Mod 3 - Extension

My Name is Philip Walsh. I am a long term resident of Muswellbrook. I currently work at Bengalla Mine, where I have been employed for 25 years. My current role is mining Supervisor/Opencut Examiner. Prior to working in the mining operation I was employed in the Bengalla Dairy operation as Dairy manager.

As a supervisor at Bengalla and resident of Muswellbrook I often have discussions with locals about our operation. I am always encouraged by the positive things people have to say about Bengalla.

I am pleased with the way Bengalla has become part of the local community and the Bengalla Mining Company provides financial assistance and funding to many local community organizations, social groups and sporting organizations.

Bengalla is a big part of my family as it also employs my son and contributes to some of the sporting organisations we are a part of.

Given my personal connection to Bengalla mine and the positive effect it has on the local and wider community it is very concerning to see Mt Pleasant have lodged a modification, that if approved would likely have a severe impact on the Bengalla mining operation, including the potential loss of up to 600 positions. The ripple effect in the local community would be devastating, effecting local businesses, jobs in support industries and over fifty charites, local organisations and sporting groups who receive funding from Bengalla. It would also have a terrible effect on the confidence of the local community. The recent closure of Drayton mine and the likely closure of Lidell Power Station has already had a dramatic effect on the local economy.

Obviously I am not anti mining. However, as the Mt Pleasant modification proposal does not include co-operating with Bengalla mine to ensure that both mines can continue into the future, I have no choice but to object strongly to the Mt Pleasant Modification. I firmly believe that both mines can and should co-exist and mine for their full life.

Thank you for the opportunity provide this submission.

Yours sincerely,

Philip & Rhonda Walsh

I am a resident of the Hunter, and have been concerned for many years by the steady encroachment of open cut coal mining on the residents and communities in our area.

With every mine comes a request down the track to extend or modify the pit so that there never comes a time when we reach the end of a mine and rehabilitation can occur. This is not a good outcome for our communities.

If this Modification 3 to Mt Pleasant mine proceeds, and the expansion of Bengalla and the Dartbrook open cut proceed, then the area immediately to the North of Muswellbrook is going to be a nearly 20km string of open cut pits from Mount Arthur to Dartbrook, broken only by the poor Hunter River and the farms squeezed in at Kayuga.

I do not believe that our valley can take more disturbance to ground water or aquifers, or that the commuity's should be faced with even more health impacts from dust and noise.

The Greenhouse effects should be also taken into account, especially since Australia signed the Paris accord.

I do not believe this modification is necessary.

I have worked at Bengalla as the Technical Services Manager for 2.5 years.

I have lived in the Hunter Valley for a number of years. As a mining professional I rely on the mining industry to support my young family. Bengalla has provided me stable employment and is entitled to do so under its development consent out to 2039.

Bengalla is a very well regarded member of the Muswellbrook community as Bengalla supports lots of community organisations and events including the Bengalla Mine Open Day where all members of the community are welcome to visit the Bengalla Mine.

I am very concerned that the Mount Pleasant modification if approved will allow the railway line for Mount Pleasant to remain in place and cause Bengalla to stop, causing myself and 600 Bengalla employees to lose their jobs.

I am very concerned about the large number of local businesses that will be affected by Bengalla closing which will have a detrimental impact on the local community.

The best outcome for Bengalla, Mt Pleasant, Muswellbrook, NSW and Australia is that both mines continue for their full life.

Given that there are two as yet unresolved cases in the Land and Environment Court that both challenge the legality of this mine's commencement by Rio Tinto, the original proponent, I would think it appropriate to defer consideration of the modification until those proceedings and any appeals to those judgements have been concluded.

Like many in the Upper Hunter I'm seriously concerned that the cumulative impacts of this mine will not be assessed at all. This mine has potentially grave consequences for air quality in both Muswellbrook and Aberdeen and will lead to a serious loss of visual amenity in Aberdeen - both day and night. This mine was assessed nearly 20 years ago against standards that have changed considerably in the interim, the outdated assessment would not be considered appropriate today and the project should be reassessed against modern standards.

There are two other large scale open cut mines being proposed in the area that combined, will mark a massive intensification of mining activity. the cumulative dust, noise, light and visual pollution of these three projects will have serious impacts locally.

I have worked for Bengalla Mine in various roles for the past 15 years, and have been permanently employed by Bengalla for around 18 months. I am currently employed as the Superintendent Information Systems.
As a long term resident of the Hunter Valley, I know that Bengalla is a well respected employer in the area and that they support many local community groups and initiatives.
I am very concerned that the Mount Pleasant modification, if approved in its current form, will allow the railway line to remain in place, effectively stopping Bengalla from continuing to operate. This would result in a direct impact to my employment and around 600 fellow employees. Further flow-on effects would also impact the employment of many others in the local area.
The continuation of the Mount Pleasant project should not come at the expense of the existing Bengalla Mine. The best outcome for the local area, NSW and Australia would be for both mines to continue for their full expected lifetime.

I have worked at Bengalla full time for ........ I have been coming to Bengalla as a ............. for more than ........... My role at Bengalla is as a ............ in the Coal Handling Prep Plant. I have ........ kids, my income from Bengalla is of utmost importance to our family. If Bengalla was to cease operations I would be forced to leave the area and take my family with me. If there is a way for Bengalla and Mt Pleasant both to maintain operations i feel that would be best for the Hunter and the State of NSW.

I work for a contracting company that supplies ......... to Bengalla. I believe that the extension needs to take into consideration the train line relocation. I believe both sites should work together and ensure the future is sustainable and provide future jobs for local people.

I am the only income my family has. I have ........ children and my wife. Our eldest has .............. We live a very simple life but my income supports.

Please look at everything outside the box before looking inside the box.

The Mt Pleasant project should not be given approval to mine to 2026 without adequately addressing its interaction with Bengalla Mine progression as approved in March 2015. Bengalla has built a great reputation in the community and has proven to be a long term sustainable operation throughout the market downturn. The proposed modification should not be approved due to the risk it possess to Bengalla Mine continuation.

Mt Pleasant Modification 3
I object to the "modification" currently being considered for the approved Mount Pleasant coal mine between Muswellbrook and Aberdeen. It is not a "modification" of an activity to extend its life way beyond the time period over which it was originally assessed and approval given. The Mount Pleasant Coal Mine Project Assessment and subsequent Development Consent in the late nineties was undertaken in a drastically different environment. The environmental impact of the actualisation of the Mt Pleasant Coal Mine in the current environment, both local and global, has not been adequately assessed.
Indeed it appears that MACH Energy fails to understand the point of environmental assessment under NSW Planning Law.
In the cover letter to the EIA addressed "Dear Oliver"it becomes a self evident fact that the significant impact of the contribution of Mt Pleasant Mine to an almost continuous 20 kilometre long band of open cut mining to the north of Muswellbrook has not been assessed.
Mach Energy might believe that their Environmental Assessment is consistent with their intentions but unfortunately it fails to assess the impact of their proposal as is required by law.
The application for Modification 3 must be rejected.

Consideration must be given to the impact of this proposed Mount Pleasant mine with the already considerable impacts of the Bengalla and Mangoola mines and the expansions of Mount Arthur mine. Further expansions are also proposed for Bengalla and Dartbrook mines. These mines were not part of the landscape when the original application was considered.
Given this dramatic change in the environment surrounding this project, the impacts of the mine are very different from what was expected in the late nineties. A new environmental impact statement assessing the project and the cumulative impact it will create with the surrounding mines is imperative.

Air quality in the Muswellbrook area is very poor. It is already unacceptable that people have to live with the health hazards of high particulates in the air. The 24 hour average concentrations are already routinely breaching the standards. It is simply wrong for there to be any further decrease in air quality. This proposal should be rejected.

It would be outrageous if there was to be effectively a continuous stretch of 20 kilometres of open cut mines. This was not the environment in which the original consent was given Furthermore, this modification proposes to reach the peak of mining one year before the proposed 2026 end point, which indicates that either the proponent does not intend to wind down and rehabilitate, or intends to extend the operation beyond that time by seeking further modification. This is unacceptable uncertainty for the surrounding community and unacceptable failure to assess the full impact of the proposed mining operations at Mount Pleasant.
This application must be rejected

I have been a Mine Technician at the Bengalla Mine for almost 18 years and now found myself very worried about the proposed Mount Pleasant modification. My concern is in regard to the railway line that will remain in place and eventually stop the long term production of Bengallas' future. Over 600 jobs will be in jeopardy when the mine reaches the railway in about 5 or 6 years, impacting on much of the Upper Hunter- Families, Businesses, Schools , and community projects ,etc. For a mine, that has been HIGHLY respected in the local community and has an expected life of another 20 years, this would be tragic! Surely Mount Pleasant could use another route further west in co-operation with spare land owned by Bengalla to facilitate an favourable outcome to the benefit of all the lives of many people involved.

I have worked at Bengalla for almost three years as a contract operator.
Both my father in-law and sister in-law work at Bengalla as contract operator as well.
Been given the opportunity to work at Bengalla has provided me with stable employment and having this has enabled me to provide for my family.
In the local Muswellbrook community Bengalla is a huge supporter of the community and sponsor of various events including the Bengalla Mine Open Day where the community are able to visit the mine.
My concern over the Mt Pleasant modification for the railway line to remain in place will cause Bengalla to curtail its operation and this may result in myself and approximately 600 Bengalla employees losing their jobs, If this occurred it would impact my family in a major way as I am the sole income earner.
This modification could also impact on local businesses which could have a detrimental impact on the local community.
I think that the best outcome for Bengalla, Mt Pleasant, Muswellbrook and for Australia would be for both mines to continue for their full life.

This project is key for the economic future of Muswellbrook and is the only new project on the horizon which may lead to employment opportunities which in turn will breathe some life back into the town.

I do not see how an operation such as this will have a detrimental effect on the environment given its location, proximity to other existing operations and the fact operations such as Drayton have recently closed.

I therefore support the proposal and wish the Proponent well.

I have worked at Bengalla for almost 9 years and my role presently is a Medium term planner for Tech Services. I currently reside is Muswellbrook with my wife and 3 children.

Bengalla is a very well regarded operation due to huge effort we put on ensuring what we undertaken here is well communicated in the local community and as such strong relationships have been formed. If we go back to the PAC hearing that was held to approve Bengalla's continuation there was an overwhelming amount of support for Bengalla from a number of people of varying backgrounds. I was in the audience and even people that were speaking against were sure that it would be approved.

Bengalla is also well regarded in the community where we support many local organizations and events.

I am concerned that if the Mount Pleasant modification is approved and the railway line remains in place this will have a detrimental affect on my employment and the other approx. 600 employees directly working for Bengalla. There is also the large concern on the community being affected.

There should be a final outcome that supports both operations so that they can continue to their full mining lives. This involves ensuring the rail line being built in ML1645 is moved ahead of the mining operation at Bengalla.

As such I object to the proposal until it can be rectified and an ironclad plan in place is made to ensure this rail line in moved in time.

I can't believe this mine is even being considered in the proposed area.....so detrimentally close to both Aberdeen and Scone and hugely disruptive to the Equine community neighboring it.

I have been apart of the Bengalla community for the last 5 years.
I was born in Muswellbrook and grew up with numerous family members who working in the local mining industry - some of which are at Bengalla.
I received an Engineering Scholarship from Bengalla, which they provide every year to local students, which has allowed me to go to uni and receive financial support during my studies. Without Bengalla's financial support I wouldn't have been able to focus on my studies. This type of community support goes a lot further than myself, with Bengalla an integral part of the community through various sponsorships, support of community organisations and educational opportunities.
Bengalla is a fantastic place to work and an asset for the town and this Modification places a significant restriction on the mining operations and with that the futures of the +600 Bengalla employees and their families.

I have worked in the Thoroughbred Industry for the past ........ It is my sole reason for living in the Hunter Valley and I take quite a lot of pride in living in the Horse Capital Of Australia and the number of champion horses that we rear and produce in this area.

I have recently been involved in a project with a few local industry icons where we set up a venue in town that captured the local racing and breeding history and what our local area offered. It is absolutely one of a kind and something that our country should be awfully proud of. We have people visit our small area from all over the world and interstate to visit the top stallions in the country and host hundreds of international employees every year that travel to Australia to purely experience the phenomenon that we have right on our doorstep.

Over the past few years, I have watched our beautiful landscape change for the worse. I understand that mining is also part of our area and I respect that, but when you start driving past these horrendous open cut mines day in and day out, it is evident that the beautiful Horse Capital we have is slipping away. It makes most visitors cringe and it also make multi-millionaire investors nervous about investing money into the area in terms of the thoroughbred Industry. And I completely understand why.

I have often said to my partner that if another mine opens up closer to Scone, it may be time to move and I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of other people feel the same way.

I live here for the beautiful land, the amazing horses and unique community and global industry that we have here, not for the dust, pollution and unsightly great holes in the ground.

We have a wonderful heritage here, something that is many years old and that can never be replaced. Another mine is not a long term investment, it has an expiry date, our industry doesn't.

The problem with our generation is that we only ever looking at today and tomorrow and not towards the future. The future is certainly something far more environmentally friendly then coal mines, but by the time people wake up and realise that, our beautiful area, heritage and history will be nothing but a big hole in the ground. Now that will be a reason for people to visit the Hunter Valley!

We need to think about our future generation, think about our farmers, think about our environment, but most of all, think of the industry that our area is known for. We only have one Horse Captital of Australia. Let's keep it that way!

I am a proud employee of Bengalla and live in the Muswellbrook community.
Bengalla makes a significant contribution to the local community and economy and is well respected. My family benefits through education, facilities and services that Bengalla provides to the Muswellbrook community.

I am concerned that the approval of this modification 3 does not include an alternate location for the rail loop. Without this, Bengalla's future and the future of my family and my livelihood is at risk.

The best outcome for all is that Bengalla and Mt Pleasant are able to mine through to the life of mine limits. A rail loop in front of Bengalla will prevent this for Bengalla.

I have worked at Bengalla since 2008 in the maintenance department. I consider Bengalla an excellent workplace which has a strong sense of social values, including safety and a positive community engagement and impact.

My understanding is that this application does not provide any certainty that the rail loop for Mt Pleasant will be moved in time to remove any impact on the Bengalla operation. This should be rectified ASAP to remove any uncertainty or risk for myself, the employees, contractors, local community and wider beneficiaries of the Bengalla operation.

The best outcome for all parties would be that both Bengalla and Mt Pleasant are able to operate side by side for their full life.

The area needs this to go ahead to keep unemployment rates low and to support the hunter region

I have been working at Bengalla since 2010 as a contractor and recently gained a full time position within Bengalla in the maintenance department.

I was born and have grown up in Muswellbrook have attended school in Muswellbrook and Bengalla has always been supportive of schooling and different events throughout the hunter region since the mine opened which I believe if the mines life was to be shortened by the Mount Pleasant proposal it would have a severe impact on the local community much like the recent closure of the Drayton mine.

Bengalla has been a great place to work and enables me to support myself and my family through permanent employment and hope to finish my career at Bengalla. I hope both Mount Pleasant and Bengalla can co exist and reach the full life of each mine together.