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A mining extension application that would undermine part of the water catchment that supplies Macarthur with its drinking water will have to consider new rules which add weight to environmental and social considerations. Wollongong Coal wants to expand its longwall mining operations at Russell Vale to extract 4.7 million tonnes of coal over five years, including mining under sensitive swamps that form part of the Metropolitan Special Water Catchment. Until now, environmental concerns have had to take a back seat in the planning process. Under amendments to the mining policy in 2013, the body making a decision on a mining proposal had to make the ‘‘significance of the resource’’ the primary consideration. This downgraded the importance of environmental and social concerns, even in water catchment areas. The 2013 amendments were introduced by then Planning Minister Chris Hartcher, and were viewed by environmentalists as being designed at the behest of the mining industry. The NSW government is now in the process of changing its mining assessment policy, so the economic value of the resource is now treated equally to the environmental and social impacts of a mine. But the new policy is still a draft and is not yet in force. Wollongong Coal’s application is still in the hands of the Planning Department and has not been forwarded to the Planning Assessment Commission for a final determination. A Planning Department spokesman told the Fairfax Media the new rules would be considered. ‘‘In making a decision about the merits of proposals under NSW planning legislation, the decision-maker must consider any draft planning policies,’’ he said. ‘‘This means the NSW Planning Assessment Commission would need to consider the draft amendment to the Mining State Environmental Planning Policies in determining the Russell Vale application.’’ Environmentalists have also ramped up their campaign against company’s proposed Russell Vale extension, saying it does not pass the ‘‘fit and proper’’ test for a mining licence. The group — Protect Sydney’s Water Alliance — alledges the company lacks the financial and technical capacity to mine successfully and should have its licence revoked.