March 19, 2026
Today's release of the NSW Government's Coal Industry 2026-2050 plan and greenhouse reduction guide is a missed opportunity, according to the state's lead environmental advocacy group, the Nature Conservation Council of NSW (NCC).
"The Minns Government has taken three years to release a coal mining plan that is essentially business as usual," said NCC CEO Jacqui Mumford.
"Every backdown by the Minns Government to the coal industry costs the people of NSW enormously in the form of extreme weather events and more intense bush fires.
"The plan recognises that the world is reducing coal demand but fails to manage the impacts of the transition for communities or our climate.
"These plans envision a world where the NSW countryside continues to be ripped up for coal mine expansions, with no recognition that this is incompatible with a safe climate.
"The prohibition on new coal mines is meaningless, as no new mines are proposed, but dozens of large-scale expansions will continue to be allowed.
"This plan for more coal mining ignores advice from the Net Zero Commission that coal mine expansions are incompatible with the state's own climate goals and our international commitments."
EPA greenhouse guide for coal mines
The NCC has also condemned watered down rules that fail to limit greenhouse gas emissions from coal mines or require companies to take meaningful steps to reduce emissions.
The NSW Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) announcement comes after the Net Zero Commission found that additional regulation would be needed for coal mines to mitigate on-site emissions and for NSW to meet its legislated emission reduction targets.
"Our environmental regulator has caved in to pressure from the coal industry and diluted requirements for coal mines to mitigate methane, a short-lived and highly potent greenhouse gas. Reducing methane emissions is one of the fastest ways to slow the rate of warming in Australia.
"We know that reducing methane leaks is one of the cheapest ways to tackle climate change, yet requirements have been pushed off to next decade for most mines.
"Just as the independent Net Zero Commission is saying we need to do more on addressing methane in coal mining, the EPA is letting companies off the hook.
"They've even rolled over on the requirement for companies to publish climate change mitigation action plans. Now, companies have longer to do this, whilst the community remains in the dark on what, if anything, they are doing to address climate change.
"NCC is calling on the NSW EPA to set real emission limits for coal mines and require faster and firmer action on mitigation."
