Save Happy Valley Coalition (SHVC) had appealed a December 2006 Environment Court decision that Solid Energy was acting legally and had all the necessary consents and authorities to mine at Stockton.

 

The group had argued that the company required land use consents to mine within the CML and for adjacent Department of Conservation land and that it did not have necessary water-related consents to cover certain activities.

 

“This is yet another unnecessary action designed less to protect the species of native land snails than to frustrate and disrupt our business and to cost us money,” Solid Energy chief executive Dr Don Elder said.

 

“Yesterday’s publicity stunt, where SHVC protestors stopped a coal train by chaining themselves to the railway line, shows that they have little regard for the law and that they don’t give a second thought about tying up the time and resources of the emergency services as well as the courts. Their ongoing activities are frivolous publicity stunts.”

 

Solid Energy said it would spend almost $NZ10 million protecting the snail population. To date more than 5600 snails have been collected from the Stockton ridgeline area and delivered to the Department of Conservation in Hokitika to be kept in a controlled environment and, since December 2006, almost 2000 of these have been released back into the wild into predator-controlled habitat at Stockton.