.

 

You can also:

 

• Share on Facebook groups related to environment, climate and the Central Coast. Multiple times.

 

• Email it to your friends and family and ask them to sign it and share it on.

 

• Email it to other groups who have Facebook pages and groups and ask them to post it on their group.

 

• Put it on Linkedin, Twitter, Slack or any other platforms you are on.