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Protest walk over mining plans
Saturday 25th April 2009, 3:50PM BST.
Campaigners took to The Wrekin today to highlight their opposition to a planned opencast coal mine in the shadow of the famous landmark.
The demonstration, which took the form of a family walk and picnic, was staged by pressure group Telford Against New Coal.
The group, formed last summer, is angry at plans by UK Coal to extract 900,000 tonnes of coal over a three-year period at Huntington Lane, New Works.
A six-week public inquiry into the plan is due to begin at Gray’s Hotel in Telford on Tuesday.
About a dozen TANC members and their families gathered at the church hall in Dawley Road, Lawley, for today’s two-mile walk which ended with a picnic and children’s games at New Works Farm.
Emily Reid, who joined the demonstration with her nine-year-old son Spencer, said: “Any development involving coal being dug out and burned is incredibly damaging to the environment. It also flies in the face of planning legislation and we are hoping the inspector will take on board our strong concerns at the public inquiry.”
Mrs Reid said that if the plan was given the go-ahead the walk and picnic could be one of the last times families got to enjoy the area.
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The EU Air Quality Directive, which set tough air quality targets on reducing PM10 particles, was created to safeguard people’s health.
The UK was supposed to comply with it by 2005, but failed to do so.
Instead it has shown contempt for this directive by announcing plans to expand aviation and coal-mining in the UK.
In January 2009, the European Commission revealed that it wanted to launch legal proceedings against the UK for failing to comply with this directive, which safeguards our health.
On 24th April 2009 Defra announced that it wanted to further delay implementing this directive.
It is therefore heartening to see grassroots activists like TANC, highlighting -in the most peaceful and enjoyable way possible- our Government’s irresponsible commitment to coal-fired power.
The government’s delaying tactics on implementing progressive regulations, will cost our health and our pockets.
It’s inspiring to see people standing up to protect their local environment, and I wish them the very best of luck with their campaign.
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It would be helpful to the cause if others who were against the mine, actually supported eachother. I feel it would give them a louder voice and not seem to be splintered.
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NASA’s chief scientist, James Hansen, spoke to hundreds of climate activists in Coventry Cathedral on March 19th 2009, about the small window of time that we have left to get our society onto a sustainable footing.
Not only did Hansen warn us in stark terms about the folly of new coal mining projects, he also said that climate change is an issue of profound INJUSTICE.
This point about injustice was reinforced at the same rally in a talk by a Kenyan development worker, James Galgallo, who works alongside Kenyan pastoralists.
(To hear Galgallo’s short point about the effects of climate change on rural Kenyans, key ‘YouTube CAFOD Partner James Galgallo talks climate change’ into Google).
Those who are contributing most to climate change and employing PR firms to confuse the issue and deny their contribution, are endangering the lives of those in the poorer parts of the world who have done the least to cause it.
This small TANC protest picnic has drawn attention to a massive issue of profound importance for our collective future.
Local opposition to new coal development is vital if we see the fate of vulnerable people on the other side of the world as important.
Gandhi said: ‘Nearly everything you do is of no importance, but it is important that you do it.’
Keep up the good work, TANC.
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