Injustice Piled on Injustice…

Keep Cumbrian Coal in the Hole are so impressed by Elijah’s dedication and passion but we do not condone this kind of self harm especially in such young folk.  We feel so strongly and passionately not only for the injustice of the mine but also the injustice of the overwhelming silence surrounding this mine for so long .  The silence was not from us – we have been shouting about this diabolic plan since 2017 and we continue to vigorously challenge this plan through campaigning, for example the Marine Management Organisation still need to give this mine a license and through legal means.

Please Elijah – do not injure yourself – you are precious and there are other means to fight this.

 

 

 

 

“Incompatible” (Yes and Much more besides ..)

 

A new report by the Green Alliance (these interviews Jan 17, 2020) says West Cumbria’s new mine will emit the equivalent of a million homes worth of carbon and is incompatible with UK climate ambition.

This report is welcome (if a tad late) and it reiterates some of what Keep Cumbrian Coal in the Hole have been saying about this coal mine since 2017.

The report of course does not detail the impacts that this mine could have on nearby Sellafield – the most dangerous nuclear waste site in the world.  It is a very welcome report nevertheless and well worth reading.

EXTRACT below

“Jobs and carbon

“West Cumbria Mining estimates that around 518 jobs will be created (of which 80 per cent will be within 20 miles of Whitehaven). Using the company’s breakdown of job types and industry standard salaries, it is possible to estimate the annual salary remuneration for the entire workforce, including management, at £11.8 million per year. 35 This is less than three per cent (2.87 per cent) of the commodity value of the coal that would be extracted, which we estimate to be £411 million per year, using commodity prices for coking and middling coal.36 The carbon emissions would be around 16,000 tonnes CO2e per year per job for the lifetime of the mine. This compares with under seven tonnes of CO2e emissions per person per year in the UK at present, a figure which must fall to net zero by 2050.37 The carbon footprint of the salaries paid would be almost three quarters of a tonne of CO2 per £1 earned by the workforce (700kg CO2e per £).”

PDF of the report here 

Will a Plate of Mince Pies At WCM tomorrow Substitute for a Plate of Mince Pies Somewhere Else in the World??

Tomorrow the developers of the first deep coal mine in the UK in decades will hold a ‘drop in’  session “for locals”.  Keep Cumbrian Coal in the Hole have been told that they are not welcome and the developers have long since stopped answering any of my questions.

The day includes free mince pies and tea.  So here is a question for WCM.  If a plate of their mince pies are eaten – will that substitute for a plate of mince pies elsewhere in the world?  ie will a plate of mince pies elsewhere in the world not be eaten because a plate of mince pies has been eaten tomorrow at the developers ‘drop in’ session?  That is the laughable argument the developers made to Cumbria County Council – and the Council bought it!  They bought the line that 3 million tonnes a year of coal a year will not be produced elsewhere because  coal would be mined in Cumbria ( just five miles from Sellafield) .  “Substitution” – its magic!

Other questions of emissions, hydrology, water use, seismic damage, pollution, blight are brushed aside as casually as a crumb from a mince pie.

If you fancy a mince pie then West Cumbria Mining will be delighted to see you as long as you don’t ask any awkward questions…  Wednesday 11th December from 2pm till 6pm  at the Haig Museum offices, Whitehaven

 

Burning ? : “What Will YOU Do to Stop the First Deep Coal Mine in over 30 years?”

All the debate around ecological meltdown and fossil fuel use and not one mention about  the first deep coal mine in the UK in decades?!

What will the various parties do to stop the first deep coal mine in over 30 years?  You know, that coal mine under the Irish Sea that would extend to within 5 miles of Sellafield!

All the parties are big on talking about the new Green Industrial Revolution – what does that actually mean?   Nasty Business as Usual tarted up in ‘green’ garb?  This coal mine has been described as being “green”I kid you not!

Why not drop a line to Rebecca Long Bailey the  Shadow Secretary of State for Energy for Labour asking for Labour’s view on the coal mine in Cumbria.  Ask what she will do to ensure Labour stops the first deep coal mine in the UK in decades… 9 million tonnes of CO2 emissions a year for 50 years!  Shocking.

The mine would also emit methane and is a threat to the worlds riskiest nuclear waste site nearby (Sellafield) .

Tweet  – @RLong_Bailey

Email – rebeccalongbailey@gmail.com

If you have time please also contact other parties to ask what action they will be taking to stop the first deep coal mine in the UK in 30 years.  Some twitter addresses below…

 

@Conservatives. (We know the Conservatives support this diabolic coal mine – they should rethink their support)

@LibDems

@TheGreenParty

@theSNP

@Plaid_Cymru

@brexitparty_uk

ALSO

PLEASE KEEP SHARING OUR CROWD JUSTICE FUNDRAISER .. We need to challenge Cumbria County Council’s outrageous decision 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Little Puffin Says Thank You!- Lets Stop This Coal Mine!

Here is a little puffin to THANK YOU for all the generous donations so far towards the legal case against the Coal Mine!

This little puffin ( hand made last night!) represents the amazing birds that are sometimes seen at St Bees.  In order for the puffin to continue to visit St Bees they need sandeels which we know are under threat from temperature rise in the oceans.

On the next update we will share the letter which has been sent to Cumbria County Council from Leigh Day.  The letter is the start of the legal battle which aims to keep the temperature from rising in our oceans by stopping this diabolic plan for the first deep coal mine in decades!

Please keep sharing!  We CAN stop this coal mine and it will be ALL THANKS TO YOU!

Here is the Link to our Crowd Justice page  Please Keep Sharing and lets get the message out that this coal mine is not a done deal

Support our Legal Fight Against a New Coal Mine in Cumbria

SUPPORT OUR LEGAL FIGHT AGAINST A NEW COAL MINE IN CUMBRIA

Keep Cumbrian Coal in the Hole – demonstration back in 2017

Many groups including KCCH and individuals demonstrating outside Cumbria County Council offices on the day of ratification 31st October 2019

NEW – LEGAL CHALLENGE – We need your help. 

Check out the CrowdJustice page here – we have donated £50 already but- we need £5000 to take forward the Legal Challenge.  If you cannot donate then please do share and get the message out that this fight against the first deep coal mine in the UK in decades is far from over.

Thank you to Lawyers Leigh Day who have already put so much work into paving the way and ensuring a legal challenge is possible.

UPDATE: What a rollercoaster!  Firstly on 31st October we had an amazing demonstration of opposition outside Cumbria County Council offices with many groups and individuals taking part to show the strength of feeling against this coal mine.  This was despite the fact that we only found out last minute by accident about the ‘ratification’ meeting for the first deep coal mine in the UK in decades.  As you will have heard the committee again voted unanimously to pass the plans…shocking!  Then on the same day as the much publicised announcement on the halt to fracking there was a much more subdued announcement that the Secretary of State will not call in Cumbria County Council’s outrageous decision on the coal mine for a public inquiry.

Thank you so much for the donations so many of you have already made for the initial advice from top lawyers Leigh Day.  This has been of such enormous value and has paved the way for a legal challenge so we can continue to fight this terrible plan..

A new crowd justice fundraiser is now live and can be found here.  We now need to up the ante and raise enough funds to cover the costs of a full legal challenge. We can’t do it without your help.  If you can share the page or donate no matter how small the donation then please do.

If this coal mine is not stopped the carbon emissions alone would be likely to result over its lifetime to one full year of UK national emissions.  This is crazy given that the UK government has declared a climate emergency.

Not only would this coal mine produce 9 million tonnes of CO2 emissions every year (not including methane, radon etc)  but the plan is to extend mining activity under the Irish Sea to within 5 miles of Sellafield.

The results of induced seismic events of any magnitude at the worlds riskiest nuclear waste site could be catastrophic on a planetary scale.

There are so many reasons to oppose this coal mine plan from climate catastrophe to nuclear catastrophe.  That is why we are  campaigning hard to stop the plan.

Please check out the CrowdJustice Page  and PLEASE continue to Keep Cumbrian Coal in the Hole!   All donations made will go direct to the legal challenge!

With Many Thanks!!!

Marianne

Keep Cumbrian Coal in the Hole – a Radiation Free Lakeland campaign