Petition P-04-575

Response to Ministers letter for Petitions Committee

The demand for coal is reducing so quickly due to market demand and the world reduction in coal use for power stations that opencast coal is no longer required in the long term, UVAG stand by their petition that all opencast mine applications over 10 years or 350 hectares in size should be called in by the Welsh Government.

Here in Wales there are numerous abandoned and mothballed opencast sites because the demand for coal is falling, Aberthaw power station can no longer use the low volatile coal found in South Wales, some of these opencast sites will not have the restoration done and it will be left to the Welsh Government or Local Authorities to find the finance to complete the sites, if there is no finance available then the sites will be left abandoned, some with a massive dangerous big hole in the ground, this it is a very worrying situation.

There are large opencast mine planning applications in progress at the moment where the Welsh Government should intervene.

Given that opencast mining and coal markets are changing very quickly and in light of the above, UVAG would like the petition to go to Plenary for debate by all parties with the view of implementing the petition.

Terry Evans UVAG