There have been several recent setbacks for mining companies in Queensland. First, the Federal Court overturned environmental approval for the Adani Carmichael mine. Soon afterwards two banks advising the Adani company withdrew their services. The Commonwealth Bank of Australia and the UK Standard Chartered Bank have both withdrawn from providing financial advice to the Adani company over the Carmichael Mine.
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In addition, the ABC has reported that Linc Energy’s coal gasification trials in Queensland, have been found to have left ‘hundreds of square kilometres of prime agricultural land … at risk from a cocktail of toxic chemicals and explosive gases.’
‘A study commissioned by Queensland’s environment department says an experimental plant operated by mining company Linc Energy at Chinchilla, west of Brisbane, is to blame and has already caused “irreversible” damage to strategic cropping land.
The department, which has launched a $6.5 million criminal prosecution of the company, alleges Linc is responsible for “gross interference” to the health and wellbeing of former workers at the plant as well as “serious environmental harm”.
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