Federal Government gives go ahead for massive resource expansion but raises fears for reef Locals are happy with the Federal Government's announcement regarding new development at Abbot Point. Picture: Mark Cranitch. THE Federal Government has approved four major coal and gas projects in Queensland in a move that is seen as a major step forward for the development of the state's mega mines. After markets closed yesterday, the Federal Government gave the green light to the capital dredging program at Abbot Point, the Adani T0 project at Abbot Point, the $20 billion Arrow Liquefied Natural Gas Facility on Curtis Island and the Arrow Gas Transmission Pipeline to Curtis Island. The Abbott Point dredging, which will allow development of three coal terminals, will dump 3 million cubic metres of spoil in the World Heritage Area of the Great Barrier Reef. Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney said the approval had been Australia's longest and most comprehensive. Controversial project gets green light Coal mine to close, jobs on the line Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt arriving at Bowen Airport earlier this year to meet with stakeholders about the Abbot Point dredging project. "Expanding the Port of Abbot Point is crucial to opening up the rich coal resources of the Galilee Basin," he said. The approvals could herald massive development in central and northern Queensland, with the ports decision seen as a major step for the development of the mega mines in the Galilee Basin, west of Emerald. Bowen publican Bruce Hedditch said the expansion of the Abbot Point coal terminal would end five years of "torture" for the community where unemployment topped 9 per cent earlier this year. "Absolutely brilliant," Mr Hedditch said last night from The Larrikin Hotel. The confidence in town has really deteriorated. Quite a few businesses, including a bank, have closed in the past year. Construction in progress at Curtis Island, Queensland, on the Gladstone liquefied natural gas project. He said locals were angered by claims the reef would be damaged because the dredge spoil would be dumped 40km away from the reef. Nobody in Bowen wants the reef damaged and they have seen the reports and we have seen that the issues have been addressed. What was implied (by opponents) was that it was going to be dumped right on the reef and that's not right. He said the expansion would mean Bowen would get more industry not just in the development but also associated with the coal industry. Environment Minister Greg Hunt has imposed 95 environmental conditions for Abbott Point and 53 for Arrow's Curtis Island LNG. Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney - seen here at Curtis Island - says the Federal Government's decision could herald massive opportunities for Queensland. Picture: Mark Calleja The approval of the Arrow Energy LNG project paves the way for another major development boost and thousands of jobs for Queensland but the project still has to find favour from the Arrow board and speculation is mounting that it will soon be scrapped. "Some of the strictest conditions in Australian history have been placed on these projects to ensure that any impacts are avoided, mitigated or offset," Mr Hunt said. Mr Hunt said the conditions meant that there would be a long-term net reduction of fine sediments entering the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park from land-based sources. World Wildlife Fund's Richard Leck said the spoil to be dumped in the World Heritage Area would be the equivalent of 150,000 dump trucks. "It can smother whatever it lands on whether that be seagrass or coral," Mr Leck said. The mining industry said the decisions ended 18 months of uncertainty. Queensland Resources Council chief executive Michael Roche said the Government used the weight of evidence to put Queenslanders ahead of the concerns of environmental activists. "The staged dredging of a commercial trading port 40 kilometres from the Great Barrier Reef has been painted by fossil fuel opponents as the end of a global icon," Mr Roche said. The alternative proposal from environmental activists is to shut down shipping along 80 per cent of the eastern Queensland coastline, effectively hanging almost one million people out to dry. The Greens' Senator Larissa Waters said Prime Minister Tony Abbott had given the big mining companies exactly what they wanted. "The Prime Minister is ignoring the World Heritage Committee's warnings about the mass industrialisation of the reef and is inviting a World Heritage 'In Danger' listing," Senator Waters said. The coal to be mined from the Galilee Basin and exported through Abbot Point each year which will create more CO2 emissions a year than produced by both Denmark and Portugal combined.