THE NSW Greens will introduce a bill into State Parliament that seeks to prevent new open cut mines or the expansion of existing mines in the Upper Hunter as part of a campaign to reduce air pollution.
The Clean Air Bill would also make it mandatory for coal train wagons to be covered and for continuous monitoring and real-time reporting of all stack emissions from power stations across NSW.
Greens MP Abigail Boyd said the bill, which was unveiled as part of the party's Upper Hunter byelection campaign on Friday, sought to tackle highly toxic but preventable air pollution from coal-fired power stations in NSW by reducing the allowable concentration of air pollutants.
It would force coal-fired power stations to cut their emissions to levels that are mandatory in the United States, Europe and China.
"We can't hold our breath any longer waiting for the NSW Liberal-National Government to tackle the air pollution crisis, so we've done their work for them and written the Clean Air Bill," Ms Boyd said.
"For too long, operators of coal-fired power stations have profited, refusing to pay the costs of reducing emissions while forcing communities here in the Hunter Valley to pay the price with higher rates of serious illnesses like heart disease, lung cancer and asthma."
Greens Upper Hunter candidate Sue Abbott said the issue of poor air quality affected every person who lived and worked in the region.
"No matter where you live you have the fundamental right to breathe clean air," Ms Abbott said.
"Yet for years now the NSW Liberal-National Government has given the green light for coal-fired power station operators to pump our skies full of toxic pollutants that are shown to cause serious illness and premature death.
"Currently people who live within 50kms of coal-fired power stations face a risk of premature death as much as three to four times that of people living further away, with some of these toxic emissions travelling over 200kms."
