It's feared pollution from Upper Hunter coal mines will only intensify unless companies are forced to temporarily shut down when air quality becomes hazardous.
A review of the Upper Hunter Air Quality Monitoring Network concludes Muswellbrook has some of the worst air pollution figures in the state.
Throughout the Summer of 2017/18, there were 13 exceedances of large particle pollution, with very dry and windy conditions exacerbating the problem.
It comes as families vacate the town in droves, hoping to avoid health risks associated with coal dust.
Muswellbrook Councillor, Graeme McNeill has been contacted by an anonymous employee at BHP and now believes behemoth companies are merely copping EPA fines while continuing to pollute.
"If [an individual] is caught littering, they're fined approximately 1% of the yearly average income [equating to about $700]," he said, "but the latest fine that BHP incurred represents less than 0.001% of their annual profits."
The Councillor thinks it's a mere drop in the ocean which fails to disincentivise dust exceedances and is calling for the EPA to be given the power to stop operations until favourable conditions (like less wind and heat) return.
"Muswellbrook has given up its natural landscapes and its clean air for the benefit of NSW in royalties that the government receives," Cr McNeill said.
"When you look at the revenue being extracted from the area," he explained, "it just seems very unjust that we can't even be looked after with clean air...
He said those residents who remain in the town are suffering through consequences.
"People's water bills are through the roof because you're always washing verandahs, backwashing in pools...we're burdened with all these additional costs as well as the health effects just so the state can benefit from the derived income," he concluded.
It's unclear when the matter will be brought before Muswellbrook Shire Council, with Cr McNeill labelling it an "ongoing discussion."
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| Image: Muswellbrook Chronicle. |
