Conservationists say the economic benefit does not justify reopening the coal mine. 

Agnes Tilley of the Cullen Bullen Progress Association said the news of the mine’s reopening had rekindled hope for the town’s future. 

“We are all quite excited about it because we feel at the present time the town is very dead, employment coming to the town may help,” she said. 

“We’re hoping they will employ some locals.

“The mine can’t really bring money into the town because there is nowhere to spend money here – no shop, no post office, no hotel. 

“But we’re hoping it will brighten the town up.”

Ms Tilley, who has lived in Cullen Bullen for 55 years, described the closure of mines in the area as a ‘disaster’. 

The town lost its remaining shop, a hotel with a part-time grocery store, last year. 

“Losing the shop was town’s biggest down fall. A lot of people who live here are elderly. If we could get somewhere to get the bare essentials, whether the mine could make any difference to that who knows.”

She said residents hope the mine will continue longer than its projected mine life of 4-8 years. 

“The association would like to see it continue for longer if possible.”

The commission’s report said the economic benefits of the mine, “while relatively small, are important”. 

“The commission acknowledges the overall economic benefit of the project will be constrained by the small level of coal resource targeted and the short extraction time frame and life of mine, from 4-8 years.

“The commission agrees with the Department’s view that in the amended form the project will provide tangible benefits to the Lithgow region,” the report states. 

Lithgow City Council supported the approval, noting the mine’s creation of local jobs.

“This approval for Invincible is most welcome and the efforts of the NSW Government to increase employment in the Lithgow area are acknowledged and need to continue,” Mayor Lesslie said.

Castlereagh Coal project manager Brett Moore said up to 35 full-time jobs would be created by the mine. 

“Our team is excited to hit the ground running - creating local jobs and seeing more local businesses become part of the local mining supply chain,” he said. 

Conservation groups have questioned whether the commission has justified how the economic benefits outweigh environmental costs.

“The area approved for mining is a subset previously refused by the PAC and I see very little ground for that reversal based on the fact that there are threatened species in the area,” Keith Muir of the Colong Foundation said. 

Of particular concern to the commission was the presence of the purple copper butterfly, one of Australia’s rarest butterflies.

Castlereagh Coal has estimated 0.2 hectares of the butterfly’s habitat is present in the disturbance area composed of Bursaria spinosa bush and ant colonies upon which the butterfly relies. 

The commission supported the company’s proposal to trial relocating the bushes and colonies, “if it is done in consultation with the OEH [Office of Environment and Heritage]”. Three other endangered species, the Broad-headed Snake, Capertee Stringybark and Squirrel Glider, will be impacted by the mine, however, the commission was satisfied the conservation of a nearby woodland and financial contributions made to the NSW government by Castlereagh Coal would offset impacts. 

The report also acknowledged the previous commissions’ findings that the ‘highest and best use’ of the land identified for the extension was conservation. 

“The Commission considers these conservation values to be better expressed in other, less impacted areas of the Ben Bullen State Forest,” the report stated. 

Mr Muir said the Colong Foundation would continue its campaign to reserve the Gardens of Stone area from industry. 

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“We will continue the conversation that we’ve been having with Lithgow and continue to seek support for our wonderful reserve that has so much potential and will really put Lithgow on the map,” he said. 

Castlereagh Coal has committed to rehabilitating the whole site of the Invincible Mine and a plan for rehabilitation is a condition of the mine’s consent. The commission said efforts to rehabilitate mined ares of Invincible had so far been “sub-optimal”.