Mangoola Coal Continued Operations Project

As a long time resident of the Wybong area I am writing to object to the continuation of the Mangoola Coal Project.
This project has already caused damage through its blasting activities, which are too close to existing residences and which need to be curtailed. It has also decimated what was a strong and happy local community and I believe has done irreparable damage to the groundwater systems throughout this area (which no one fully understands).
Our region does not need the number of mines it currently has - which are largely for the export market and not owned by Australian companies or shareholders. What we do need are quality small holdings (which are in ever-shrinking supply), a place to call home, enough clean air and water to support food production and a healthy environment for our children.
Please refuse this application which is not in the best long term interests of local residents including my family and I.

We support the project in Principle, but reject and do not support the EIS Supporting Document.

Dear Sir/Madam,
Submission of Objection – Mangoola Coal Continued Operations Project
My name is David Le Breton, I am writing to object to the Mangoola Coal Continued Operations Project as a concerned member of the wider community and a relative of neighbouring residents. I am currently undertaking an undergraduate degree in Environmental Management and have a background in ecological restoration. The 2 main areas of concern I would like to address are:
1. Impact on the environment
2. Health impacts

1. The Mangoola Coal Continued Operations Project will undoubtedly have a large impact at both a local and global level. The destruction of the threatened ecological communities and resultant loss of habitat for many species will be potentially devastating and irreversible. The proposed biodiversity offsets are not adequate for the destruction of these threatened communities and species.
The climate change impacts of the expansion of the mine will have a cumulative effect of increasing global carbon emissions at a crucial time when the majority of nations have committed to decreasing emissions. As with the Rocky Hill coking mine in Gloucester, these impacts should be given far greater weight when assessing the approval of this expansion.

2. I have grave concerns for the health of my elderly parents living adjacent to the mine being exposed to an increase in dust levels, as well as my 3 year old son who regularly spends time with them. There have been many concerns raised by both local communities and medical practitioners around the potential issue of living in the vicinity of opencast coal mining sites and the effects on respiratory ill-health (Pless-Mulloli et al. 2001). Due to the large amount of rural populations living near coal mining operations in NSW, the NSW government organisation known as NSW Health has taken steps to provide data to outline the potential health risks. An example of such data may be accessed by the public through the online factsheet titled ‘Mine Dust and You’ (NSW Government, 2017). However, the current information distributed by NSW Health could potentially be judged as being inadequate due to not keeping up to date with recent studies into this issue, as well as failing to recognise past research which raised health concerns. A comprehensive report authored by Fiona Armstrong (2015) on behalf of the Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA) titled ‘Coal and Health in the Hunter: Lessons from one valley for the world’ provides greater analysis of the situation. This 68 page report cites over 270 references to support claims of increasing health risks in the Hunter Valley due to coal mining and the associated economic and social costs surrounding this (Armstrong, 2015). The CAHA is an alliance of 28 health and climate organisations, including many from NSW Health such as the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association (NSWNMA, 2015), who posted an online article highlighting some of the findings of the CAHA report. Articles from the Sydney Morning Herald (Hannam, 2017) and Newcastle Herald (McCarthey, 2018) identify recent spikes in pollution levels from mining operations in the Hunter region. The health impact of mines has become a major argument in the opposition to current mining level expansion with a call for a complete overhaul of mining dust regulations (Climate and Health Alliance, 2015).
Examples of data supporting the argument that coal mining dust has adverse respiratory effects on the population are:
• PM10 and PM2.5 particulates commonly associated with mining have been strongly linked to many forms of respiratory health issues (Armstrong, 2015).
• In 2014 the national standard levels for PM10 was exceeded 110 times in the Upper Hunter mining region. No national standard has been established for PM2.5 putting Australia out of step with the World Health Organisation (Armstrong, 2015).
• In 2017 PM10 levels were exceeded 190 times (Hannam, 2017).
• A 2010 survey revealed that the Hunter region had the highest proportion of children diagnosed with asthma in the state (Armstrong, 2015).
• Health costs associated with fine particle pollution from coal sources in the regional NSW mining towns of Singleton and Muswellbrook are estimated to be $65.3 million per anum (Armstrong, 2015).

Concluding remarks - The environmental and health impacts of the Mangoola Coal Continued Operations Project are of an extreme level. Whilst it is apparent that efforts have been made to address these impacts, they fail to adequately do so as the impact level is so great that no abatement or offset measures are possible. Therefore the only logical reasoning is for the approval of this expansion to be declined.

I am writing to object to the continuation of the Mangoola Coal Mine.

As a long term resident of the Upper Hunter I have witnessed first-hand the destruction caused by coal mining to this once productive agricultural area, and now believe the region cannot sustain any more coal mines without seriously impacting the health of residents.

On an almost weekly basis I observe clouds of coal dust hovering over Muswellbrook - usually caused by blasting. In recent conversations with the EPA about specific incidents, I have been told this blasting is mostly in accordance with conditions of consent.
If these conditions of consent are being followed and there are still dust clouds blowing over the town, I can only conclude that the conditions are either far too lenient or there are simply too many coal mines operating.

We need to protect what is left of the Upper Hunter, not jeopardise our future for the short term gain of the Mangoola continuation.
If this continuation is approved, the owners should be made to foot the cost of installation for 24 hour cameras that the EPA has total control of.
At the moment, there is no EPA office in Muswellbrook and when breaches occur nobody is there to witness them.
Operations need to be recorded 24/7 and NOT by the owner of the mine.
That is like the Police asking me to let them know if I've been speeding.

The other aspect I would like to comment on is rail movements. Does anyone at the Planning Commission have any idea just how noisy coal trains are when they screech through a town?
I doubt it. It is horrendous.
Letting Mangoola continue only adds to this aural pollution - not to mention the dust dropped along the way.

As coal continues to decline globally (a fact owners Glencore have acknowledged), we should be looking at alternatives to this industry.
People are being turned off from living in the Hunter Valley due to the ongoing dust and particle problems created by having so many large mines close to town.

Finally, the rehabilitation plan for this mine is inadequate. It should be the policy of the NSW Government that no additional open voids can be left in the Upper Hunter landscape.

Yes, we need jobs - but they need to start being provided by other industries in the Hunter Valley. It is time for the government to act and protect our future.

Regards, Matthew O"Connell

Please see attached response.