Coal companies in Queensland are sticking to their single plan, looking to dredge more of the Gladstone Harbour and build the fourth gas export plant on Curtis Island.

Many residents are concerned by Arrow Energy’s plans to build the plant to process gas from a Surat Basin project which has itself not yet received federal approval.

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman - who is an outspoken coal enthusiast - this week granted State Government approval to the $15 billion project, saying he expects the federal government will sign off in the coming months as well.

Capricorn Conservation Council spokesperson Michael McCabe says with the new Prime Minister not even selecting an environment minister yet, the party may want to cool its heels and think about the potential impacts.

“This would be yet another rushed project if they don't give it reasonable time to fully assess it... this will require an additional layer of dredging approvals and really we shouldn't add another layer of pressure to the Gladstone Harbour until we've got a far better understanding,” Mr McCabe says.

He has raised the possibility that the governments may want to wait to see the environmental impact from the three current LNG developments on the island, before rushing headlong into a fourth.

Local farmer Ruth Armstrong from Cecil Plains says with billions of mining company dollars on the table, investors seem to know it will be given approval: “Obviously you can't have the compression facility at Gladstone without actually having a gas field... it does seem a bit odd that the order is a bit back to front, because to date that Surat Basin gas project has not been approved and yet the pipeline and Curtis infrastructure has been approved.”