A case in point is Hume Coal's second tilt at an underground mine application at Berrima.
The company proposes mining up to 3.5 million tonnes of coal each year for 19 years and building a railway spur to transport the product.
The Department of Planning, Industry and Environment has canned the project for a second time.
It said the site was "not suitable for a greenfield coal mine given the rural-residential and small-scale agricultural land use of the area, along with the growing tourism and heritage landscape focus, and the predicted impacts on these land uses".
As well, the department found the proposed coal mine would have "significant groundwater drawdown impacts" and "the safety risks associated with the mine design … may lead to the need to discharge mine water into surface waterbodies and Sydney's drinking water catchment".
While the well-heeled residents of NSW's Southern Highlands might be chortling with delight that the state's planning department once again rejected Hume's proposal, the rest of the state is poorer for the decision.
Hume now has to await another Independent Planning Commission, which will once again receive submissions from NIMBY-minded locals.
One of the Southern Highlands' famous residents is Minerals Council of Australia head Mitchell Hooke.
Maybe he can get his neighbours to support a job-producing and environmentally responsible mine in their region.
Hume Coal parent company Posco had decided to submit an updated plan following the previous refusal with the tacit encouragement of the NSW government.
The DPIE report admits: "In June 2020, the NSW government released its Strategic Statement on Coal Exploration and Mining in NSW.
"A key objective of the statement is to support responsible coal production, with a focus on applications to extend the life of existing coal mines, and to ensure that any new release areas for coal exploration are in areas where ‘there are minimal conflicting land uses, where social and environmental impacts can be managed, and where there is significant coal production potential'.
"While, this objective does not directly apply to the project, as it is not a new exploration release area, it is currently the only greenfield site currently under assessment by the NSW government, and the policy intent is an important consideration."
To Hogsback that sounds like the government is saying: "we're desperate and we need your business".
The NSW economy may be about to go into a state coffers-emptying post-pandemic nosedive as the government keeps subsidising the local entertainment and restaurant industry.
However, a major regional project that would generate jobs and royalties is considered a no-go by the state's planning department on the grounds that it is not aesthetically pleasing enough for the local residents.
