CANBERRA, April 10 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Environment Minister Melissa Price has granted approval for the groundwater management plans of the controversial Carmichael coal mine, to be built by Indian mining giant Adani.
The approvement of the proposed Queensland mine's groundwater management plans came after the Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and Geoscience Australia found they passed scientific requirements.
It means that the mine cleared one more hurdle but still required approval from the Queensland state government to go ahead.
"Following this independent assessment and the Department of Environment and Energy's recommendation for approval, I have accepted the scientific advice and therefore approved the groundwater management plans," Price said in a statement.
She said the project "has been subject to the most rigorous approval process of any mining project in Australia."
Adani initially proposed a 16.5-billion-Australian dollar (11.7 billion U.S. dollars) mine for the site, which would have made it the largest coal mine in Australia. But because of strong opposition, the plan has now changed into building a self-funded 2-billion-Australian dollar (1.4 billion U.S. dollars) mine.
Price has been reportedly under pressure from Queensland Members of Parliament to approve the plan before Prime Minister Scott Morrison calls a general election and the parliament enters caretaker mode, at which point the incumbent Liberal-National Party coalition (LNP) would have to consult with the opposition Australian Labor Party (ALP) before granting the approval.
Much of the opposition to the mine stemmed from environmental concerns, with the mine expected to produce billions of tonnes of carbon emissions over its 60-year operating life.
The site is also home to numerous native endangered species and is near the Great Barrier Reef, which environmental groups said would be harmed by the mine.
Bill Shorten, leader of the ALP, told reporters on Tuesday that Price's decision was influenced by the fact that she was being "bullied" by her colleagues.
"Another explanation could be that she is satisfied by the science but the LNP heavy-handedness ... trying to pressure people, now creates a cloud over a process that didn't need to be there," he said.
