A decision to grant consent to the Pike River Coal Company's proposed $65 million coal mine is disappointing, the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society says.
The society says the decision by West Coast councils fails to protect waterways or the dramatic landscapes of the crest of the Paparoa Range.
"The mine will cause major damage to the Pike River, and beech and rimu forest close to the river. It risks subsidence, land slips and land movement on conservation land in the steep headwaters of the Pike catchment and on the crest of the Paparoa Range," Forest and Bird field officer, Eugenie Sage said.
The company had earlier told a West Coast Regional, Grey and Buller District Council hearing that its plans for an underground mine on the fringe of the Paparoa National Park would provide 112 direct jobs and 300 jobs downstream.
- NZPA
Decision on Pike River coal mine upsets forest and bird
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