HumeLink

I object to the scope, in particular to the use of OHTL rather than underground DC transmission, and to the siting of the proposed "Gugaa" substation to the East of Wagga Wagga, when I believe it should have been at Uranquinty. I also believe that the engagement of the Hume Link project has so badly been managed in both scope and engagement that a Senate Inquiry should be held with a view to consider whether the Transgrid board could be better suited to provide for utility service provision, and perhaps the shareholding better aligned with the service provision to provide focus to providing a better outcome for the nation.

Please see attached three WORD documents higher quality than pdf version submitted 09.10.2023

Jessie Reynolds
1 Yaven Creek Road
Bangadang NSW 2729

Correspondence to: [email protected]

Director – Energy Assessments,
Development Assessment,
Department of Planning and Environment,
4 Parramatta Square,
12 Darcy Street,
Parramatta NSW 2150

Dear Sir/Madam,

SUBMISSION IN RESPONSE TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT OF THE
HUMELINK PROJECT – APPLICATION NO SSI-36656827

I hereby submit this response to the HumeLink Environmental Impact Statement report.

I object to the HumeLink proposal on the grounds of:

My main points for your consideration,
• Biosecurity Concerns – The risks are a huge problem for all of the HumeLink project if the transmission lines are erected or buried, and considerations need to be taking into how the government will manage a huge outbreak of disease if caused from construction of the project. Eg Foot & mouth and Lumpy Skin. And weeds coming into the property.

Transgrid aren’t able to tell me how the project will ensure we don’t have an outbreak. They are telling me to have a biosecurity Plan – I don’t want the project. I shouldn’t have to do their hard work.
They tell me that they will wash the vehicles at the gate of the property. Well – its on a hill and the water will wash into our property.

We haven’t asked for this project. And we shouldn’t have to do the work. The Property Management plans will have the details. again, TransGrid want me to write it me to do their work.

The mental health and extra burden of this project has caused me to become distressed and consequently I have been diagnosed with depression. I don’t want to think about a disease coming to our place and the chance we will have to slaughter every animal.

• I acknowledge and accept the Department of Planning and Environment’s disclaimer and declaration.
• Declaration of political donations: No.
Yours sincerely,
Jessie Reynolds

Jessie Reynolds
1 Yaven Creek Road
Bangadang NSW 2729

Correspondence to: [email protected]



Director – Energy Assessments,
Development Assessment,
Department of Planning and Environment,
4 Parramatta Square,
12 Darcy Street,
Parramatta NSW 2150


Dear Sir/Madam,

SUBMISSION IN RESPONSE TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT OF THE
HUMELINK PROJECT – APPLICATION NO SSI-36656827

I hereby submit this response to the HumeLink Environmental Impact Statement report.

I object to the HumeLink proposal on a number of grounds, as follows:

My main points for your consideration,

• Bushfire Concerns – I am current a volunteering member of the Darlow Fire Brigade which I live and work, we were directly impacted in the 2019/20 Dunn’s Road fire, where we lost 95% of my in-laws farm including the block we live on, and lost hundreds of head of livestock and countless amounts of trees shrubs not to mention wildlife and ecosystems.

Data shows that the bushfire risk is getting higher as the temperatures are rising with global warming, making towers and lines even more dangerous.
Outdated transmission tower technology significantly increases the risk of deadly bushfires and makes it harder to fight them, threatening lives, property and native animals.

HumeLink EIS Technical Report 13 – Bushfire Risk Assessment Report

Inside the report
1. Transgrid do not mention how us as land owners are able to control a bushfire if there is a fire.
2. They do not mention the hazard of their assets (overhead lines) and the increased risks to starting a fire in severe or adverse fire condition including weather.
3. They mention that there are only 16 residents within 100m of the project footprint that are at public safety risks. What about the livestock, infrastructure (hay sheds, machinery shed water tanks, cattle yards), Mudjarn National Park on our boundary, forestry also on another boundary, the list goes on- that we also have to protect. Not just houses. Transgrid don’t see this as an issue.
4. The EIS states - Electrical faults in equipment can create high ignition risk to adjacent vegetation. The undergrounding would alleviate this happening.
5. The towers could become a security risk to our homes and livelihood. If the towers were to be targeted in the future the country could be at risk.
6. Mental health- as RFS member how can I sleep at night on a hot windy thunderstorm night thinking what if a fire starts and we can’t go under the powerlines and the risk if losing animals. I have become depressed since the Dunns Road Fire in 2019/2020 when we had to shot hundreds of sheep that were black, burnt and still alive. Why is the government letting people put overhead towers up when the technology is there to go underground and to keep people safe.

• I acknowledge and accept the Department of Planning and Environment’s disclaimer and declaration.
• Declaration of political donations: Yes/No. If Yes, details …….……………………………………………

Yours sincerely,

Jessie Reynolds

See attached submission

ATTACHED IS MY OBJECTIONS TO THE HUMELINK PROJECT.

I object to the overhead power lines and towers because we already live with a 350 kv line and more towers and lines will further endanger our fire fighters, our fire fighting capability, our agricultural work including aerial operations and operators, and add greatly to our costs; they could even destroy the markets for our production.
The steepness of our land and the fragile soils will cause the land to be greatly eroded which will cause damage to soils and cause increased damage to waterways and water quality. The construction of roads in these area and the traffic during construction will also do immense damage.
I object to powerlines crossing Australia and causing damage to all Australians, not just me. These lines should be put underground and if future lines are to be built that fact should be acknowledged, now, and all the lines put underground at the same time which would greatly minimise damage, disruption and the cost. It would be ridiculous for us to be subject to all this several times over and much, much cheaper to put all the lines underground at once.
We will be greatly affected by overhead powerlines but the rest of Australia will be damaged by the future consequences. The damage to us and others affected by these lines, projected and present, has been large already and the future costs in health and suicides has not been factored into costs. The loss of flora and fauna will also be bewailed in the future when it is too late to redress the loss.. The loss of agricultural land due to infestations of weeds and feral animals will also happen as the responsibility of looking after the consequences of these lines is not accepted by the builders or the government.
Each government , now and in the future, MUST take full responsibility for all consequences if they approve the building of the towers and lines and don't put them underground.

I object to the proposal on the grounds that it is detrimental to the health, wellbeing and future of residents - see attachment

Please see attached submission from NPA

Please find submission attached

Please see attached submission

Colin Smith
35 Marcia Street
TOONGABBIE NSW 2146
[email protected]

Director – Energy Assessments,
Development Assessment,
Department of Planning and Environment,
4 Parramatta Square,
12 Darcy Street,
Parramatta NSW 2150


Dear Sir/Madam,

SUBMISSION IN RESPONSE TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT OF THE
HUMELINK PROJECT – APPLICATION NO SSI-36656827

I hereby submit this response to the HumeLink Environmental Impact Statement report.

I object to the HumeLink proposal on three grounds:

The Hume Link Project would:
1. POSE SINISTER HEALTH DANGERS by significantly increasing the risks of childhood leukemia and other cancers through the impact of electro-magnetic radiation from living or working near the flow path of the 360km of high voltage transmission lines.
2. HAVE A CATASTROPHIC EFFECT ON THE ENVIRONMENT. The proposed 360km of high voltage transmission lines will require up to 130-metre-wide easements through bush land. This will require the removal of tens of thousands of trees and disrupt the habitat of many local native animal species including koalas, possums, sugar gliders and various bird species. This could cause some native species to become locally extinct.
3. INCREASE THE RISK OF DEVASTATING BUSHFIRES CAUSED BY LIGHTNING STRIKES. Natural habitats will be destroyed as there will be an increased risk of bushfires caused by lightning strikes on approximately 2,000 new transmission line towers.

1. Sinister Health Dangers

If 360 km of mainly 500kV transmission towers and lines are going to be built over the next few years, there will most likely be an increase in the rate of childhood leukemia and cancer rates in adults who live or work within 600m of these high voltage lines, according to prominent research.

In a report recorded in the British Colombia Medical Journal, Is living near power lines bad for our health? | British Columbia Medical Journal (bcmj.org), Dr Copes (director of BCCDC’s Environmental Health Services Division) and Ms Barn (an environmental health scientist at BCCDC) referred to four reputable research papers that conclusively outlined the increased rates of childhood cancer and leukemia to the proximity of living close to high voltage power lines.

The association with childhood leukemia, which the International Agency for Research on Cancer regards as sufficiently well established to rate extremely low frequency magnetic fields as a “possible” human carcinogen.[1]
1. World Health Organization. Extremely low frequency fields environmental health criteria monograph no. 238. 2007. www.who.int/peh-emf/publications/elf_ehc/en/index.html (accessed 12 September 2008).

The first study to link childhood leukemia with residential EMF exposure was published in 1979[2] Studies using magnetic field strength as an exposure measure have found that exposures greater than the range of 0.3 to 0.4 µT lead to a doubling risk of leukemia, with very little risk below this level. This exposure range is approximately equal to a distance of 60m within a high-voltage power line of 500 kV.
2. Wertheimer N, Leeper E. Electrical wiring configurations and childhood cancer. Am J Epidemiol 1979; 109:273-284.

An increased risk of 69% for cancer and leukemia was found for children living within 200 m of power lines while an increased risk of 23% was found for children living within 200 to 600 m of the lines. [3] This study was notable in that it found some elevation of risk at much greater distances than previous studies. Likewise, it was based on the records of 29,081 children with cancer, including 9700 with leukaemia. Children were aged 0-14 years and born in England and Wales, 1962-95. Controls were individually matched for sex, approximate date of birth, and birth registration district. No active participation was required.
3. Draper G, Vincent T, Kroll ME, et al. Childhood cancer in relation to distance from high voltage power lines in England and Wales: A case-control study. BMJ 2005; 330:1290.

Using current British Columbia leukemia rates[4] and assuming similar proportions of the population live near high voltage lines, on a statistical basis, there may be one additional leukemia in British Columbia every 2 years. To eliminate this risk, one would need to achieve a separation distance of 600 m between every high voltage power line and the nearest residence.
4. BC Cancer Agency. Leukemia. 2008. www.bccancer.bc.ca/NR/rdonlyres/AC6262BC-634F-4227-BF14-163182197EDF/259...

Whilst much of the focus of research has been on childhood cancer and leukaemia, many other illnesses and conditions, as detailed here, are linked to the effects of low-frequency EMF (Electro Magnetic Fields) associated with proximity to high voltage transmission lines, including increased risks of:
• Glioma and other brain cancers
• Male and female infertility
• Lymphoma Nervous system tumours
• Depression and anxiety
• Heart problems
https://www.econsciousliving.com/living-near-power-lines/

2. Catastrophic Effect on the Environment

Likewise, the removal of tens of thousands of trees to instal high voltage transmission towers with up to 130-metre-wide easements in bushland will destroy many native habitats. The destruction of habitats for native tree-dwelling animals such as koalas, brush-tail possums, flying foxes, sugar gliders and kookaburras may cause some native species to become locally extinct.

3. Increased Risk in Devastating Bushfires Caused by Lightning Strikes on 85-Metre-High Transmission Towers
85-METRE-HIGH TRANSMISSION TOWERS ARE LIGHTNING MAGNETS

Following the devastating bushfires of Black Saturday in 2009, the Victorian Government established the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission to consider how bushfires can be better prevented and managed in the future.

The Commission observed that powerlines and electricity infrastructure caused many of the major bushfires in 2009 (and contributed to 159 of the 173 bushfire-related deaths - 92%), as well as earlier major bushfires.

In response to the Royal Commission’s report and recommendations, the Government established the Powerline Bushfire Safety Program (PBSP) to manage a $750 million program of works delivering improvements to reduce the risk of Victorian powerlines causing catastrophic bushfires in the future. One third of this program ($250 million) was funded by the Victorian Government. Electricity distribution businesses are putting roughly another $500 million worth of works into the PBSP, principally focused on reducing the risk of bushfires ignited by faults on high voltage (>1,000 volts) distribution lines.
https://www.energy.vic.gov.au/safety-and-emergencies/powerline-bushfire-safety-program/network-assets-program/high-voltage-network-assets-program

Since then, new lightning protection systems have been introduced to increase the ability of transmission towers to withstand lightning strikes and reduce lightning related hazards. These include decreasing grounding resistance of towers; adjusting protection angle of the shield wire; using a lightning protection differentiation design for double circuit towers; installing additional lightning rods or line surge arresters in areas with highest risk.

Although these lightning protection systems have supposedly reduced the impact of lightning strikes in the past decade, recent research in Australia indicates that lightning strikes on electricity infrastructure still cause a greater risk during elevated fire danger periods.

The occurrence of wildfires caused by electricity distribution infrastructure were compared to those attributed to other causes during periods of elevated fire danger across the State of Victoria, Australia. The results provided strong evidence that fires caused by electrical faults are more prevalent during elevated fire danger conditions and that they burn larger areas than fires ignited by most other causes. As a result, the consequences of fires caused by electricity infrastructure are worse than fires from other causes.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318469759_Electrically_caused_wildfires_in_Victoria_Australia_are_over-represented_when_fire_danger_is_elevated

Unfortunately, 360km of high voltage transmission towers 85-metres-high will attract hundreds of thousands of lightning strikes each year and likely be the cause of future devastating bush fires, as demonstrated by the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission into the devastating 2009 Black Saturday bushfires.

AN UNEXPECTED CONSEQUENCE OF HIGH VOLTAGE TRANSMISSION LINES AND TOWERS IS THE DANGER THEY PRESENT TO FIRE FIGHTERS DURING BUSHFIRES
Not only are transmission towers and lines hazardous to land fire-fighting crews, but also to aerial fire-fighters. As a result, fire crews usually abandon efforts to fight fires near high voltage transmission lines and towers for safety reasons.

Peter Muir from Myrniong, 72km northwest of Melbourne, said the 85-metre-tall AusNet towers would ruin his property and pose a danger to the local community. Mr Muir also voiced his concern over the powerlines reaching the Wombat State Forest and posing a fire hazard. “It's very hard for firefighters to get there to put it out. No Country Fire Association crew is going to put their crew underneath one of the power lines too because they're an ignition point.

'It's not just the cost to me, it's the cost to the whole community, these ignition points will stop people from getting out of the bush or stop people getting in the bush during a fire,' he explained. The farmer was told AusNet would turn the powerlines off in the event of a fire but was concerned they may not be shut off in time.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8579231/Farmer-protests-against-power-lines-digging-rude-message-paddock-tractor.html

• I acknowledge and accept the Department of Planning and Environment’s disclaimer and declaration.
• Declaration of political donations: None

Yours sincerely,
Colin Smith
Colin Smith

My grounds for objection to Humelink


submitted by Prof Simon Bartlett AM
independent national expert on electricity transmission
ex COO Powerlink Queensland with 52 years of experience in electricity transmission
9th October 2023

Please see five attached documents

Please see attached submission.

This submission is for the Big Springs Rural Fire Service commenting on and objecting to the Humelink project.
A copy has also been lodged through NSW Planning Portal Customer Service Enquiry (P-702556) because account of Susan Duffy was unable to process the submission and no acknowledgement of receipt has yet been received.
thank you

John McGrath
1599 Black Range Road
Woolgarlo NSW 2582
Ph. 0408268173
[email protected]

I would like to make a submission on TransGrid's proposed HumeLink Project Application number SSI-36656827
In this submission I would like to adress needless removal of threatened Eucalyptus blakelyi.
Threatened specimens of Eucalyptus blakelyi
TransGrid's inflexibility on relocation of HumeLink to parrallel the existing 03 330KV transmission line easement west of Yass, will impact many mature eucalypts such as the Eucalyptus blakelyi in image attached. This tree species is listed vulnerable by the ICUN. Where trees are in the image attached TransGrid propose to install a transmission tower in their HumeLink transmission line informing the property owner that it will be too expensive to relocate the HumeLink transmission line to avoid total removal of these mature and stately eucalypts?
Should TransGrid accept the thoughts of property owners and myself, where it has been suggested on multiple occasions over several years that they, TransGrid could west of Yass parrallel the 03 330KV transmission line to and beyond Chidowla where the 03 330KV transmission line crosses the Murrumbidgee River, before turning south towards its origin the substation at the Tumut 3 Hydro Power Station at Talbingo. In doing so would alleviate so much immediate habitat destruction, including the now ICUN listed threatened specimens of Eucalyptus blakelyi in image attached?
The proximity to the 03 330KV transmission line can be gauged by the structure on the 03 that is the next transmission tower on the 03 west of an adjacent tower on property which will see the obliteration of those trees?
Sincerely John McGrath

I object to the project of the humelink power lines going through our property as they are an eye saw, they are a hindrance to our live stock and also our cropping. They will inhibit us being able to use helicopters for spraying the crops. Also they will devalue our property and everyone else's that they go through. Also they are wanting to put them too close to our house which we object to.
Also they will be a hazard if there are any fires on the property with having helicopters to put out the fire, and also fire truck etc.

We object to the ugly humming power lines and support them going underground. We are terrified of the fire risk due to these lines near our home and family. The powerlines will devalue out farm in excess of the compensation offered. Our health is suffering due to these powerlines. We are disgusted by the misinformation peddled by Transgrid. Undergrounding will be better for our country and for us.

I object to the Humelink project, please see the attachment for the specific reasons.