The big four banks are under new pressure from activists to cease financing coal projects that could harm the Great Barrier Reef, while 'Lock the Gate' today sought a NSW Ombudsman's investigation into approval processes for mines.
Activist groups fighting Whitehaven's Maules Creek coal mine are targeting an international investor and have urged a society representing environmental consultants to investigate whether a member has breached its code of conduct.
Now that Xstrata has abandoned its plans for a coal export terminal on Balaclava Island in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, the island's zoning should be changed to prevent other development, says WWF.
A company will be allowed to seek approval for a full-scale oil shale plant at Gladstone, paving the way for development of massive reserves along the state's coast and prompting warnings from the Greens and environment groups.
The ACF will run two more investor briefing on the James Price Point project next week, reflecting the investment community's growing interest in what environment groups have to say, according to the NGO's economic adviser Simon O'Connor.