Approving the Snowy 2.0 EIS would have unprecedented environmental ramifications

26 Environment Organisations and Eminent Experts Urge Refusal

26 environment organisations and environmental experts have called on the NSW Minister for Planning, Hon Rob Stokes, and Minister for Energy and Environment, Hon Matt Kean, to reject the Environmental Impact Statement for the Main Works of the Snowy 2.0 pumped storage project, located in Kosciuszko National Park.

In an Open Letter issued today they specified eleven grounds on which approval would breach internationally binding obligations to protect the natural and cultural heritage values of Kosciuszko National Park. 

The Letter states “The destruction that would result from Snowy 2.0 cannot be mitigated to any meaningful extent.  Kosciuszko National Park would never be the same if this project goes ahead – the precedents set and the permanently damaged alpine environment would be grave legacies for the current NSW Government.”  

Mr Dunnett, Executive Officer of the National Parks Association of NSW commented “never before has an industrial project been approved in a National Park, let alone one on such an enormous scale and wreaking such devastating environmental damage. That damage would include dumping 14 million cubic metres of contaminated spoil in the Park (on land and in reservoirs), enough to cover a football field 3 kilometres high”.  

“Pest fish and diseases would be transferred from Talbingo up to Tantangara Reservoir and thence throughout the Snowy Scheme and downstream rivers – Murrumbidgee, Tumut, Thredbo, Snowy and Murray Rivers, devastating both native fish and trout”. 

“This development would likely trigger the extinction of a critically endangered species, the Stocky Galaxias, and place several other threatened species at peril.  The unique habitats of the alpine zone were particularly hard hit by the terrible fires of last summer, yet Snowy Hydro propose clearing hundreds of hectares of irreplaceable threatened species habitat”.  

Mr Dunnett concluded “what would make approval even more tragic is that there are better energy storage alternatives to Snowy 2.0.”

ENDS

Media Contact: Gary Dunnett, NPA Executive Officer

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