Rio Tinto has lost a legal fight to expand its Warkworth coal mine in Australia, according to Reuters. Australia’s Supreme Court dismissed an appeal by Rio Tinto to overturn an earlier ruling that found projected economic benefits of extending the mine, located near Bulga, failed to outweigh its environmental impact. “The legal battle spearheaded by environmental legal group EDO had led to a projected 1 million metric tons in lost production for 2014, with losses next year not yet determined as the company prepares to restart from scratch the approval process to spread mining over additional land,” said Chris Salisbury, managing director for Rio Tinto’s Coal and Allied unit. He said that Rio Tinto would submit revised development plans for the mine in the coal rich Hunter Valley district of New South Wales. In its revised plans, Rio Tinto is offering to set aside more than 1,800 hectares of land for a national park and fund A$9 million in woodland and employment programs.
