HVO North Open Cut Coal Continuation Project

My family has been employed by the mining industry for many years. The HVO continuation would be good for the local area. Coal should be continued as a part of the energy options into the future to provide certainty of supply. Employment of local people should be required as well as future planning for the area post mining.

We need the coal mines in the Hunter to stay open as I have friends and family working there and they cannot afford to lose their jobs. They deserve to heard and work in a job they love

I believe that this continuation extension be allowed to proceed, there are a lot of people in the Hunter Valley , Muswellbrook area that earn their income from Hunter Valley Operations and we need to ensure there is work for the next generation in our area.
The area has seen a lot of change over the years & I have lived and worked here for the last 65 years, have seen a lot of change and development that has only helped the area grow but we need to provide for our community and allowing this development to continue will be a big part of that.
Regards

HVO provides employment for my partner and myself which provides for her and her three children, including better schooling, job opportunities and social activities. HVO is a major contributor to the Singleton and Hunter Valley community and is a major reason why there is community sport and events in our region. Without the long term security of HVO'S continuation the whole community of the the Hunter Valley is in jeopardy. The effects to the whole Hunter Valley would be devastating and would render it a ghost town of biblical proportions. Please consider all aspects of this continuation application thoroughly. Thank you

I write to support the continuation project. My comments are from economic grounds. I have family who live and work in Singleton. One of my family works at the HVO Site. He and his wife have chosen Singleton raise their family in this area. The mine provides one of them with employment. This provides value to the circular economy of Singleton, as their earnings are spent in the town. The economic contribution that the mine makes to Singleton includes grants and sponsorship. These assist the community in many areas including sport. This helps to build a healthier community.
The mine provides employment to many people living in the Singleton area. The mine has a local procurement policy. This benefits all businesses in Singleton either directly or indirectly.
i believe this project should continue to provide efficient energy resources until the world is ready to transition to a greener energy alternative.

This project is an extension to the current HVO North mine searching for deeper seams of coal, however the environmental impact report has completely overlooked the impact created from burning this coal. Scope 1 and 2 have addressed the impact from expansion, however Scope 3 carbon emissions in this projects equate to 1.16 billion tonnes of CO2 - approximately 99.7% of the carbon emissions directly correlated to this project.

Overlooking such a tremendous environmental impact is completely unacceptable. The path to combating global warming is extremely difficult and this proposed expansion would only further prevent meaningful change. This project should not be allowed to continue for the breadth of short and long term environmental damage that it will cause.

I have attached a report written by Jayden Pan, an environmental specialist in construction, rail, waste and mining industries; which outlines the specific environmental concerns in greater detail. I am completely supportive of the findings and recommendations presented within his report and agree that this project is not in the public’s interest.

Please go ahead, will create local jobs

By keeping the mine open it keeps the local economy with jobs

I write to support the proposal to extend the life of the HVO open cut coal mine.
Neither Australia nor the rest of the world is ready for the change to renewable energy. The change to renewable is important and urgent, however, there is a long way to go. Meanwhile the world will continue to rely on coal for power generation and steel production. Where will that coal come from? It should come from a reliable supplier in a politically stable country. It should be a high quality coal that burns efficiently and reduces emissions. HVO offers all these to the world and should continue to do so until the renewable technology is ready to replace it.
HVO has demonstrated their commitment to the community of Singleton. They are a large part of the local economy through their use of local suppliers, their employment of local staff including my family, their community grants and sponsorship programmes.
This is not a new project, and it is not an expansion of the current site.

I’m fully supportive of this North mine lease extension to be granted permission to continue. I am a firm believer that this continuation will certainly help the local economy with the monies that flow back to businesses in the the areas that employees live in. Employees also pay their taxes which flow to federal and state coffers. People need employment and this mine employs 1500 people across its entire leases which is a massive amount of money generated alone in wages and coal royalties payed . This mine is not applying for a new mine lease ! It’s is applying to continue to mine its existing North pit lease extension. It should be granted !

I am employed by HVO on a contractor basis. The town of Singleton and Hunter Valley is dependent on the income the mine provides. The benefits to the community significantly outweigh any detrimental effects.

INSUFFICIENT ENVIRONMENTAL MITIGATION, DISHONEST
The project's expected Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions total to 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2-e. However, Scope 3 (the burning of the coal) is not included within the enviornmental mitigation measures, even though the project's main environmental impact is the Scope 3 carbon emissions (CO2 generated from the burning of coal).

This is dishonest in its protrayal of the environmental impact of the project as a whole, and is a shameful obfuscation of the mitigation requirements of this project. Unbelievably sneaky and slippery.

I have attached a response to the project penned by my colleague Jayden Pan, which cites a range of sources and goes into more detail about the failings of this project. I am formally co-signing Jayden's response as a frequent traveller to the Central Coast (my parents have a holiday house in Hardys Bay), and a resident of the Greater Sydney area.

This is a great project for the future of the Hunter valley

Valued and respected operation

I object to this proposal because the proponent has not adequately assessed the likely and significant greenhouse gas (GHG) risks and impacts to NSW. They have not adequately described the scale and impact of recent emissions from the existing HVO facility. Their projected emissions for the proposal make a mockery of any statement or commitment they may make pertaining to mitigating or reducing GHG emissions. They have not attempted to credibly mitigate likely and significant economic, social or environmental costs and impacts of emissions. They have not demonstrated that they can effectively manage and minimise emissions either now or in the future. The projected emissions demonstrate that the proponent will breach the reformed federal Safeguard Mechanism and fail to support NSW Net Zero Plan or legislated emissions reduction targets.

The proposal represents continuing activities that are a leading cause of physical impacts and economic costs already observed and experienced in Australia and documented in recent State of the Environment, State of the Climate, and UN reports. The observed impacts have led the International Energy Agency to declare that there should be no new coal proposals. The Department should reject this proposal because the proponent has not offered any credible mitigation of likely and significant impacts, and has not adequately observed the principles of ecologically sustainable development. The likely impacts of the proposal are unacceptable and it is not in the public interest. The proposal directly conflicts with state and federal policy objectives, the federal Climate Change Act, and international commitments such as the Global Methane Pledge.

I attach my observations of the proponent's assessment to further explain why I am objecting to this Project.

I support the project I believe it creates meaningful change in the hunter to both lives of those involved through work, but also make meaningful change to the hunter by ensuring continuous energy and mineral supply to Australia and the region

I support this project. Our family depends on the mining industry and more importantly HVO to put food in the table. Families all over the Hunter valley depend on the mining industry for their livelihood. I am confident in the rehabilitation programs that are designed to rejuvenate the environment after mining so please approve the application

The hunter mining industry is critical in supporting my family, friends and community. Without this approval their is less than sufficient investment and development by our governments in this region to fill the void and provide employment and region income.

Submission of objection attached

I would like to see the mine continue operating. It is both a direct and indirect employer of thousands of people. I believe that many people will become unemployed long term if the mine were to close within its current time frame. The way in which mines work nowadays minimizes the environmental damage caused and rehabilitation creates usable land for the future.