Emissions results unclear for NSW mining

The results of other attempts to cut emissions did not spring to mind, Ms Beattie told a budget estimates hearing on Wednesday.

Asked if the government's Strategic Release Framework for Coal and Petroleum Exploration (SRFCPE) was committed to reducing mining emissions, Ms Beattie referred to the government's Future of Coal statement, which sets out commitments for the whole of the government.

All government departments were working together to reduce emissions and achieve a net zero target, Ms Beattie said.

Emissions reductions were a matter for each individual mining site, she added.

Regional NSW itself was focused on reducing "fugitive emissions" - which are gases leaked, lost and released through mining industry production, and are a significant portion of greenhouse gas emissions.

Greens MP Sue Higginson questioned why a potential mining site at Gorman North, near Narrabri, west of Tamworth, did not undergo the usual SRFCPE processes while recently being assessed.

The SRFCPE sets out a preliminary regional issues assessment before licences for coal and petroleum mining are issued.

It stipulates the government must consider the environmental, geological, social and economic factors of a mine, and whether a company is suitable for an area.

However, Ms Beattie said there were actually two frameworks - and an "operational framework" could be applied to areas that were adjacent to existing mines.

Those areas, which included the Gorman North coal mine, only applied to a limited amount of space around an existing mine.

Deputy Premier and Regional NSW Minister Paul Toole told the hearing he believed it was important to strike a balance because many regional people earned their income from coal.

"I need to put it on the record that a lot of towns, a lot of communities continue to rely on coal-related activities in their local areas," Mr Toole said.

"It employs a lot of people."