Proposed Clive Palmer-owned mine in doubt after environmental ruling

A proposal by a company owned by billionaire businessman Clive Palmer to build a coal mine in central Queensland is in doubt after the state government found it had “unacceptable” environmental risks.

The Department of Environment and Science published its report on the Central Queensland project on Wednesday.

“The project poses a number of unacceptable risks primarily due to its proximity to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and World Heritage Area, the Broad Sound Fish Habitat Area, Tooloombah Creek, Deep Creek, the Styx River Estuary, and nearby groundwater ecosystems,” the department said in a statement.

The proposal is for an open-cut coal mine, extracting up to 10…