Dendrobium Mine Extension Project

I object to the proposal in its current form, the consequences being irreparable damage to the water supply for Sydney and the Illawarra areas. The water supply is barely sufficient in times of drought and will be stretched even further with population growth in coming years. Due to the wide excavation techniques used in long wall mining there has been widespread drainage of upland swamps in the Dendrobium areas which in turn cause habitat degradation vital to native flora and fauna. I believe it is environmentally irresponsible and will cause permanent damage for short term corporate gain. Water is an exceptionally precious commodity.

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to lodge my objection to the revised proposal by Illawarra Coal Holdings (South 32) to expand the Dendrobrium Mine. The IPC’s rejection of the original Dendrobrium mine expansion should be respected, this independent process reflected the views of the local community and was informed by expert opinion. That politicians have facilitated the re-classification of the Dendrobrium mine to State Significant Infrastructure, thereby disregarding both the IPC decision and the local community, is both unprecedented is deeply disturbing.

The community and scientific objections to the proposed expansion have been well documented:

1. Allowing mining in the water catchment will exacerbate the substantial water loss already incurred from the Dendrobrium mine (~10 million litres daily) due to cracking and de-watering of watercourses. Let us not forget that less than three-years ago (2017-20220), before the unprecedented rainfall in the Sydney catchment caused by successive La Nina episodes, we experienced severe droughts that have continued to impact agriculture and food supply. Moreover, the expansion of the mine to within close proximity of the Avon Reservoir and the Cordeaux catchment will irreversibly damage the quality of drinking water supplied to Sydney and Wollongong.

2. Such drying effects upon the surrounding landscapes will also substantially increase the risk of bushfires. Swamp ecosystems that provide both a natural environment to mitigate bushfire risk and a natural infrastructure for the water catchment itself, have already been extensively degraded by coal mining, and this expansion will have profound further effects. Increasing the risk of bushfires in this catchment would have devasting effects on the catchments’ ecosystem, and the biodiversity of native fauna and the habitats of the already endangered Koala species. Remember, during the 2019-2020 bushfire season, we lost 26 lives, 2448 homes, and 5.5 million hectares of land was burnt (6.2% of the state). This resulted in an estimated 1 billion animals being killed or displaced within NSW, with the permanent loss of some species (https://knowledge.aidr.org.au/resources/black-summer-bushfires-nsw-2019-20/). Shouldn't we be doing everything in our capacity to reduce the bushfire risk, rather than amplifying it?

3. The estimated ~88 million tonnes of CO2 emissions, predominantly methane, represents a significant impact upon the climate. This expansion directly opposed the International agency call for the elimination of avoidable methane emissions within the next decade.

Following recent years of droughts, serial and extensive flood events, and the worst NSW bushfires on record, it was no surprise that climate change was the defining issue of the recent election. Accordingly, it’s about time our elected representatives heeded local community spirit, and the advice from climate change experts, supporting significant state infrastructure that acts to reduce our carbon footprint and protect our natural environment.

Please ensure that both the current submission (attached) and the former submission is regarded as NPA Southern Sydney Branch total submission as the vast majority of arguments in original submission are still relevant to revised proposal, especially in the detail of the biodiversity values of the land in question and NPA's enunciated alternative use for the land as a NPWS Nature Reserve. Cumulative impacts have also not been assessesed with respect to the broad extent of past and continuing mining in the so called "Special Areas".

I support the project.

I object to the proposal. The proposal puts our drinking water at risk and our water catchment area should not be threatened. It has to supply millions of people with water centuries after this company is a long distant memory and it is terribly shortsighted to think that water losses are acceptable. With our population rapidly growing we need to save water not lose it. The IPC decided this was not an acceptable plan and to have it overruled by politicians is unacceptable. Damage to koala habitat and loss of important indigenous sites is also unacceptable. Coal for steel is at the end of its life with new advances in other technologies moving ahead. This mine is not essential for steel production.

see attachment

Our water is too precious to waste. Mr Roberts think of the future

I strongly object to this proposal. Firstly, the only state significant infrastructure in this area is the catchment land, infrastructure and valuable swamps and tributaries that capture, store and slowly release water into the reservoirs over time for use in Sydney and the Illawarra, both of which are growing in population. Secondly, a private company and their profits are not state significant infrastructure, and BHP has, and can continue to, source coal from areas that mine WITHOUT damaging the valuable metropolitan catchment area.

May I remind you that South 32 has in the last few years relinquished its mining rights in at least two areas outside of the catchment, under proposed urban development land in the Menangle and Wilton areas. They could have kept these licence areas and mined them instead. They could have mined them before urban development proceeded. This luxury is not available with the catchment land. I’m sorry, but I don’t think it’s right to sterilise these areas under future urban development, but then claim the need to mine in an area that will damage the natural assets of the state that are vital in collecting and storing water for the population into the future. The moral compass of this company is way off kilter. They do not have a social licence to mine and as such any approval in this pathway will be enormously damaging to the reputation of the government. It will destroy public trust in our democratic system.

Minister, you may not be aware, but the catchment lands are the cheapest way of collecting water for your voters. They expect that you preserve this culturally significant area, which includes areas of aboriginal art and evidence of former habitation, to ensure it is preserved and protected for future generations. The catchment lands are all vitally important. For example, right now there are significant threats to our water supply. We have climate change, which brings both droughts and flooding with its unpredictability. We have increasingly catastrophic bushfires. All of these require the resource to be preserved in the best possible condition to enable resilience into the future. These catchment lands contain coastal upland swamps which currently capture and store carbon. Undermining, cracking and draining them will have negative impact on the planet, which has not been considered in the proposal.

Right now, the Greater Sydney area is being fed with more water from the Upper Nepean Catchment scheme, as there are high metals in the water from Warragamba since the flooding, which are challenging water treatment plants. Water NSW has diverted more water from the Upper Nepean dams to Prospect Water Filtration Plant to mitigate the high metals content in the water from Warragamba. Yet this proposal risks also increasing the metals content in the upper Nepean source dams? By combining some of the better quality water from these dams with that of Warragamba, it makes the water more treatable. You cannot risk making these dams poorer water quality with metals leeching into supply. You cannot risk compromising the quantity of water available to support greater Sydney. You cannot compromise the water supply that is the only supply currently available to the Illawarra and Macarthur regions. The flexibility to change where water comes from, to achieve water quality and quantity objectives in a changing world with a growing population, is vital in the resilience of our water supply. This is achieved using the state significant infrastructure that you must protect - the catchment.

Coal mining in catchment is not sustainable, and not necessary. The IPC was correct in denying this proposal, and you must also deny it, despite the modifications that have been conceded to it. There are other sources of coal that can be used by BHP whilst they use the government grants to explore greener options that do not rely on coal. South 32 chose to extinguish mining rights nearby and do not deserve the right to expand in an area that has far higher impact on taxpayers, damaging their water supply. I strongly recommend you do not approve, in the interest of good governance, and the future of us all.

To the approving Minister,
Please reject the Dendrobium Coal Mine expansion.
The reasoning for supplying Bluescope with Coking Coal is not properly substantiated with enough reason to undermine our Drinking Water Catchment with modelled permanent subsidence damage. Providing Bluescope Coking Coal for another 19 years will delay the transition to Green Steel Hydrogen based industry. The IPCC, and the NSW State Treasury have made it clear in recent years that Coal based industries should have peaked in 2020. Which begs the big question - why would approval be given to a Coal Mine expansion in 2022? Approving 19 years of Coal Mining is exacerbating the Climate Change issue for our Children and beyond. The damage to the upland swamps, the water supply for Greater Sydney, the endangered species in the Lease area is permanent, and a burden for the future beyond the short term income. Please consider the Scope 3 emissions from this proposal - and account for Greenhouse Gas emissions from exported Coal. Please refuse the proposal for concern of drying the Lease area and exacerbating Bushfire risks & associated risks to the ecology (eg Koala's). Please question the legitimacy of the endangered species surveys done without ability for independent verification by a body without financial interest in the Coal Mine expansion (since the land is too precious to allow the public, but it seems not precious enough to permanently damage by underlying Longwall mining & expected cracking, water loss, and subsidence). Please reject the mine as per Globally agreed advice to quickly phase out our dependence on Coal. Please reject it for not only myself, but for our descendants and the living planet. I suggest you watch one of David Attenborough's recent documentaries before you consider approving the Coal Mine expansion - he better explains the climate catastrophe we are heading towards if Coal mine expansions are approved.
Regards,
Bulli Resident.

I support the extension of the mine as it will guarantee future jobs for a lot of people in the area and abroad.

This is water catchment area, and a fragile environment, not to mention koala habitat!
Dont mine our water catchment!!!!

From a local perspective too much traffic , noise , dust and carparks. From our futures perspective too much destruction to water catchment, environment, aboriginal heritage. Let’s value our history and make good choices about our future.

I have worked in the Illawarra coal industry for over 20 years now. Hard work but pay is good but I think it’s time to start retraining all mining jobs into renewable energy jobs. Because that’s the future. Not dig up everything underground to make massive profits for the company. The government has been getting $$$ for this for to long. That is why they get approved. I think water is more important then coal mining. Or any mining that will destroy our water Catchment areas. We can only hope the new government will have a good look into this. Maybe get a water expert to start doing some monitoring on the water loses the mine already has.?

I strongly object to this project for the reasons given below:
The mine extension will be placed in the Wollongong water catchment area, it will drain swamp land, possibly contaminate drinking water supplies, increase fire risk, crack rocks above the seams, destroy aboriginal heritage, increase our already excessive emissions, contaminate underground water tables and produce huge amounts of waste coal wash and mine outflow for decades to come.
The claim that jobs are at risk if it doesn't go ahead is not an accurate argument and is frequently used by fossil fuel businesses to excuse their continuing destructive behaviour. These jobs will reduce and disappear anyway as the world quickly reduces it's coal consumption. Cleaner, safer technologies will need to replace these dangerous, dirty industries faster than the present pace or global warming will become catastrophic. Development of green steel and renewable energy is growing at pace and is being funded by our government and those around the world.
Australia signed the 2015 Paris agreement and the more recent agreement to continue to reduce our emissions and raise our targets of clean energy. We are performing badly on be both accounts.
New industries and technologies will replace this toxic, obsolete industry which churns out some of the dirtiest pollutants known. I know because l grew up in a family which used it as a source of heat and then worked in the coal industry for several years as a young tradesman.
The NSW government is not acting in the interests of the human and animal inhabitants of this area or of the wider community.
This mine extension should not go ahead.

see attached file

I object to the expansion of the Dendrobium mine for many reason, which I will outline below.
1. Firstly is the issue of ground and surface water losses. The groundwater intake of the mine is predicted to peak at 5,900 megalitres/year. Mining Area 5 (this proposal) is predicted to cause the loss of 428 megalitres of surface water/year (171 olympic pools). The total surface water losses of this extension is predicted to be 1450 megalitres/ year (550 olympic pools.) This gives a total of almost 8000 megalitres/year lost from the reservoirs, groundwater and surface water (4000 olympic pools.) Water losses will likely go on well beyond the mine life.

2. There will be significant biodiversity loss of both plants and animals due to the subsidence that will occur which. This will cause damage to the roots of mature trees which in turn will allow fungal attack. In addition, the loss of surface water into the mines will reduce the amount available for plants and animals.

3. The first nations people also have deep concerns over this proposal as the waterways are of high significance to aboriginal people. From their perspective the country is their mother and they have the responsibility to look after her. The damage to the environment is deeply concerning to them.

4. The 2020 Strategic Statement On Coal Exploration And Mining states that the NSW Government will work to "reduce the green house emissions directly associated with coal mining NSW (fugitive emissions). Fugitive emissions from the project will treble current levels and have longer lasting impacts than previously thought. This project exceeds acceptable levels of Scope 1 emissions.

5. In conclusion it is clear that this proposal will exceed acceptable levels of scope 1 emissions and NSW has committed to a 50% emissions reduction by 2030. Climate scientists say Australia should reach net zero by 2038. BluScope has lower- emissions or bridging options that do not involve Dendrobium Coal. This proposal should NOT go ahead.

I support this project. Mining provides a high level of both direct and indirect employment in the Illawarra and surrounding areas.

Need local coal for steel works or we buy it from overseas

I believe this project is favourable for employment reasons.

As an Illawarra resident I strongly object this project. Global warming is a reality, we need less coal mine and CO2 emission, and much more water. A couple of years ago we had a terrible drought, our community can't afford to waste any water, overall to the benefits of a few !