ANZ is financing Whitehaven Coal’s Maules Creek project, one of three open pit coal mines proposed for NSW Leard State Forest. If it proceeds the project will clear thousands of hectares of native habitat, including 500 hectares of critically endangered White Box-Gum woodland. The mine is set to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, creating significant noise and dust pollution that will impact the health and wellbeing of the local community and create a toxic pit lake hundreds of metres deep. This project will permanently scar the landscape and threaten the quality of the ground water for many centuries to come.
At this stage, revelations that false and misleading information was submitted in order to secure environmental approvals, and a community legal challenge have delayed the project.
With so many alternative zero emission energy projects waiting for finance why would ANZ want to fund a highly destructive and deeply unpopular project that makes a mockery of its own policies and guidelines? see http://www.anz.com.au/about%2Dus/corporate%2Dresponsibility/customers/responsible%2Dbusiness%2Dlending/policies%2Dguidelines/
As a signatory of the Equator Principles, ANZ is in breach of more than just its own social and environment guidelines http://www.equator-principles.com
It is telling that the Coal Diggers see an opportunity for the project!
