Yahoo Finance What next for Adani's Queensland coal mine plan?
WHERE IS THE MINE AT NOW?
Federal Environment Minister Melissa Price has signed off on an environment plan that puts Adani a step closer to getting started on its Carmichael coal mine in central Queensland.
She says CSIRO and Geoscience Australia believe the Indian company’s revised plans for the way it manages groundwater resources meet scientific requirements.
Her decision comes weeks out from a federal election and follows reports she was under pressure from colleagues to approve the plans before the poll.
The announcement has sparked fury among environmentalists and the Greens.
They say the government has given in to pressure from Adani, and that Ms Price has bowed to bullies within her own party.
WHAT HAPPENS NOW?
Nine plans still require either federal or state government approvals.
But two of them need to get the thumbs up from the Queensland government for the massive coal mine to go ahead, while the other seven are dependent on the mine reaching operational milestones.
One of those is a management plan for groundwater dependent ecosystems that Ms Price says she has now signed off on.
The other is a plan to manage the impacts of the mine on an endangered bird, the Black-Throated Finch.
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