Glendell Continued Operations Project

I'm not the first, and I certainly will not be the last, to inform that the health effects of both anthropogenic climate change (in the long-term) and air pollution (in the short-term) are measurable, severe, and will continue to get worse as projects such as this are approved and operating.
Federal and State Governments urgently need to recognise the detrimental impact that fossil fuel mining and consumption is having on human life in all levels of society - local, national and global. They need to step up and take responsibility for the damage they are doing by approving projects such as the Glendell mine expansion.
That we have literally JUST reached the end of an unprecedented bushfire crisis, which continues to spread south and affect Victorian populations as we speak, and will continue to encounter dramatic natural disasters scientifically linked to anthropogenic climate change, yet Australians Governments continue to deny the evidence behind the impact their actions have, strikes my heart with fear.
I am beginning to question whether such political figures have ever, or will ever, act in the interests of the Australian people, and I am losing hope for a future that does not end with the extinction of the planet.
As an Australian medical student and a national representative of global health policy amongst medical students, I am well aware of the research and political circumstances surrounding the issue of climate change, and am forced to acknowledge, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the actions taken by the Federal and State Governments are entirely inadequate in dealing with this emergency. I have used the word "emergency" because the urgency of this issue has been demonstrated ubiquitously worldwide. On an international scale, Australia remains closed-minded and behind almost every other country in recognising this issue and acting accordingly.
I have attached the Australian Medical Student Association's policy on Climate Change and Health, which reviews the evidence surrounding the impact of climate change on human and planetary health, and identifies a number of key actions our organisation believes should be undertaken to ensure this impact is alleviated.
As such, consider this a representation of the voice of 17,000+ medical students across the country, from all 22 medical schools, each believing that this project is entirely unacceptable. Please believe that Australian medical students are passionate about the issue of climate change, and will continue to develop skills and voices to protest the actions currently being taken by the Australian government.

I would like to voice my profound objection to the Glendell Continued operations project that would see an increase in mining activities to the extent of an additional 140 million tonnes of ROM coal at an increased rate of 10 million tonnes per annum. My grounds for opposition include both the proximate and distal harms, to human health, the local environment, and the serious contribution this would have towards increasing greenhouse gas emissions. With respect to human health, the soot, coarse, and fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) associated with combustion of coal in any context represents a known risk factor for respiratory illnesses of asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, and is known to be carcinogenic (Finkelman and Tian, 2017; Burt, Orris and Buchanan, 2013 ), among a diverse many other air-pollution associated conditions ranging from infections to degenerative diseases (Wei et al., 2019). In short, the immediate risks to human health from combustion of fossil fuels are well defined, tangible, and therefore the deliberate decision to permit increases in usage completely undoes hard-won public health gains and progress in other areas such as vehicular emissions. With respect to the local environment, impacts of coal mining are diverse, often unanticipated, and consistently deleterious to local flora, fauna, ecosystems, and the natural world in a grounded and tangible way. Coal mining generates waste, leads to degradation and contamination of groundwater, waterways and streams, leaching of toxic substances and heavy metals into the ground with impacts on plant growth and ecosystem bioaccumulation, and necessarily leads to further environmental impacts from the infrastructure required for transport (Belmer and Wright, 2019; Carlson and Adriano, 1993; Castleden et al., 2011). Furthermore, coal as a non-renewable resource and greenhouse gas emitting source of energy, represents one of the key drivers of carbon dioxide emissions and anthropogenic climate change. As carbon dioxide levels continue to soar to unprecedented levels, as soberingly some of the most robust and longstanding scientific monitoring attests (ESRL Global Monitoring Division, 2020), how can we as informed citizens of such a resource blessed and sun soaked nation as Australia continue to support an industry we know to be actively harming the world around us, our fellow humans, the creatures great and small with whom we share this tiny and fragile blue marble, and our children - those whose life and health will be defined by a changing climate if we do not act now with all our might (Watts et al., 2019). I urge you to please act now, at this pivotal moment in the history of our planet, to safeguard that which is most precious.

Reference:
Belmer, N and Wright, I (2019) 'The regulation and impact of eight Australian coal mine waste water discharges on downstream river water quality: a regional comparison of active versus closed mines'. Water and Environment Journal. DOI: 10.1111/wej.12469.
Burt, E, Orris, P and Buchanan, S (2013) 'Scientific evidence of health effects from coal use in energy generation'. University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health. Available from: <http://groundwork.org.za/archives/2012/ClimateHealthRoundtables/Health%20effects%20from%20coal%20use%204-10-2013.pdf> [Accessed 12/02/2020].
Carlson, C and Adriano, D (1993) 'Environmental impacts of coal combustion residues'. Journal of Environmental Quality. 22(2):227-247. DOI: 10.2134/jeq1993.00472425002200020002x.
Castleden, W, Shearman, D, Crisp, G and Finch, P (2011) 'The mining and burning of coal: effects on health and the environment'. Medical Journal of Australia. 195(6):333-335. DOI: 10.5694/mja11.10169.
Finkelman, R and Tian, L (2017) 'The health impacts of coal use in China'. International Geology Review. 60(5):579-589. DOI: 10.1080/00206814.2017.1335624.
Watts, N, Amann, M, Arnell, N, Ayeb-Karlsson, S, Belesova, K, Boykoff, M, Byass, P, Cai, W, Campbell-Lendrum, D, Capstick, S, Chambers, J, Dalin, C, Daly, M, Dasandi, N, Davies, M, Drummond, P, Dubrow, R, Ebi, K, Eckelman, M, Ekins, P, Escobar, L, Montoya, L, Georgeson, L, Graham, H, Haggar, P, Hamilton, I, Hartinger, S, Hess, J, Kelman, I, Kiesewetter, G, Kjellstrom, T, Kniveton, D, Lemke, B, Liu, Y, Lott, M, Lowe, R, Sewe, M, Martinez-Urtaza, J, Maslin, M, McAllister, L, McGushin, A, Mikhaylov, S, Milner, J, Moradi-Lakeh, M, Morrissey, K, Murray, K, Munzert, S, Nilsson, M, Neville, T, Oreszczyn, T, Owfi, F, Pearman, O, Pencheon, D, Phung, D, Pye, S, Quinn, R, Rabbaniha, M, Robinson, E, Rocklov, J, Semenza, J, Sherman, J, Shumake-Guillemont, Tabatabaei, M, Taylor, J, Trinanes, J, Wilkinson, P, Costello, A, Gong, P, Montgomery, H (2019) ‘The 2019 report of The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: ensuring that the health of a child born today is not defined by a changing climate’. The Lancet. 394 (10211): 1836-1878. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)32596-6. Available at: <https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(19)32596-6/fulltext> [Accessed 21/11/19].
Wei, Y, Wang, Y, Di, Q, Choiart, C, Wang, Y, Koutrakis, P, Zanobetti, A, Dominici, F, Gamble, C and Schwartz, J (2019) ‘Short term exposure to fine particulate matter and hospital admission risks and costs in the Medicare population: time stratified, case crossover study’. BMJ. 367:L6258. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.l6258.
ESRL Global Monitoring Division (2020) Trends in atmospheric carbon dioxide [webpage]. Available from: <https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/> [Accessed: 12/02/2020].

Please refer to my attached document

I am writing to object to the expansion of the Glendall Continuation Project

I live in Newcastle, the air quality in the Hunter is terrible, I believe it is our responsibility to future generations to limit the severity of climate change wherever where we can. On these grounds I object to this expansion proposal.

As I understand it this expansion would double the rate of extraction at the Glendell pit and extend the operations to 2044.If we have any hope of meeting our climate change goals we will have ceased burning coal before this date. Clearly this project has a callous disregard of our international obligations and our obligations to future generation. As a parent and member of the community in the Hunter I find this completely unacceptable.

For this completely misguided aim this projects expects the local community and in fact environment and ecosystems to put up with diminished air quality and all of the adverse health effects this leads to as well as jeopardising the ground water. There is no good reason to risks the health and environment for this project. I don’t consider the wealth of the shareholders and executives to be justification for the increased suffering caused by climate change and threat to the ongoing liveability of our environment.

I oppose this application for extension of the Glendell coal mine

As a GP and mother of four I would like to see us move out of fossil fuels including coal mining. They are a direct cause of increased CO2 emissions which are warming our planet and causing the current exaggeration in climatic events we are living through including the recent fires and drought . They are a major source of inappropriate water use and contamination. They degrade land use over a vast area and its ability to sustain biodiversity and sequester carbon directly.
While I am deeply appreciative of the past use of coal exports to achieve the current economic prosperity and therefore superior health care this affords , I feel that now we have been made aware of the damaging effects of its mining and export and the fact that power can now be created more economically by renewables, we should be getting out of mining. We need to use our wealth and opportunity to make this economically intelligent and ethically correct choice.

I object t the proposed expansion and extension of the Glendell coal mine on the following grounds:
Before 2044 Australia should be finished with coal mining and have established a zero emissions economy.
The coal mine would be a significant contributor to global warming with consequent harmful social and health impacts.
The coal mine produces harmful local pollution, bother dust and blast fumes.

Dan Ewald

I am for the GCOP. Unlike some of the people objecting, I have been there and know what a tight knit, environmentally focused mine it is. The rehab is outstanding and they disturb as little as possible to get the job done. When all is said and done, the majority of the rehab will be grazing land. Having visited the homestead, regardless of the GCOP, I believe it would be better off where the public can view it and is a waste sitting on private property.
Coal has a stigma about it and for good reason, but for the time being it is still necessary. So many locals depend on Glendell, not just operators but contractors, delivery drivers and mechanical and electrical shops as the vast majority of locals needing it for power. It has changed my life, and many other lives for the better.

The Glendell mine provides hundreds of local jobs for Singleton community members. Glencore is active in providing support for many organisations and I would like to see their continued involvement in the community.

I believe this project would greatly benefit the people and towns of the Hunter Valley. The extra employment would bring economic growth to the area with local businesses and services reaping the benefits.
Glencore has proved to be a community minded company providing funding to school projects, sporting groups and other community initiatives. In my local area Glencore has assisted by supporting the Clontarf Academy at Singleton High School and sponsoring SATS, the amateur theatrical society, just two examples of this company's community involvement.
The Glendell Continued Operations Project would mean the offering of more apprenticeships so that the skilled workforce continues to expand in numbers and be an incentive to school students when deciding on a career path.

I would like to object to the Glendell mine extension for the following reasons:
1. Local: this mine extension is adding to an already densely mined area.. My main local objections are the local contamination of air and water. Hunter Valley residents in the area have already complained about air pollution from coal mining and this will add to that burden. As a doctor, I'm aware of the long-term consequences of air pollution, leading to chronic obstructive airways disease and lung cancers over the next 20 years. The local groundwater is already under stress and this mine will add to water pollution problems both locally and further down the Hunter River.
2. Statewide and nationally: this mine extension proposal extends the life of this coal mine from 2024 to 2044. It goes against the New South Wales Governmment's intended action on climate change to continue to mine coal for the next 25 years. And after the horrendous bushfire season we have just had, I suspect that nationally we will be moving towards local and international restrictions on fossil fuel mining and burning.
3. Internationally: climate change is an international problem, but requires local action to reduce the damage to the environment. Science modelling is now clear that we are heading for a disastrous 3-4° increase in global warming unless we stop mining fossil fuels and burning them. To extend this mine is to move in the wrong direction according to the IPCC, most Western governments and a vast number of scientists contributing to our understanding of the disaster that is coming for our children and grandchildren.

This submission supports the application for the Glendell Continued Operations Project - please see attached letter.

Personal submission objecting to the Glendell Continued Operations Project

I object to this project as with all the environmental science as evidence, it is clear that the Glendell mines should not be expanding and should not have the opportunity to be increasing the amount of coal removed each year, for a longer period of time. I hope you will reconsider this with all the environmental consequences in mind, especially with its increasing effect on climate change - as seen by the prolonged devastating bushfires and now the rains/floods in NSW.

To whom it may concern,
As a current final year medical student at the University of Newcastle and future doctor I would like to voice my profound objection to the Glendell Continued operations project that would see an increase in mining activities to the extent of an additional 140 million tonnes of coal at an increased rate of 10 million tonnes per annum. As a future doctor my primary ground for objection is the extremely harmful effect this project would have to the health and wellbeing of local citizens. It is well established that the combustion of coal releases soot, coarse, and fine particulate matter into the air, decreasing air quality, which either directly impacts human health or enhances the effects of climate change, indirectly affecting human health (1,2).
There is an extensive international body of literature on the health impacts of decreased air quality, reporting a wide range of adverse health outcomes. Decreased air quality worsens asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and can increase the risk of cardiac arrhythmia, heart attack, stroke and lung cancer, and hinder lung development. This translates to increases in emergency department presentations and hospital admissions, as well as deaths (3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14).
Pollution has been linked to 7 million deaths annually, and outdoor air pollution has been ranked 11th out of a list of 79 risk factors contributing to the global burden of disease in 2010 (15). Already constituting a major risk, by 2060 outdoor air pollution is projected to cause 6 to 9 million premature deaths a year and cost 1% of global GDP unless action is taken (16). Exposure to one air pollutant, particulate matter in the 2.5 micron size class (PM2·5) in 2015, caused 4.2 million deaths which was 7.6% of total global deaths (17). In Australia, it is estimated that urban air pollution contributes to approximately 3,000 deaths annually – more than double the deaths of the national road toll (18).

With all this information in mind it is my sincere hope that you will reconsider your plans for the Glendell mine and instead invest your resources into looking at more sustainable and more environmentally friendly options that will not so negatively impact on human health.

Regards,
Nicholas Brown

References:
1 Dennekamp M, Carey M. Air quality and chronic disease: why action on climate change is also good for health. NSW Public Health Bulletin 2010; 21(6):115-121.
http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/NB10026.htm
2 Kjellstrom T, Neller A, Simpson R. Air pollution and its health impacts: the changing panorama. Med J Aust 2002; 177: 604-608.
3 National Environment Protection Council Service Corporation Review of the National Environment Protection (Ambient Air Quality) Measure Discussion Paper Air Quality Standards. July 2010 Prepared for the National Environment Protection Council. http://www.ephc.gov.au/sites/default/files/AAQ_DiscPpr__Review_of_the_AAQ_NEPM_Discussion_Pape r_AQ_Standards_Final_201007.pdf
4 World Health Organization Air Quality Guidelines Global Update 2005. Report On A Working Group Meeting, Bonn, Germany, 18-20 October 2005. Copenhagen, WHO Regional Office For Europe. http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/78638/E90038.pdf
5 Brunekreef B, Dockery DW, Krzyzanowski. Epidemiological Studies on short-term effects of low levels of major ambient air pollution components. Environ Health Perspect 1995; 103(Suppl2): 3 – 13
6 HEI Panel on the Health Effects of Traffic-Related Air Pollution. 2010. Traffic-Related Air Pollution: A Critical Review of the Literature on Emissions, Exposure, and Health Effects. HEI Special Report 17. Health Effects Institute, Boston, MA. https://www.healtheffects.org/publication/traffic-related-air-pollution-critical-review-literatureemissions-exposure-and-health
7 Abelsohn A, Stieb D, Sanborn MD, Weir E. Identifying and managing adverse environmental health effects: 2. Outdoor Air Pollution. CMAJ 2002; 166(9): 1161-1167
8 Clark NA, Demers PA, Karr CJ, et al. Effect of Early Life Exposure to Air Pollution on Development of Childhood Asthma. Environ Health Perspect 2009; 118: 284-290 http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info per cent3Adoi per cent2F10.1289
per cent2Fehp.0900916
9 Brook RD, Franklin B, Cascio W, et al. Air pollution and cardiovascular disease: a statement for healthcare professionals from the expert panel on Population and Prevention Science of the American Heart Association. Circulation 2004;109:2655-2671. http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/109/21/2655.long
10 Routledge HC, Ayres JG, Townend JN. Why cardiologists should be interested in air pollution. Heart 2003; 89: 1383-1388
11 Cohen AJ, Anderson HR, Ostro B, et al. The global burden of disease due to outdoor air pollution. J Toxicol Environ Health A 2005; 68:1301-1307 9
12 Chen H, Goldberg MS. The effects of outdoor air pollution on chronic illness. McGill J Med 2009; 12: 58-64
13 Künzli N, Kaiser R, Medina S, et al. Public-health impact of outdoor and traffic-related air pollution: a European assessment. Lancet 2000; 356: 795-801
14 Morgan G, Corbett S, Wlodarczyk J, Lewis P. Air pollution and daily mortality in Sydney, Australia, 1989 through 1993. Am J Public Health 1998: 88; 759-764
15 Forouzanfar, M.H. et al., Global, regional and national comparative risk assessment of 79 behavioural, environmental/occupational and metabolic risks or clusters of risks in 188 countries 1990-2013: a systematic analysis for the GBD 2013. Lancet 2015; 386(10010):2287-2323.
16 OECD. The Economic Consequences of Outdoor Air Pollution. 2016. http://www.oecd.org/env/air-pollution-to-cause-6-9-million-premature-deaths-and-cost-1-gdp-by2060.htm
17 Cohen AJ, Brauer M, Burnett R etal. Estimates and 25-year trends of the global burden of disease attributable to ambient air pollution: an analysis of data from the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2015. The Lancet 2017;389(10082):1907-1918. http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(17)30505-6/fulltext?elsca1=etoc
18 Australian Government. State of the Environment Report 2011. http://www.environment.gov.au/soe/2011/report/atmosphere/3-1-current-stateatmosphere.html#figure3-24

I have been apart of the mining industry since 2002 which has provided great opportunity for myself and supported my family. I feel it would only benefit the local and outer communities by approving the extension.

The recent bushfires have already seen the air quality drop significantly. This mine will worsen air pollution and impact on levels of respiratory illness.

I am in favour of this, my husband works in the mines & my son is now an apprentice in the mines & I want our futures & their employment to remain secure.

I am in support of the Glendell Continued Operations Project. It is in my strongest belief that the benefit of the continued operations are significant both to the local and wider community in addition to the contribution to state and federal funding that Australia relies on.

The mine operator has proven to show a strong focus on environmental compliance and a dedication to fostering a relationship with local community. Being a mine in the Hunter Valley NSW with most on site employment being DIDO, wages earned at the mine have a high likelihood of supporting local business.

Being that another coal mine in the Hunter Valley is close to stopping production, there needs to be more long term investment in coal to meets the power requirements that Australia demands until more renewable energy solutions are implemented. The scope of the Glendell Continued Operations Project is a very good prospect in this regard.

This project is in an active mining area of the Upper hunter and will have no additional impact on the local community. The project will be managed to have little or no impact on the immediate environment. There will be considerable benefits to the local community, with continued employment for the workforce and ongoing business for local suppliers.

Refer to attachments.