Interesting views.
The facts are we burn coal, just about every country does.
We import the coal to burn and in turn burn more fossil fuels to get it to our shores. That is barmy, just plain balmy. There are no electric powered ships delivering this fuel and there never will be.
It makes far more sense to mine our own, reduce the burning of ships fuel and create local jobs in a deprived area in the process.
I'm surprised anyone believes that green power production will provide cheap energy. We have thousands of turbines in the UK, I don't see any cheap energy. New wind turbines are allowed on land and this was decided only recently in Westminster, I have no isuue with this, but bill payers shouldn't have to pay green levies for it to happen.
The erection of these turbines should only ever occur with the agreement of local communities, some of those already erected are in wholly inappropriate areas. Why should rural areas be blighted to provide the power that cities require? Surround the cities with turbines if that's the solution, although it obviously isn't.
If the local community wants the mine, the jobs, the wealth creation, then it should go ahead.
Upt'North.