Maxwell Underground Coal Mine Project

Please see attached submission letter

I am writing to lodge my support for Malabar Coal’s Maxwell Underground Coal Project.

I have reviewed the proponents EIS and supporting documentation for the Maxwell Underground Coal Project and hold the informed opinion that the Project proposed is both sensible in scope and adequately minimises impact on local industry, on-going viable land use, water resources and the environment.

In my opinion, the proposed Maxwell Underground Coal Project offers a sound technical solution to extracting critical coking coal resources, enables the symbiotic use of existing facilities and legacy mine voids, whilst mitigating impacts on the local community and environment.

I am resident of Muswellbrook with very young family, Muswellbrook is a mining town and as a mining town the ongoing support and approval of mining in Muswellbrook is a must, for the local community and residents like my family to sustain our way of life. The infrastructure provided in the form of upgraded roads and community assets is unrivaled by any other industry in the area. Therefore i strongly support the Maxwell underground project.

Please find attached my submission.

I believe that the project should go ahead given the benefits that will flow to the local community as a result of the development, including job opportunities, contracting and other commercial opportunities and royalty/revenue opportunities for local councils and State Government. I think the risks of the development can be managed given it will be an underground mine (therefore visual impacts etc should be minimised) and via appropriate conditions in the planning approval. I therefore support the development of Maxwell Project. A transition to new energy systems will take some time, so I believe good quality coal has a place in the transition phase.

I am in support of the Maxwell Project. This development will provide numberous postive oppurtunities for the local and surrounding communities.

Please find attached our submission regarding the proposed Maxwell Underground Coal Mine Project.

I support the project for the reasons set out in my letter of today's date.

Dear Sir or Madam Committee Member,
I 100% unequivocally support this project. The approval of this project would most definitely be a step in the right direction to make up for the absolute disgrace of the of a ruling for the Drayton South Project.

As a local Muswellbrook community member and someone who lives within 5.0 km of the project; who could potentially be impacted by the project, I could not support it enough. My livelihood is in no way impacted by approval or non-approval of this project, but as a local member of the community I welcome it and boost the local economy with open arms. Muswellbrook is a town that relies on mining projects to keep going. Unfortunately agriculture (as I come from a farming background) is unable to provide enough high paying jobs or just jobs period to sustain the town.

The horse studs are a joke with regards contributions to the local economy. They could go away and no one would notice. Any and all local events in the Upper Hunter are sponsored by the various mining companies. I have never seen a single event sponsored any of the studs or any of the NGO who would rather spend thousand and thousands of dollars trying to kill this project by whatever means possible instead of supporting the local economy. The reason why is quite simple. They don't care about us locals, not one bit, we are nothing to them.

One of the arguments is that we need to look to a future without mining and all that good stuff and really diversify our local economy. The reality is that the only companies looking to invest in this area are from the mining sector. No one is clamoring to start up companies in Muswellbrook, why would you? And realistically very few will.

While a lot of people say that coal is going away, perhaps. But no one in Asia is going to shut down their billions of dollar coal fired power plants because some academic in Sydney thinks they should. That's not how the real world works. If we don't supply the coal than someone else will. The coal here in the Hunter is some of the best in the world and only because of its quality are we able to still competitively mine and sell it. While coal may be replaced eventually by "cleaner" power sources, it is not going to be in next ten years.

So please approve this project so that this town and the people in the town can benefit.
Best Regards,

See details in attached Letter of Support

RE: SUBMISSION – MAXWELL UNDERGROUND COAL MINE PROJECT
APPLICATION NO. SSD 9526

I am writing as a concerned landholder who is a neighbour to the proposed mine site. If the mine is approved to go ahead, I seek the inclusion of requirements in relation to water supply to my property.

Background
I purchased my land in about 1979. It is downstream from the mine site. In 1979 the natural water flow for rainwater runoff was from the mine site and onto my land, which kept the dams on my property filled.
A large dam was then built on the mine site in the upstream water catchment area from my dams. The result was that runoff was prevented from entering my land and my dams dried up.
When it was proposed to continue open cut mining it was stated that the large dam was required for dust suppression and other operational needs of the open cut mine.
Now that the proposal is for an underground mine, there is no need for the large volume of water to be retained.
At the public meetings in relation to the previous open cut proposal, the mine proponent said that if an open cut mine was not approved then the dam would not be required and it would be demolished.
The current water situation on properties neighbouring mine, varies depending on whether they are in the same creek catchment. The ones in the same catchment also have dry dams. Other nearby properties which are just outside this catchment, have full dams. In my view it is a matter of the underground water supply running through the catchment area.

Current situation
I request that conditions be imposed to ensure that water is regularly available to fill my dams.
This could be done by one of the following:
1. The large dam being demolished to allow rainfall runoff onto my property
2. Water to be regularly released from the large dam or one of the other smaller dams to the north of the large dam and in other locations on the mine site. Many of these smaller dams feed into the same catchment. By way of example, in about 2010 there was a discharge of a significant volume of water into the creek to the north of the large dam and this discharge flowed down the catchment and filled my dams. This could be done regularly.
3. Another method applied to allow water runoff onto my property, or some other water supply to my property, from the mine site.

Andy Forster
6 waimea st
North Balgowlah
2093 NSW

NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment
GPO Box 39, Sydney NSW 2001
Date 20/9/2019

To Whom It May Concern
Re: Maxwell Underground Coal Mine Project. SSD-9526
My name is Andy Forster and I am rationalist.
I am writing to lodge my support for Malabar Coal’s Maxwell Underground Project.
This is a sensible project that has been designed so our community can enjoy a much-needed economic boost without negatively impacting other local industries and land uses.
I support the project because it will deliver important benefits for the local community and NSW.

• ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The Maxwell Project will create 350 new jobs for the region. These new jobs and the wages that will flow from them, will deliver a much needed boost to the local ecoomy. Further afield, the project will also generate $1 billion to $1.25 billion for the NSW State Government and local Councils. This money can be used to upgrade regional hospitals, schools or infrastructure. Projects like this help ensure our ongoing prosperity and can support the economy for years to come.
• JOB CREATION: The project will mean 350 more skilled jobs for the local community. These jobs will inject around $55 million in wages into our community – benefiting many other businesses in the area. Malabar has also promised to provide training for local people so the skills to operate an underground mine can be developed within the local area. They have also said they want to prioritise hiring locals to ensure that the benefits of the project stay here in the community.
• LOCAL ECONOMY: The project will boost our local economy and help local business owners. It will support a wide range of local businesses throughout the construction phase and operation of the mine over 26 years. Long term projects, like this one, will mean local businesses can make more investments, grow their operations, hire more people and keep workers – especially young people – in the region.
• COEXISTENCE: The project is a common-sense “win-win” for our community. Previous open cuts proposals were contentious, but Malabar have heard us and developed a sensible project that means our community can benefit from the economic boost a new mine will provide – while also allowing the horse studs and other land uses to continue their operations. I’m pleased that the EIS for the Maxwell Project shows that the underground mine can co-exist safely with other industries. Co-existence has always been an important part of our community. Having a number of strong industries has helped our community to flourish. This project means that can continue for years to come.
• SUPPORT FOR LOCAL COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS: Malabar has provided funding to local community groups for over six years. For example, Malabar has helped my organisation by [PROVIDE RELEVANT DETAILS HERE.] The Maxwell Project will mean conintued support for a range of organisations, including ours, for more than 26 years.
• REHABILITATION: Malabar takes mine rehabilitation seriously. They started rehabilitating the old Drayton open cut straight away and have made great progress so far. It is great to see a business take this job so seriously. I appreciate that they have already opened up some of the land for cattle to graze on. This shows a commitment to coexistence with other local industries. I also note that the Maxwell Project wil deliver a better rehabilitation outcome in the long term by filling voids at the former Drayton Mine with reject stone and rock. This will mean a much better outcome for our community.
• SOLAR PROJECT: I appreciate that Malabar are also investing in a solar farm on their rehabilitated land. If approved, this could provide additional power directly to the grid, or help to power local businesses and homes. This shows the company is open to different ideas that can benefit our community.
These benefits will make a substantial long-term difference to the communities in the Upper Hunter and to NSW.
Our community needs a diverse economy and the Maxwell Underground Project can help make sure our economy prospers for decades to come.
Regards

Andy Forster

I am writing to lodge my support for the Maxwell Underground Project.

This is a sensible project that is of benefit to the community and state. The project balances the impacts and benefits and utilised underground mining to allow co-existence with other industries. Compared to other industries in the area the benefits of this development should be recognised and appreciated.

As an original equipment manufacturer for products used in mining I support this project.

Attn: The Department of Planning.

I wish to object to the Maxwell project.

We are in the middle of a drought which has highlighted the importance of our water resources and this project will most likely have an effect on the river and some of the streams on Malabar property. The recent Bylong decision focused on groundwater effects and what these effects would mean for intergenerational equity. While that is an area for the remit of the IPC rather than the Department of Planning I feel it is an important point to make and don’t think we should tolerate any water impact for the sake of another mine in an area already ravaged by heavy industry.

This whole process is about assessing the benefits versus the costs. I would have some concerns around the applicants insistence that this is a coking coal project considering its forerunners at Drayton south and its neighbour at Mount Arthur are very much thermal coal mines.

Darley and Coolmore are large employers that are the biggest customer of hundreds of local enterprises. I do not think a mine (even this underground one) on their doorstep is a good idea as it will damage their reputations and perhaps even practically if there is an effect on the river.
The proponents mine entry and coal heaps will be visible a 5 minute drive from what are sensitive business models that target high net worth individuals who will keep their horses in the best possible environment. I would argue that more mines in the area will not help these businesses and most likely damage them as peoples horses go elsewhere.


There have been a number of determinations made recently by the IPC that serve to illustrate a lack of efficacy in the Department of planning who seem to have a laissez faire attitude to these large developments. The EIS stage seems nothing more then a rubber stamping exercise and because of this and the reasons outlined above I must object and hope this project advances to the IPC for their review.

Thank you.

letter attached

To whom it may concern,

I have recently moved to the Hunter Valley and have been struck by the gripes the local community has about air quality. A quick google will lead to numerous articles pointing out air quality exceedances, the incidences of respiratory diseases being caused and exacerbated by the conditions that living in the shadow of the mining industry is causing the community (See below link for example).

I appreciate that Coal Mining can bring about jobs in the medium term but the question I would ask is at what cost. There is clearly an environmental one (even ignoring the climate change argument). There also seems to be considerable risks to existing sustainable industries posed by these projects. Underground mining can have significant effects on the water table and I would question the degree of confidence Malabar seem to have to manage these effects. I think it is a big risk to allow this sort of activity continue bordering stud farms which are significantly more sensitive to reputational harm then the mining community seems to think.

I have reviewed alot of Malabar material and while I do believe this company has made more of an effort to limit their impacts on the environment it does not go far enough and I think there is no panacea that can make coal mining a process that a community can live beside sustainably.
The company made many allusions to the covered conveyor they will use to transport the coal however getting into the weeds of the EIS shows that this wont be built for 3 years? I find this confusing and rather then an oversight there is probably more to it.

Thank you,
Paula Woolfson.
https://www.muswellbrookchronicle.com.au/story/5894005/so-much-information-out-there-and-people-choose-to-ignore-it/

We support Maxwell Project

We support Maxwell Project