Council will decide the fate of the City of Busselton's position on coal mining and hydraulic fracturing at its meeting this week.
The matter is in relation to the city's policy for applications relating to exploration or mining and extraction licences.
These types of applications are handled by the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, and may be endorsed or objected to by council during the consultation phase.
City officers and the policy committee have both recommended that the council should submit a letter of objection to any application in the district where the main target mineral was coal.
They have also suggested the city should recommend that council consider sending a letter of objection to gas extraction licences which involve hydraulic fracturing.
While applications of this nature are rare, city officers and the policy committee noted that coal mining and hydraulic fracturing had potential to jeopardise groundwater.
It was also noted that coal mining conflicted with agriculture, viticulture and tourism, along with community concern about the impact of coal mining.