The Airly Coal Mine project is a small, underground mine in the Capertee Valley, north of Lithgow, NSW. It is currently being assessed by the NSW Planning Assessment Commission (PAC). The economic assessment of the project is highly unreliable and its conclusion that the project would provide economic net benefit to the state has no robust analysis to support it. Given the project’s environmental and social impacts are likely to be negative, it is likely the project represents a net loss of economic welfare to NSW.