VICKERY MINE EXTENSION APPROVED IN FEDERAL ENVIRONMENT COURT

The federal environment minister has signed off on the controversial Vickery coal mine extension in the state’s North West, giving Whitehaven Coal the green light to extract another 10 million tonnes a year.

The decision comes despite a legal challenge brought by a group of teenagers, who claim the expansion will have a monumental impact on their futures.

The Federal Environment Court ruled in July that Minister Sussan Ley has a responsibility to avoid causing children harm, but this ruling did not prevent her from approving the project.