Farmers ‘lock out’ miners
Farmers in the Felton Valley have vowed to lock out mining company representatives carrying out exploration work for an open-cut coal mine in the area. Ambre Energy wants to develop an open-cut coal mine and a petrochemical plant to convert the coal into liquid fuel. But local farmers are worried about the environmental impact of the project. They believe the government’s method of regulating the development via an Environmental Impact Statement- or EIS- favours companies and fails to adequately address their concerns. To try to draw attention to the issue, 100 farmers will lock their gates and refuse Ambre Energy permission to access their land. Jennifer Lush caught up with one of the anti-mine groups Friends of Felton President Rob McCreath