NSW Minerals Council chief executive Nikki Williams said local groups refuse to accept the outcome of a year-long independent expert review on underground mining in the state’s southern coalfields.

The review found no evidence of significant subsidence impacts on local rivers, swamps, aquifers or water quality.

Williams said comments this week by the Total Environment Centre, Rivers SOS and Wollondilly Mayor Michael Banasik did not take account of the totality of the extensive scientific work undertaken by the Expert Panel.

Williams said contrary to claims that the panel’s recommendations were soft on the mining industry, the environmental assessment process would be even tougher than the current regulations.

“The recommendations mean that mining companies will be required to provide more baseline data, and to adhere to even tighter controls around protecting significant natural features,” Williams said.

“The mining industry is the most heavily regulated of any industry in NSW. While our industry itself has some concerns about the implications of some of the recommendations, our industry will abide by the umpire’s decision to meet tougher conditions that satisfy both the government and local community concerns.”

Yesterday Sydney-based Total Environment Centre launched another attack on longwall mining, this time directed at Peabody Energy.

TEC urged the NSW planning minister to reject Peabody’s application to longwall mine under the Waratah Rivulet and Woronora Dam.

It said Peabody’s plan was to use remediation as its environmental strategy was a “failed policy”

Just this week BHP Billiton Illawarra vice-president of operations Jim Middleton told delegates at the Longwall 2008 conference that the coal industry needed to be progressive and proactive in addressing environmental issues and being part of the community.

He held up the Dendrobium longwall as an example of where Illawarra Coal had changed its mining plan to protect a river it had originally planned to mine underneath.

He said the company was not forced into the position, but instead opted to change the plan to be “part of the community”

Also speaking at the conference was NSW University Mining Engineering head Professor Bruce Hebblewhite, who has been part of the expert panel that put together Underground Coal Mining in the Southern Coalfield report.

Detailing the report’s findings and recommendations to industry delegates, he pointed out “it would be foolish to assume there wouldn’t be any knock-on effect to other areas”