Mount Owen Continued Operations

The proposed project requires the destruction of 485 hectares of bushland ecoysystem in an area that has already lost too much habitat to coal mining. This includes 136 hectares of EEC and habitat for 29 fauna species listed under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act. If the project goes ahead it will have unacceptable impacts on the Spotted-tail Quoll and the Swift Parrot, both listed as endangered under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

Biodiversity offsetting for Hunter coal mine projects has been an abject failure, and should not be used to justify this project.

The project would also carry unacceptable impacts on local area residents, who are already subject to PM10 particle pollution in excess of national standards. These residents are entitled to cleaner air, and certainly should not be subjected to an even further deterioration in air quality, which would directly impact on their health and life expectancy. A recent review of the health impacts of the Hunter coal industry found that the costs of the industry are already in excess of its benefits to NSW, and recommended no further mining approvals in the region. [Climate and Health Alliance, 2015: Coal and health in the Hunter].

Coal mining in the Mt Owen area has already impacted profoundly on the quality and quantity of surface and groundwater, and any further mining expansions would exacerbate this.

The proposal to leave three vast mine voids in the area is typical of the exploitative attitude towards the Hunter, its people and environment, that we are used to seeing from mining companies. Just for once, it would be nice if an approval authority made these companies fill their holes in. After all, they can afford it.

The PAC will be under pressure to approve the project, as usual, due to the alleged benefits to NSW through employment and income. We submit that these benefits are grossly exagerrated at best, and where they do exist, are very much short term outcomes that do not justify any further expansions of coal mining in the region. That thermal coal is a dying industry is a fact now acknowledged by many in the global investment community, including the likes of Goldman Sachs. The current 'slump' in global coal prices is seen by many as actually the beginning of the terminal decline of an outmoded fuel source that the world is leaving behind.

The NSW government cannot keep allowing mining companies to rip up every last area in our valley as they scramble to prop up a dying industry. The Mt Owen expansion should not be approved.

13 Cheryl Close
Elermore Vale.NSW.2287
27th January 2015.
Director, Mining Projects
Department of Planning & Environment
GPO Box 39
Sydney, NSW. 2001.
To whom it may concern,
I am an employee of Thiess at Mt Owen Mine. I support the continuation of Mt Owen Mine as it is critical to the running of the whole Mt Owen Mine Operations. Thiess are a major employer in the Singleton area supporting Mt Owen Mine and Glencore which generate hundreds of millions of dollars to the local and surrounding communities.
With the recent downturn in the mining industry, businesses are suffering, including Real Estate. If Mt Owen is not continued the entire Thiess workforce will become unemployed and will affect many people and businesses in Singleton and the greater Hunter community.
I don't believe Singleton and surrounds can afford to lose any more mines.
Regards
Ken Heldt

.

Please see attached documentation.

Please refer to attached documents for my complete submission.

This submission is in support of the Mount Owen Continued Operations Project and encourages approval for several reasons.

Mt Owen is a mine with a small footprint and large output, this approval seeks to continue operations in to tenements close to the existing mining area and approved disturbance areas with no change to the current environmental impact or disruption to the nearby Ravensworth State Forest and biodiversity areas.

Mt Owen has a history of good community relations, management of key environmental issues such as air quality, noise, water management, controlled blasting and ongoing rehabilitation of the mined out areas along with flagship ecological programs that have provided a home to several native species and provides an important case study for nearby University students.

The infrastructure upgrades will create many lobs in the short-term and continuation of the mine will secure existing jobs for 12 more years. Continuation of the mine will have a beneficial impact on the economies of the neighbouring towns and greater New South Wales.

Regards,
Gareth Johnson.

Department of Planning and Infrastructure
SYDNEY

4/3/2015

To whom it may concern,

I would like to take this opportunity to submit an application of OBJECTION to the Proposed Mt Owen Extension Project (North Pit Continuation)


We reside on 17A (1064 Middle Falbrook Road, Gennies Creek).
This property consists of 2 dwellings, sheds, silos, vehicles and various farming machinery and equipment. Our dwelling comprises of 2 adults (husband and wife) and 2 children.
We currently operate as a farming/cattle business (grain fed cattle, hay, and breeding stock) on approximately 578 acres. (3 separate titles, all adjoin fence lines)

Our Objections are as follows:

Livestock:
* As we currently operate a grain fed feedlot, we are concerned what the blast and noise impact will be on the herd. Grain fed cattle can be quite "flighty" so reduce the amount that they can run around the paddock-which will cause them to lose the weight gained from the grain; our feeders are places in certain positions to eliminate this. This paddock is also away from passing traffic to also eliminate this also. These cattle will most likely not get accustomed to blast noise as they are away from the driveway and away from sudden noises.
In the Environment and Social Assessment section on livestock - 5.4.6.5, it states the observations have been made at the Colinta Holdings feedlot cattle however I don't not believe that there has been a study on GRAIN FED cattle as this question we asked two Glencore representatives on the 2/3/2015. So if there is no study on grain fed cattle, then there cannot be an accurate assumption that these cattle will not be affected by sudden blast and loud noise or even vibrations.
* As we have water troughs for these grain fed cattle, our concern is that as the water is classed as stagnant water, these troughs will need to be cleaned out quite regularly due to more dust created by the extension that will form into sludge at the bottom of the troughs.
Home:
* As our home is very old, we already get quite a lot on dust build up from the surrounding mines throughout the home, this extension will cause more dust to enter this house and affect each and every room and one of our children are already an asthmatic. Especially when the westly winds will bring more dust with it.
* As we both work fulltime jobs away from the home, our clothes washing goes on the line at around 4 pm in the afternoon and does not usually get taken off til 4 the next afternoon, meaning our clothing is staying on the outside clothes line for up to 24 hours before being removed, the extension will see our clothing have more dust on them then they ready do.
* We are an "outside" family, who spend a lot of our time outdoors on the farm, having a child who is asthmatic, and knowing dust is a contributing factor, the extension will cause more airborne dust which in turn will make our childs health suffer more and become more reliant on ventolin.
* On a still night/day, we are able to hear the noise from the surrounding mines, at times we have even felt movement within the house, this extension will become closer to our home causing us to hear more noise and possibly more movement in the house.
* We also have 2 tanks for this house. 1 tank is under ground and the other above, and both are connected to the roof, we are concerned the water will become contaminated that we will have more build up of sludge at the bottom of these tanks as well as the underground concrete tank cracking from blast and vibrations.
Railway loop:
* With the new proposed rail loop, noise will also be a factor as we hear the trains at times from our property already, with the new rail loop, more trains is more noise and more horn blasting.


We request of Glencore that the points below are addressed?
* Grain Fed cattle Study.
* A meteorological air indicator is displayed on their web site 24hrs a day, this will give a true indication of air flow (wind direction) rather than a 24hr average.
* As time goes on and Glencore reaches the 5yr-10yr period on the proposed southern mine lease, we have grave concerns a proposal will be lodged to mine the land currently under acquisition or already purchased surrounding or boundary. Our natural spring water would/could be affected leaving us with no water to support or stock/business operations as we all know "water" is "the life line of the land".
* As stated at the communication afternoon held on our property dated 2/3/2015 the fleet size currently operating at Mt Owen today (4/3/2015) will remain for the proposed life of 10yrs as of 2018-2028 with only an exchange program as machinery ages.


Yours failthfully
Steven and Denise Upward
1064 Middle Falbrook Road, (17A)
Glennies Creek, Via Singleton NSW 230

Please see submission attached from Hunter Environment Lobby Inc.

I object to this submission. Details in attachment.

Our submission has is for Objection to the Mount Owen Complex Expansion DA 14-1-2004 and our submission is in PDF format.

See attached submission.

Please note that none of the three categories in the following box apply to my submission. I object to having to enter incorrect information to have to lodge a submission, and find this inappropriate.

Can you please advise me what action your Department will take to correct this situation?

Submission is uploaded

Attached

Please refer to attached letter dated 6 March 2015.

Department of planning and infrastructure
Sydney
5th March 2015
To whom it may concern
I would like to take this opportunity to submit an application of OBJECTION to the proposed Mt. Owen mine extension project (The North Pit Continuation).
We (Fredrick and Lyndell Upward along with Wayne Small) reside at lot 17A (1064 middle Falbrook Road Glennies Creek Singleton) which is approximately 575 acres which is on 3 separate land titles all adjoined by a number of fence lines, and there is also two residential dwellings with many sheds and farming eqipment, I (Fredrick Upward) have lived on this property for 65 years and my wife (Lyndell Upward) has lived here with me for approximately 40 years, this property has been in the Upward name for 80+ years.
Our Objections are as follows:
* Our home is over 30 years old our concern is that once Mt. Owen mine starts the continuation project the dust will increase greatly within and around our home, currently we experience reasonable amounts of dust that settles in our window sills within the home and outside furniture and back verandah gets layers of dust settling on them and requires very regular cleaning due to this but this is only the dust we can see, we have concerns with the amount of dust that would be settling on the roof and guttering that could end up inside our tank. We have had members from Mt. Owen mine visit our home a few years ago and we showed these members the extent of dust that exists around our home.
* We (Fredrick and Lyndell) are both asthmatic and many other medical conditions our concern is that if the dust increases greatly that we would become more heavily reliant on asthma medication and other medications due the airborne dust particles as we both spend a great portion of the day outside.
* We (Fredrick and Lyndell) also have concerns for the affects that the blasting will have on our home once the continuation projects starts as our home sits on solid rock on some occasions now and previously we have felt the effects of blasting and with Mt. Owen moving closer this could become a regular occurrence and could possibly affect the structural integrity of our home and our concrete tank.
* We (Fredrick and Lyndell) also have concerns for the increase of noise level of continuation project with the addition of the new railway loop as it stands now on a still night we have heard noises coming from the mine and from trains on the existing tracks blasting their horn so once the mine becomes closer this could possibly happen on a much larger scale from not only the truck but from the train blasting it's horn whilst being on the new loop.
We had a meeting with Mt. Owen mine and umwelt on 2nd March 2015 and informed them of the above objections and concerns.
Kind Regards
Fredrick and Lyndell Upward
17A 1064 Middle Falbrook Rd
Glennies Creek Singleton 2330

objection attached