Hume Coal Mine

I live on Medway Rd, Medway just 1 km from the mine. I have lived in the Southern Highlands for 30 years and in Medway for 15 years. I oppose the Hume Coal Project.
There are many aspects of the EIS that are lacking detailed information about the risks and adverse effects on the community if this mine project was to go ahead. Living in the Village which is closest to the mine, I was very concerned that so little reference was given to Medway in the EIS.
Water is a huge concern to all and a lot of the community relies on bores not just for agricultural purposes but also for drinking water. Medway Village has no town water so we rely on rainwater filling our tanks. In times of little rain we have to fill our tanks using the water from our bore and as Hume has acknowledged in the EIS that over 90 bores will be affected, it is a huge concern that we will be unable to rely on our bore to provide the basic necessity of water for our home.
It is greatly worrying that if the mine were to be built our tank water will be affected by coal dust, construction dust, dust from blasting as it settles on our roofs and is then washed into our tanks ...this is just not acceptable for drinking water and household use.
Dust is another ever present element for a mine. The EIS seems to think that the wind only ever blows from the west or south-west, not at all true and it seems that Medway was again ignored in the data collecting. We get swirling winds, southerlies, westerlies, northerlies and easterlies....as do most places...but Hume seems to only be guided by readings from "prevailing winds".
We are concerned that Hume will have not just 1 stockpile as we were led to believe early on, but 3 stockpiles one of which will include toxic mine rejects. These stockpiles will be located very close to Medway Rd and according to Hume Coal (appendix K Air quality Impacts page 57 ) " A key source of emissions from the project ....is from the product coal stockpiles. At the time of reporting, Hume Coal are investigating several control methods for effective dust mitigation from the product stockpiles..." To me Hume Coal should not be submitting an EIS while they are still investigating measures to mitigate such important aspects of the project. Air pollution is a huge concern to the community.
Hume states that the peak air pollution emissions will be from the construction phase which appears to be ongoing for 2 years. So our community is expected to accept our health is put at risk while Hume destroys our living standards as we know them....this is not acceptable.
After the construction phase we then are expected to accept continued dust and poor air quality from transfer of coal and coal rejects; stackers at the stockpiles; coal screening stations; coal preparation; loading coal onto rail wagons; transferring coal from different storage sites; bulldozers in storage areas; loaders handling coal rejects; wind erosion of stockpiles; diesel fumes; ventilation shaft emissions.......to me this is a toxic cocktail that should not be permitted.
The above paragraph also lends itself to the continued noise that Medway and the surrounding areas will be expected to accept if this mine were to be built.
Hume admits that noise in the construction phase will exceed Noise Management Levels. They also state that actual noise levels will be verified during the construction phase, I ask how can an EIS be submitted with lack of actual true data.
During construction phase we will be bombarded with noise and from Table C.1. Early Works the noise levels will be in excess of 115 db and up to 125db. Table C.2 Portals and portals access show similar decibel readings. As our Village has no through traffic and no noise other than normal household sounds which is normally accepted as anything up to 70db, the noise pollution we are going to be subjected to from Hume Coal is unacceptable and harmful.
The EIS states that we will have operational noise; low frequency noise which is shown to affect some people very severely and can lead to sleep deprivation, depression; cumulative noise; sleep disturbances; construction noise and vibration; blast activity; road traffic noise; . I note that Hume states noise levels during out of hours activities will also probably exceed NML but they will monitor it during night periods....yet again they are assuming unproven data levels...they admit noise levels will probably be 10db above accepted levels yet what if noise levels are 25 db above acceptable levels? We do not accept being asked to live with unknown and unacceptable noise levels.
Another aspect of the project that is given little space in the EIS is the social aspect. I have watched as many community members have been treated appallingly by Hume Coal in Hume's attempt to get onto properties for exploratory drilling. The upset and anger when neighbours were taken to court for protecting their properties was palpable. Families had worked for many years improving their properties and were expected to just sit and watch as their properties going to be destroyed by what I would term "bullying tactics" from a vast International Company. The stress placed on these families in particular and also to the community was outrageous. The fear, anxiety and the uncertainty is something we live with constantly and is something that Hume has refused to acknowledge.
There is one other aspect that Hume Coal have ignored in regard to Medway specifically. We were told that as we were very close to the mine that Hume would speak with the Village ..... we are still waiting for that to happen. Ignoring neighbouring families in this fashion is unacceptable from a company that has had many years in which to put the EIS together.
There are many other aspects of the EIS that do not pass muster with the community. Our area is based on agriculture, tourism, wineries, our historic Villages, (especially the heritage village of Berrima) our rural beauty .
We should not be subjected to a mine where the EIS is based on assumptions and where the major impacts to the community are either minimised or ignored. On all these grounds I asked that the Hume Coal Project be rejected.
Annie Hird

Please find my submission objecting to this proposal attached.

I have attached a formal submission updated 30/06/17

See attached

We strongly oppose this mine and will do whatever it takes to support communities in its prevention.

please refer to the attachment 1

Please see attached the Submission of MLPPL on behalf of CFSH Inc. and its attachment.

I have built my home in Medway. As other Australians, my wife and I have put everything into building our dream home. This proposal (including an enormous coal stockpile a few hundred meters from my house) will cause an unacceptable risk to the health and lifestyle of my family. Already, this proposal has caused stress, which has effected the health of my family, and caused feelings of disempowerment.

I object on the following grounds:

COAL DUST
My home is literally only a few hundred meters from the proposed coal stockpile. It cannot be disputed that coal dust will enter the lungs of myself and my family as we breathe on own property. According to the World Health Organisation &
Australian National Pollution Inventory; "There may be no safe threshold for fine
particulate matter and the effects are linearly related to concentration". I repeat, this coal stockpile will be a few hundred meters from my home. How can such a risk to our health be approved? How is it `low impact' to cause such a high health risk for a family to simply breathe the air in their own home?

Also, questions have not been answered about the effect of ventilation shafts near local homes.

PERSONAL WATER CONTAMINATION
As I discussed above, my home will be subject to air pollution. This air pollution will fall on my roof, and in turn, into my water tank. It cannot be permissible for my drinking water to be contaminated in this way. How much coal particulates will enter my tank in the course of 20-30 years? Will my water quality be tested regularly to ensure it is safe? Even so, how awful to live in a place where the environmental conditions are so risky that we cannot be certain that rain water is safe to drink. Will the NSW Government allow this to happen to hardworking taxpayers?

NOISE AND LIGHT POLLUTION
My family and I enjoy a quite, peaceful and beautiful existence in Medway. We enjoy listening to the wind through the trees and watching native animals in their natural habitat. The coal stockpile will be visible from our home. This cannot be acceptable. Instead of peace and quite, we will be forced to endure industrial noises 24 hours a day.

LOSS OF TOURISM POTENTIAL
My wife and I have commenced building a small cottage on our property. With a coal stockpile next door, there will be no hope to ever being able to use this property for income. Who would want to pay to visit a property next to a coal stockpile? This will cause tremendous financial hardship, due to land devaluation and loss of future income.

LAND WATER
My property is home to several spring fed dams. We will likely loose this water if this mine is approved. Our farm will not be viable without this source of water? No compensation can make up for a farm losing its source of water. Are we left to be bullied by Hume Coal as they determine how much they think our water was worth. In extension to this, this coal mine will affect the underground and reservoir water. This would be a disaster for greater NSW. This is not in line with Water NSW rules require that "Developments in the Sydney drinking water catchment must have a neutral or beneficial effect on water quality".

USE OF THERMAL COAL
In light of new trends in energy use, it is outrageous that a new coal mine will be allowed to sell the thermal coal. Apart from being backward and environmentally disastrous; this is not economically viable, and I am concerned that as the finances of Hume Coal degenerate they will cut corners and break promises.

I am also immensely worried about the loss of jobs that will be caused by the contraction and operation in the Southern Highlands. The Southern Highlands currently has among the lowest unemployment in NSW and is thriving with argi-tourism. This could all be ruined with Hume Coals proposal.

I implore the decision maker to reject this proposal. It has so far caused immense psychological distress, and if approved will ruin the health and lifestyle of my family. This coal mine would have a terrible impact on the economy, community and environment of the Southern Highlands.

My family have the privilege of living in Bowral in the beautiful Southern Highlands of NSW. We would like to move to Berrima or Exeter, so we can have our horses on our property, but are not willing to take the chance that the proposed Hume Coal Mine could be situated 2km from us, immediately in the direction from which the prevailing wind blows all year round is approved.

This mine poses both a direct and indirect threats to my family, our town and our region (Southern Highlands) that can't be ignored or denied irrespective of political leanings or predispositions with regards to Coal mining.

I would like to be clear from the start of this response. I am not against Coal mining (I believe we have not yet entered a phase in which reliance on coal can be circumvented technologically). I and my family are opposed to THIS coal mine in particular as proposed in the Environmental Impact Statement submitted by Hume Coal EIS 7171 and EIS 7172 for a Coal mine in the Southern Highlands and an associated extension to a railway line to service the proposed mine
.
The Southern Highlands has been a place of coal mining historically, this is a fact beyond dispute. It is now however, without equivocation, a locale built on tourism, viticulture (wine-making), Berry farming, animal husbandry, a very distinguished equine industry, food providores and high-end gastronomy and a place where literally thousands of weddings take place every year.

We will argue here that the only discernible benefit brought by having a new coal mine in the Southern Highlands (employment) is entirely offset by the risk to existing employment in the industries listed above and, furthermore that the direct and indirect risks to health as a consequence of this mine project proceeding in its proposed form makes any approval thereof both illogical and incomprehensible.

At the very heart of concerns from the industries listed above as being susceptible to the establishment of a new coal mine is the issue of water. The water drawdown in the submitted EIS will, by Hume Coal's own admission, affect 93 bores on 71 properties and the impact on these bores will remain for between 36 and 65 years (ES 4.1.2). Just this week Hume Coal has shifted the goal posts in their initial promises to land owners whose bores would be affected. Whereas previously Hume Coal had promised to drill the affected bores deeper, letters sent just this week past (mid June 2017) have revised that offer, instead now only financial compensation for the difference in power bills pre and post mining operations.

If nothing else this forewarns of a potential lack of honesty on the part of a company who we would need to inherently trust, being as it is that they will be operating in an area of extreme water sensitivity ie. the Sydney Water Catchment.

Considering both the location (Sydney Water Catchment) of this proposed mine and its scale there can be no doubt that Hume Coal's EIS should also be assessed at a federal level under the Water Trigger (The Water resources - 2013 EPBC Act amendment). This amendment establishes that "coal seam gas and large coal mining developments require federal assessment and approval if they are likely to have a significant impact on a water resource."
The guidelines to this amendment states that "an action is likely to have a significant impact on a water resource if there is a real or not remote chance or possibility that it will directly or indirectly result in a change to:
· the hydrology of a water resource; or
· the water quality of a water resource, that is of sufficient scale or intensity as to reduce the current or future utility of the water resource for third party users, including environmental and other public benefit outcomes, or to create a material risk of such reduction in utility occurring."
The Hume Coal EIS states that there will be Treatment and release into Oldbury Creek of surplus onsite mining water in years when above average rain falls (ES 4.1.1). Further, water used to wash coal and spoil is, per the submitted EIS intended to be pumped back underground into mind voids with the very real potential of impacting groundwater systems.


Added to this the fact that a significant portion of the area to be mined contains Hawkesbury Sandstone in the coal seam. How can this mine proceed safely in this scenario? Many land owners have yet to have exploratory bores drilled by Hume Coal, despite their being within the mine's exploration license, as such the facts presented in the EIS are incomplete.
The Precautionary Principle is widely held to be a benchmark in ecologically sustainable development. It states that where there is a lack of full scientific certainly that this fact CANNOT be used as a reason for postponing measures to prevent potential environmental degradation. The Hume Coal EIS has not taken the Precautionary Principle into account in their assessment of effects to Sydney Water catchment.
Three Spoil Stockpiles are proposed by the EIS submitted by Hume Coal, one for metallurgical coal, one for thermal coal and one for toxic mine reject which will remain above ground for the first two years of the mine's operation. The EIS (E2.6) indicates the stockpile will have a capacity of 60,000 tonnes - this is estimated to be two coal stockpiles of 6 stories high at 600m in length adjacent (upwind) from the Hume motorway.
On almost any day of the year the prevailing Westerly wind blows across the site of these proposed stockpiles directly over the historic town of Berrima. With approximately 400 residents, a significant quantity of whom are retirees as well as the presence of a primary school (140 students) the effects of air borne particulate from both the coal as well as the toxic dump on the health of residents is a cause for significant concern.
Berrima and its immediate surrounds have, since the new Hume Motorway circumnavigated the town in 1989, become a high-end Wedding destination for both Sydney and Canberra residents. Two heritage churches (Anglican and Catholic) and the immediately located wineries (Bendooley Estate and Centennial Winery) cater to literally thousands of weddings annually. As at the time of writing (June 2017) Bendooley Estate already has confirmed bookings for over 160 weddings in 2018. Over 300 accommodation properties, from B&B's to motels and hotels exist in the Southern Highlands. This is an industry that thrives on the `clean and green' drawcard that is the Southern Highlands and is an illustration of the very real potential for negative consequences on both direct and indirect employment in this industry. A prevailing wind replete with Coal Dust particulate and/or toxic dust a pretty wedding party does not make!
Alongside concerns for wind borne pollutants the inevitable noise of heavy industry adds further concerns.
The EIS submitted by Hume Coal is conspicuous in its absence of existing noise level data for the historic town of Berrima. While it does cite New Berrima in noise level readings this data must be viewed in light of existing noise levels drawn from the Boral Cement works just 150m from the settlement of New Berrima. The Historic town of Berrima, on the other hand, is not mentioned in data readings since there is currently no industry noise whatsoever. As mentioned above, the prevailing wind will almost certainly bring the sounds of heavy industry from any proposed mine, located barely over a kilometre away.
The town of Berrima is the only intact Georgian village in Australia. Established in the early 1830's it is now a place that hosts thousands of travellers from Sydney (1.5 hr drive), Canberra (1hr45 min drive) and surrounds every day of every weekend. A two-hatted restaurant, Echelot alongside at least ten other eateries in the tiny town of Berrima lends charm, elegance and function....all essential characteristics for maintaining and expanding a thriving tourism industry. The fact that there are more than 2,500 people employed in the tourism sector in the Southern Highlands means that the addition of heavy industry with its associated noise and diesel pollution carried on prevailing winds cannot be a part of any business plan that develops the Southern Highlands as a tourism destination without significant negative ramifications.
It is interesting to note that Hume Coal have completely refrained from identifying where its exhaust stacks for its underground mechanised operations will be located. This is an essential piece of information with both social and health related consequences that has completely overlooked in what is meant to be an Environmental Impact Assessment.
At one point in the submitted EIS Hume Coal outlines a `do nothing' alternative (E6.8) in which it argues the case for the lost economic inflow to the state from the Hume Coal mine proposal not being accepted. It is interesting, and enlightening to consider this from the opposite point of view - what if the project DID in fact go ahead? In the submitted EIS, BAEconomics were engaged by Hume Coal to do an economic assessment of the project. The Net Present Value to the NSW government is $114 million in royalties over the 20 year economic return life span of the mine. Taken annually this results in $5.7million per annum inflow to NSW. As a comparative, Sydney trains in its 2014/5 financial year had government contributions of $1,256.5 million - ie. it cost the NSW government $3.44 million PER DAY to run Sydney Trains.
By that measure the contributions by Hume Coal towards the running of Sydney's trains would equate to around one and a half days! On the other hand the associated negative costs to the Southern Highlands of the `do something' option ie. Green-light the Hume Coal mine would immeasurably outweigh any petty contribution this project will make to state coffers.
Boral Cement, one of only two `heavy' industries in the immediate surrounds of Berrima may, within the next five years, have to restructure its current operations in a very significant way if it is to avoid bankruptcy. Currently it is only just managing to break even financially. This is due predominantly to it employing an outdated method of Cement manufacture which has been superseded by a more efficient process in use in China. The cement thus manufactured arrives in Australia in block form which, once crushed, results in an identical product to that produced by Boral at only a fraction of the cost. Should Boral have to foreclose, as seems likely, the only `heavy' industry to remain within a couple of kilometre radius of Berrima would be Inghams Enterprises which produces Chicken feed. In the light of these realities the addition of a NEW Coal mine which would be present for over 20 years (and which make no indication in its EIS that it might not extend its mining operations at some point) would be a step in the decidedly wrong direction for a district viewing tourism expansion as its ticket to future prosperity.
The EIS submitted by Hume Coal for extension of the Railway line has the following concerns.
While Hume Coal has allowed for graded separated crossings at the Old Hume Highway no provision has been made at Robertson and at Sheepwash Road. The number of movements on this line will increase (ES2) from 120 to 170 train movements per week. There will as a consequence by an extra 24 minutes (ES3.3) wait for all traffic at these level crossings every day. When set in context of the age demographics of the Southern Highlands, this potentially presents a very serious setback.
The Southern Highlands is a highly sought after place for both retirees and child-rearing families. Inevitable health problems within these social group mean that patient transfers to the only emergency departments located in the Highlands ie. at the public and the private hospitals in Bowral is an ever present reality. With no provision made for graded separated crossings at Robertson and at Sheepwash Road, life threatening emergencies will almost certainly result in avoidably disastrous consequences.
Furthermore the school of Robertson (120 students) has playing fields (a sports oval) just 30 meters from the Railway line chosen by Hume Coal to move coal. The consequences to health and wellbeing of students inevitably exposed to coal particulates and additional noise and diesel pollution from 8 additional daily trains, each 44 cars in length is difficult to exaggerate.
There is a more insidious, although less `spectacular' consequence to the Hume Coal mine being approved and that is its psychological impact to the community and families where it proposes to operate.
As mentioned previously the Southern Highlands is a place chosen readily by retirees and child rearing families. A cursory drive through the historic town of Berrima will illustrate the extent of community cohesion in calls to reject the Hume Coal mine. Signs shouting "Water, NOT Hume Coal" and "No Coal Mining in the Southern Highlands" are, almost without exception, strung to the gates, hung on fences and tacked to trees right throughout the village.
Should this mine be given approval a resilient community will have been knifed, promises made by their local representative, Pru Goward in State parliament to reject this mine entirely would be shattered...and then it would be important to ask, for what? For 300 jobs (at the expense of 2,500 in the tourism industry alone)? For just over $5million annually, barely enough to pay for Sydney trains for a day and a half? How do I face my children, having shown them that something can be done, if we only try....do they grow up with hope that, "yes that is true"...or blighted by the scourge of Multinationals with little interest in the communities where they decide to set up shop?
My family and I urge you to reject this project as proposed in all its forms.

See attached

I object to this proposal and please refer to my submission.

see attached PDF.

see attached PDF.

Miss Isabella Roche
280 Ellsmore Rd, Exeter
NSW, Australia, 2579

To Whom it may concern,
My name is Isabella Roche. I was born in Bowral District Hospital in 1990 and have primarily resided in this beautiful district since. I enjoy horse riding, bike riding, running and bush walking, interests which all require the outdoors and have developed due to the true beauty of this district. In addition to my outdoor hobbies, I also take a keen interest in the environment. I collect rubbish when I walk, I do not use plastic bags and now use a reusable coffee cup, all examples of my commitment to the environment. Unfortunately, I belong to a generation of future Australians who will be left to pick up the pieces of current consumerism and poor governmental decisions on energy. My primary concern, currently, is the prospect of a coal mine run by South Korean company Hume Coal. Why is this a concern? Unfortunately, the way in which the coal mine would affect me personally and the local environment would require pages of writing so I have chosen a few points that matter most to me.

Firstly, water bores will be seriously compromised. This alone is a fantastic reason for the coal mine not to go ahead. It baffles me, in this day and age, that water is not our primary concern. Rather, the prospect of allowing a Korean based company into our landscape in the name of non-renewable energy seems quite backwards to me. Without water, there is no life and without life, coal won't mean a thing. The fact that mining can result in the pollution of local rivers and streams absolutely horrifies me and does not make any sense. For these reasons alone, I hope that the Coal Mining project does not go ahead.

Finally, one of my main concerns lies with the social impacts that can already be seen amongst the residents of the Wingecarribee Shire. This is an issue that is particularly close to my heart. My grandparents, Dr John Roche (OAM) and Kathleen Roche have lived in the Southern Highlands for over 50 years. They have been living at their current residence `Araluen' on Golden Vale Rd, Sutton Forest since 1988. They worked very hard all of their lives as a General Practitioner and Pharmacist in the district and made and continue to make large contributions to many community organisations and causes. My Grandparents should be enjoying retirement after so many years of hard work and community contribution. Instead at the ages of 89 and 81, they are spending many of their days worrying about the predicament our beautiful Southern Highlands is facing. The prospect of losing their water is almost too much to bear sometimes. Araluen is renowned far and wide for its beautiful horse riding facilities. Many of my childhood memories are based around riding horses both in competition and for leisure. This is a common theme for many horse families from around the district. In addition to this, Nan and Pa are also avid tree lovers. Many of the beautiful trees, some of which I helped to plant many years ago, are likely to be effected by the compromised bores and without them, Araluen would never be the same. In addition to this, the value of their property has plummeted due to the prospect of the mine. This concerns the family as a whole, as collectively we have put so many hours and a whole lot of love into the property.


Eventually, I would love to have a family and raise them in the beautiful Southern Highlands. A pristine, coal mine free Southern Highlands. I hope that the local residents will continue to `shut the gate' on Hume Coal and the prospect of a Coal Mine in the beautiful district we live in. I only hope that common sense will prevail and that the local council and government will follow suite. After all, you can drink water but you sure can't eat coal!
Yours Sincerely,
Isabella Roche

This is my submission on the Hume Coal Project EIS SSD 15_7172 attached as a pdf document. Regards Peter Stone

Please find attached pdf file with my submission objecting to the Hume Coal project.

See attached

Please refer to the attached submission and associated documents.

Yuwen Chang
124, Medway Road
Berrima NSW 2577
Dear Sir/Madam

This is Yuwen Chang. I am writing on behalf of my families (My parents and my two sisters) to save the Southern Highland. We live in 124 Medway Road, Berrima NSW. We have bought our property and moved into Southern Highland in 2005. As a migranted family, we have been amazed by the friendly residents, beautiful environment, rich cultures, and invaluable history of Southern highlands.

Since we moved into this area, we have been told that this place is a reserved area for water. The wingecarribee council and highland residents have done everything they can to protect this land. We have witnessed the love and care of the local government and people have for their home and land. We have seen how careful the local people are when looking after the environment. It's not only for them; it's for their children, grand children and grand grand children.

The damages of mining to the environment are irreversible. This mining project will destroy the highlands. We trade our environment with money today, but money can never get it back. There are too many examples in other countries.

I am a Master student of Urban and Regional planning in the University of Sydney. Southern highlands is already expanding and has a great potential to grow into a green city, which can be a model of many Australian villages. It is a place where we can demonstrate on how to live with nature, the better use of green energy, the development of a better planned city, and the reservation of the environment and water resource.

It is sad to see the State Government is only passion to the short term revenue and willing to exchange it with the opportunity of the long term development, the quality of the resident's life, and the hope of next generation.

I hope we can all be proud to speak to our children in the near future with regards to a wise and correct decision we made together today.

The decision is in your hand.

Thank you
Yours sincerely,
Yuwen Chang 29/06/2017

Submission attached