Decision Brief For Mount Pleasant Optimisation Project - EPBC 2020/8735.

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This approval decision brief concerns the Mount Pleasant Optimisation Project near Muswellbrook, NSW (EPBC 2020/8735), a coal mining development subject to EPBC Act assessment. The brief presents recommendations for final approval under two controlling provisions: listed threatened species and communities (sections 18 and 18A) and unconventional gas/large coal mining with water resource impacts (sections 24D and 24E). The document recommends approval on both provisions, with conditions of approval detailed in the decision notice. Following a proposed approval decision on 5 September 2024 and subsequent public consultation, minor amendments were made to align conditions with state development consent. The brief does not disclose specific environmental data, quantified impacts, or any apparent disagreement between departmental scientific advice and the approval decision.