A local foodbowl and one of the fastest growing residential areas of Victoria, Bacchus Marsh is now in the sights of coal miners.
Mantle Mining has gained a licence to explore an area stretching from the East side of Bacchus Marsh to Ballan and as far South as Durdidwarrah by the Brisbane Ranges National Park.
Who are Mantle Mining? A publicly owned Australian company, Managing Director Ian Kraemer talks about Mantle Mining and the Bacchus Marsh coal exploration:
Listen - Mantle Mining projects
What's to be found in Bacchus Marsh?
Listen - coal in Bacchus Marsh
Will there be new drill holes for exploration or are Mantle Mining just using existing bores?
What kind of community consultation will take place?
Public or private land for exploration drilling?
Listen - working with land holders
What's the community had to say and will there be coal seam gas mining?
So will there be fracking or coal seam gas mining?
What government approval is needed?
Listen - process and the government's role
Are Environmental Impact Statements required?
Listen - environmental impact studies
Do Bacchus Marsh residents know there's potential for a much larger open cut mine than the small existing mine?
Listen - community consultation
How much coal are we talking about? What would happen with the mined coal and where?
How clean is the clean brown coal?
Listen - brown coal cuts emissions
How do we get the coal from Bacchus Marsh to India, or China for that matter?
Listen - transport infrastructure
Listen - get on the coal train
Ian says Exergen have had discussions with the Port Authority about potential transport arrangements. He says Mantle Mining have not received any government funding or support for the project.
Going into coal mining, you'd think you'd have a pretty good grasp on the carbon tax. As if it wasn't confusing enough already, here's Ian's take on what the carbon price might mean for Mantle Mining.
While at the time of this interview little of the detail of the carbon price had been revealed, Ian seems to be describing a combination of two different policies, state regulations on coal-fired power stations and the federal government's carbon tax. Of course we're still waiting for details of the carbon price package and that uncertainty is difficult for businesses.
Will mines have to pay for pollution?
Listen - the devil's in the detail
If you're going to pay for your emissions, you need to count them of course and Ian tells us who does that in the process.
Listen - counting the cost of pollution
Does Ian feel that the company mining coal should take responsibility for the future carbon emissions created when the coal is burnt?
Listen - is there climate change? Did we do it?
Listen - the generators have made their choice
So what do you think? Is an expanded coal mine and a new export market for brown coal what you want for the region? Is brown coal dried out to be like black coal clean and should exporters avoid a carbon tax?Please contribute your comments and questions below, Ian has made it clear he's available for questions and I'm happy to ask them for you.
Listen - available for questions
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Comments
Jane
Concerned about where Bacchus Marsh is heading. Town is surrounded by Quarries (which shroud the valley in dust) and now a coal mine on the other side of town?
Tony Watts
Terrific interview thank you.
We at Deans Marsh are about to host Ian at a public meeting called to learn about Mantle's intentions in our little patch.
Your interview with Ian gives us good insight into what he will have to say.
Cheers
Tony Watts
Tony Watts in Deans Marsh
Huge thanks to Ballarat Independent - your report on Mantle Mining in Bacchus Marsh gave us great information in our Deans Marsh campaign to keep Mantle Mining out of the Otways.
Brilliant !
buy shares in MNM
lets make zome god damn money! you selfish farmers all you care about is yourselfs. think about the jobs this will create. Then you ask yourselfs the question why all the youth move away from your little town. we live in a capitalist society so lets get the job done and reap the rewards.
Leon
@buy shares in MNM. thanks for that but...
Mines don't often create "Local Jobs".
Bacchus Marsh does not have a youth drain. In-fact Bacchus Marsh is a growing town. People are moving there for it's open spaces. Bacchus Marsh is set to lose out if it has an open cut mine imposed on it.
"we live in a capitalist society so lets get the job done and reap the rewards."
I wonder... are you for or against a super profits tax?