ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an overview of the Bulga case study which concerns conflict over the proposal to extend the integrated Mount Thorley–Warkworth open cut coal mine operation near Bulga, in the Upper Hunter Valley region of NSW, Australia. The case study describes a situation in which, during the phases of project assessment and approval, the state government made changes to the laws regulating the assessment regime to enable the approval of a coal development proposal. The changes arguably disadvantaged the community by prioritising economic benefits at the broader regional and state scales, overriding concerns expressed at the local scale. This left the community feeling disempowered and wronged, and fomented a broader conflict imbued with the language of environmental justice. State Environmental Planning Policies (SEPPs) are environmental planning instruments provided under the EP&A Act, which the Governor makes on recommendation from the Minister.
