HVO South Open Cut Coal Continuation Project

I live and work in the community and see the benefits for all.

HVO Continuation Project
I write to advise the NSW Government of my support for Hunter Valley Operations recently submitted Development Application for the Continuation Project that covers HVO North and HVO South.

I am an employee of Hunter Valley Operations. The mine is a significant employer in the Hunter Valley and contributes financially to the State of NSW via payroll tax contributions, mineral royalties and mining lease rents and levies. It would be a significant blow to both State Government revenue and Federal Government income tax revenue if the mine were to cease operations in the near future.

The NSW and Australian Federal Government have clear sighted long term plans to transition our country to a renewable energy base. To facilitate this important change we need stable income and a strong economy to fund this transition and train people for a new economy. Approval of the HVO Continuation Project ensures the income to state and federal governments from this mine are maintained and government can plan and fund the transition to a renewable economy in the immediate future.

As noted, we as an organization support the continuation of Hunter Valley Operations (HVO).
From a business perspective we have formed a strong partnership in design and engineering towards the water management on the site and for future development of the mine. Naturally this relationship has and does provide a sound financial base in our company.
To that end, this foundation also provides sound employment and engagement with not only internal Pump Tech Australia staff, but a much broader group of persons and firms engaged through our involvement with Hunter Valley Operations.

From a mining / water management perspective, we as a company are engaged with present and future planning of water movement and management on the mine. This engagement is direct business on a weekly level.
Such significant involvement has lead us to see HVO firmly committed to minimizing all impacts from mining to the community, environment and its people.
I am constantly astounded at the lengths that are gone too in every effort to ensure work and activities are conducted in a safe manner for all stakeholders and the environment.
HVO like so many other mines operates a very sound risk based approach to its operations. Like all business, risk is there and the mark of good business is how this is mitigated. HVO does this very well.
Compliance and mitigation of risk and adverse events to the environment and community are top of mind at HVO.

Personally, the opportunity that Hunter Valley Operations has afforded my company is profound. Our relationship spans years of service and our company and I have always been made to welcome and valued to this operation. Within HVO, some of the people have become close friends. Sadly I cannot say that about all past engagements.
Support of the continuation of Hunter Valley Operation is vital, not only does this mine provide sound economic value to me, my firm, my people and the greater community and NSW, it provides a sense of purpose in work and business, something that should never be down-played,
Hunter Valley Operations is more than a "mine", it is a place of opportunity. Opportunity that if embraced can provide the backbone of sound business and independent persons, not relying on others for assistance.

Please, should you wish to understand more, we are only to happy to support Hunter Valley Operations

Sincerely

Graeme McCutcheon
Company Director - Pump Tech Australia

Support

Without HVO and other mines operating in the area there would be minimal prospects for employment in the local area as there has been little effort by the federal or NSW government to replace existing industry with new industry. This would pretty much guarantee a max exodus of people to other areas which would cripple local businesses and further raise unemployment in the area without any immediate prospects for these jobs to be replaced by anything.

This helps the future of singleton and surrounding businesses. Thenext generation of workers

I object to the Hunter Valley Operations Open Cut Coal Continuation Project (North and South) (“the Project”) because the:

1. Economic analysis is inadequate and does not consider the impact on the Equine Critical Industry Cluster. The economic analysis does not reflect the true costs of the Project as it underestimates or ignores the environmental and other industry impacts/costs and over estimates the benefits;
2. Project will result in air quality impacts and exceedances exacerbating already unacceptably dusty and polluted conditions in the Upper Hunter;
3. Project will result in unacceptable noise impacts on neighbouring studs, negatively impacting the studs’ operations and the people and their families who reside on those studs;
4. Project will impose health impacts for humans and horses which have not been properly assessed;
5. Water impacts of the Project are unacceptable to us as a community and an industry.
6. Project presents deficient surface and groundwater assessments, imposes additional risks and stresses on the already vulnerable Hunter River and its tributaries; breaches of the Aquifer Interference Policy; and will leave as its legacy a final void that will be hyper-saline, take 1000 years to reach equilibrium and impose an unacceptable perpetual impost on future generations;
7. Project will bring the visual impacts of mining (dust, noise and blasting) closer to the town of Jerrys Plains, and closer to the operations of Coolmore, one of the central players in our industry.
8. Project will bring the visual impacts of mining much closer to residents, towns and roads at the southern Gateway of the Hunter’s Thoroughbred Breeding Industry at Jerrys Plains.
9. Cumulative impact assessments –for air quality and water sources in the Hunter – are absent from this EIS contrary to the Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) and NSW Guidelines;
10. Impacts on investment and economic diversity in the region will be deleterious;
11. The impacts on the Hunter’s Equine Critical Industry Cluster have not been assessed; and
12. Project, a significant expansion to open cut coal mining in close proximity to an international scale stud operator and one of the central players critical to the functioning of the Equine CIC, is an incompatible land use which cannot coexist in close proximity.
13. Project represents unacceptable social, economic and environmental risks that are contrary to Government net zero and land use policies.
14. Project does not abide by the principles of Ecologically Sustainable Development, particularly intra and inter-generational equity.
15. Project is not in the public interest and should be rejected.

I am in support of the continuation of mining in HVO North & South.

I believe the overall socio-economic benefits on the local and extended community outweigh the risks. I can also see that the EIS has considered these risks and provided effective controls. I believe that shift away from coal as our primary energy is inevitable and has been considered with HVO's long term plan. However, currently the economic benefits this project offers are critical for stimulating and sustaining the region.

I 100% support this project, HVO are so committed to supporting their local area and community and always have a hand in supporting charities. An absolute yes from me.

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.

SUMISSION: HUNTER VALLEY OPERATIONS CONTINUATION PROJECT

I understand Hunter Valley Operations (owned by Glencore and Yancoal) is seeking approval for the HVO Continuation Project (the Project). For many reasons, I urge you to refuse approval.
Your Government has strongly supported a transition away from coal and gas to renewable energy. While I appreciate this cannot be achieved overnight, to succeed we need gradually to decrease our dependence on fossil fuels, both for our own energy generation and our government revenue. Expanding mining at this time is clearly at variance with your stated goals.
I find the argument totally spurious that it not Australia that is burning this coal so we are not response. No matter where it is burned, it will contribute to increasing temperature rise and we will all suffer the consequences. If we sell it to fill our coffers with the resulting taxes, we are doubly duplicitous.
On mitigation alone, you must refuse the approval.
However, there are many other reasons to say no:
1. Impact on Aboriginal cultural heritage
2. Impact on Biodiversity
3. Impact of ugitive emissions from gas mining
4. Impact of air pollution – PM 10 and PM 2.5
5. Impact on water purity and depletion, both ground and underground water
6. Impact of future expenditure when government becomes responsibile for rehabilitation of mining void, if this is even possible. So many companies simply close down when required to rehabilitate a site.
7. Finally, I gather Glencore’s reputation, for example their $1 billion settlement in the US, suggests they are not to be trusted.
Patsy Asch: Armidale NSW 2350

I am opposed to both the south and north projects.

I object to the Hunter Valley Open Cut Coal continuation project (North and South) ("The project") because:-
1. The water impacts and groundwater disruption to the Hunter river and tributaries.
2. Visual impact to the surrounding farms and properties
3. Health impact to human and stock in the immediate area
4. Air quality for Human and Animals in the immediate area
5. Impact on the Thoroughbred industry, which is a major contributor to the Australian thoroughbred industry.
6. General living quality of the people in the immediate area.
7. economic impact on the farming and residential properties in the immediate area.
8. General devaluation and disruption in every aspect of life to the people within a wide radius of said mine.

I object to the Hunter Valley Operations Open Cut Coal Continuation Project (North and South) (“the Project”) because the:

1. Economic analysis is inadequate and does not consider the impact on the Equine Critical Industry Cluster. The economic analysis does not reflect the true costs of the Project as it underestimates or ignores the environmental and other industry impacts/costs and over estimates the benefits;
2. Project will result in air quality impacts and exceedances exacerbating already unacceptably dusty and polluted conditions in the Upper Hunter;
3. Project will impose health impacts for humans and horses which have not been properly assessed;
4. Project represents unacceptable social, economic and environmental risks that are contrary to Government net zero and land use policies.

Pirtek Hunter Valley support the continued operation of the HVO North & South operation as they support and give back to the local community and surrounding areas and support local business. HVO have been one of Pirtek Hunter Valley's customers for over 30 years and in that time Pirtek Hunter Valley have grown from 1 employee to 30 employee's who live in the local area and this has only been possible with customers like HVO that rely on local business for support.

I support project

Project will result in air quality impacts and exceedances exacerbating already unacceptably dusty and polluted conditions in the Upper Hunter.
Project will impose health impacts for humans and horses which have not been properly assessed

Please refer attached letter

I am making this submission in support of the proposed continuation of mining operations at HVO North and HVO South.
Since commencing operations many decades ago, the Hunter Valley Operations mine has made an enormous socio-economic contribution to the local, regional, state and national economies. It is important that the continuation project be approved so that HVO may continue to provide direct employment for up to 1,500 workers, as well as generating very substantial flow-on economic activity that will benefit the surrounding local government areas, the Hunter Region more generally, as well as NSW and Australia.
This proposal comes at a time of continued strong demand for coal. Although an energy transition is underway in Australia and globally, the International Energy Agency forecasts that coal will play an important role in the global energy mix for decades.
As other mining operations in the Hunter Valley come to the end of their economic lives, and as opportunities for new Hunter Valley industries gradually materialise, it is critical that well-established mining operations such as HVO continue to provide the employment and economic activity to support the local and regional economies as they seek to diversify and develop those new industries. The continuation of mining at HVO North to 2050 and at HVO South to 2045 will perform an important role in supporting this energy transition diversification whilst providing stability in employment and mining-related economic activity.
The HVO Continuation Project represents an efficient use of existing infrastructure, as it will be able to utilise the existing mining areas, the existing surface infrastructure, the existing washplants and the existing rail loop and associated transportation corridor to the Port of Newcastle. Being a brownfield life-extension project, the HVO Continuation Project requires far less ground disturbance than a comparatively-sized greenfield mining operation. It is also situated in a location where coal mining has occurred for many decades and where the community is well-versed in both the positive contribution that it makes to the local area and the way in which mining-related impacts can be suitably managed.
As far as coal mining continuation projects are concerned, the HVO Continuation Project presents a compelling case for approval as the benefits that will be delivered by this project will far outweigh the adverse impacts of the project, and the impacts are capable of being managed satisfactorily (as has been demonstrated by the existing operations at the mine over many years).

The Scone Equine Hospital objects to the HVO Open Cut Coal Continuation project as per the attached submission

Who we are and our interest in the Project:
The Hunter Valley Gliding Club Cooperative Limited (the “HVGC”) is non-profit gliding club with 75 members. HVGC owns the Warkworth airfield and has operated there for 50+ years.
The airfield is adjacent to HVO South mining area and is surrounded by land held by HVO or other mining companies.
HVGC conducts flying operations on all weekends and public holidays with mid-week flying frequent in summer, the best soaring weather, and occurs occasionally at other times. Members are also present midweek to carry out maintenance on gliders and facilities.
There are accommodation facilities on the airfield and overnight stays, particularly on weekends are frequent.

HVGC has existing Agreement with HVO:
Schedule 3, condition 47 of the existing HVO South Project Approval required that HVO maintains an agreement with the HVGC to address the potential impact of the mine on the use and operation of the HVGC’s facilities. Further Condition 49 required the development of an amenity management plan for HVGC’s.
The agreement—the Concessions and Mitigation Agreement (the “CMA”) and associated Amenities Management Plan (the “AMP”) have been in place since 2014.
The CMA and AMP have worked well and benefited both HVO and HVGC
Regarding the CMA and AMP, the EIS states:
This agreement is in place, as well as the amenity management plan, which will both be updated to reflect the project.” (EIS Section 2.6)
HVGC notes that the negotiation and development of the CMA and AMP were conditions precedent for the current HVO South approval.
The CMA and AMP broadly cease with the expiration of the current approval in 2030, or earlier only if “permitted mining” under the approval ceases.
HVGC requests that a similar condition for a CMA and AMP be part of the Project approval and that it be renegotiated to reflect the changes to the original approval that are the subject of the EIS.
The new agreements should reflect HVGC’s decade of operational experience under the existing approval as detailed below.

Operational Experience of the CMA and AMP:
HVGC is broadly comfortable with the CMA and AMP but notes, with the benefit of hindsight, several outcomes that have greater impact than envisaged at the time the CMA was negotiated:
• Dust, particularly coal dust has been more pervasive and its abrasive and corrosive nature has had some adverse effects on gliders, aircraft, and facilities
• Turbulence on take-off and approach to the runway has increased, particularly at the western end of the strip. This appears to be due to a combination of the spoil mound to the west of the strip and re-afforested areas that now have mature trees in areas that were historically bare grazing land. We note that the spoil mound contours conform to the Obstacle Limitation Surface (the “OLS”) for airfields.
• Being surrounded on almost all sides by open cut coal mines does create some operational limitations. From the west and north, there is no safe place to land for approximately 10 kilometres so gliders returning from cross country flights must have adequate height to arrive at the airfield safely or they must land away from the airfield. This isn’t a safety issue, just that there are some days and conditions where extended flights are not possible.
The cumulative impacts of successive coal mine approvals and extensions has materially increased the impact on HVGC over the period of our operation, which predates coal mining in the immediate area. These increases over time have affected and will continue to affect our ability to attract and retain members as well as the experience and enjoyment of members and visitors when at HVGC due to the visual, noise and dust impacts from mining operations.

Our Comments on the EIS:
Our comments fall in three areas:
• The Lemington Road realignment
• The length of the additional period of mining
• The likely impact of dust, noise, and blasting; and
• The definition of “sensitive receptors”
We also note several minor corrections to the EIS.

The Lemington Road Realignment:
Comleroi Road provides access to the HVGC and the HVO South operations. It is an unmarked, sealed two-way, two-lane road, approximately 7-8 metres across with approximately 3.5 metres travel lands in each direction.
While the increase is not shown explicitly in the traffic data in the EIS, the realignment will materially and significantly increase traffic on Comleroi Road, perhaps in the order of 50%. During peak traffic flows such as shift change in adjacent mines, queues of traffic will be expected to form from the intersection with the Golden Highway.
While there will be some loss of amenity because of increased noise, the most concerning impact is on safety.
The driveway to the HVGC facilities and Warkworth Airfield is relatively narrow and visually unobtrusive. It requires vehicles to all but stop in the travel lane before turning. This is especially so for club members’ vehicles towing glider trailers which are typically nine metres in length.
Appropriate traffic management measures will be required to avoid creating a hazard as other drivers have limited visual cues that there is an exit and vehicles may be slowing and stopping.
It was not apparent whether the EIS has modelled the noise impacts of increased traffic along Comleroi Road, particularly during peak periods which may be between 4am – 8am and 4pm – 8pm. HVGC would like to understand the noise levels expected from the expected traffic changes.

The Additional Period:
Prior to the EIS being released, HVGC’s reasonable expectation was that mining would cease in 2030 and from that period onward the material adverse impacts would cease, and we would return to a gliding facility set in a largely rural setting.
The long extension of mining coupled with the operational limitations does lessen the attractiveness of the facility to attract and retain members.

The impact of dust, noise, and blasting:
Our understanding, based on the information in the EIS and discussions with HVO is that the difference in the adverse impacts of dust, noise and blasting on the HVGC are unlikely to be reduced materially from the currently permitted levels under the existing approval.
This arises because the changes proposed for the HVO South operation, directly adjacent to the airfield are less in scope and magnitude than those proposed for the HVO North operation.
This must be seen in context that as noted above the impacts will continue for a further 15 years beyond 2030 and that coal dust particularly has had greater adverse effects than envisaged.

The Definition of Sensitive Receptors:
The EIS (page 208) states:
“Several other receptors for air quality are also shown as experiencing exceedances of VLAMP criteria including HVGC. However these receptors are not residences and are not regularly occupied and therefore are not considered sensitive receptors.”
HVGC is of the opinion that the definition of sensitive receptors based on regular occupation incorrectly creates an impression that exceedance of VLAMP criteria is not a significant issue for the Club and its members. We request that the actual impact that the dust creates for our gliders, aircraft and facilities should be considered in this definition and that the HVGC should be classified as a sensitive receptor.

Minor Matters:
The EIS (Table 20.2) refers to the HVGC as a “private, commercial glider operation”. This is misleading as the HVGC is a registered co-operative non-profit community sporting organisation which serves only its membership and the Hunter Valley sporting aviation community.
The EIS (for example Section 19.3.1 vii) states that there are no private properties on Comleroi Road. Appendix R – Traffic and Transport Impact Assessment (Section 4.4) repeats the error.