a certain level of “uncertainty”, putting the project at risk of losing financial backing.
According to the company behind the proposed mine, West Cumbria Mining, the project’s principal shareholder EMR Capital Investment may withdraw its support on account of “the uncertainty of both the length and outcome of the public inquiry”. Recent documents filed by the Whitehaven-based miner also revealed that apart from the costs linked to the public inquiry, all expenditure has been halted, and members of staff have been served notice, while office accommodation has also been vacated. This situation has triggered questions regarding the firm’s ability to meet its pledge to create 500 new jobs the region, the only element of the project that has been favour of those who support the proposal.
“If this was as economically viable as the mine’s proposers would have us believe, they would have no problem at all finding the funding to keep their current staff on,” Tim Farron, the environment spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, said. “Given how environmentally damaging this mine is going to be, the removal of any economic case should be the final nail in the coffin.”
On the other hand, environmental campaigner Tony Bosworth pointed out that while the region is in desperate need for new job opportunities, it should not be a case between environment and employment.
“If West Cumbria Mining’s main backer won’t pour more money in to keep the company going, what does that say about its long-term prospects and promised jobs?” Bosworth, from Friends of the Earth, said. “Like many other areas, the region desperately needs jobs. But it isn’t a case of employment or the environment, that’s just a false dilemma that we have to move past. This is why the government needs to invest in new, green jobs that will provide long-term employment for local people without wrecking the planet.”
Although the promise to create hundreds of new jobs in a region facing economic decline may be quite enticing, activists and experts have pointed out that the proposed mine is expected to produce 8.4 million tonnes of CO2 per year, and that green investment could create many more jobs in the area than a new deep coal mine.
