Mount Pleasant Optimisation Project

If they stay open it support local jobs and business

I am in support of the continuation of the Mt Pleasant MachEnergy Project for a number of reasons..As good corporate citizens,they play a large role in the support and continuation of much needed social programs and sponsorships... My relationship with the management and staff at MachEnergy has always been professional and enjoyable and as the owners of multiple local Indigenous businesses i have been impressed with their dedication to the Indigenous cause in particular to our local inmate works program..In my experience i have seen first hand how seriously they take their environmental responsibilities and have no doubt this will continue once the approval is granted for continuation...Please feel free to contact me on any of the contact details provided,
Regards,
Glen FInnan

I have resided in the Hunter Valley for almost 30 years & the whole time been engaged in mining & mining support employment. I am a Grandfather to 3 children with 1 more soon to arrive, all my children & their children also live in the Hunter Valley. I make the last comment based on the fact that I believe in a sustainable future & healthy environment for my children & grandchildren first & foremost but also the ability to obtain work . In considering my response its important to understand that whilst I'm employed & work in Mining Support, the future for all Australians but in particular my community & family are very important to me especially as I age.
MACH Energy have clearly demonstrated to me the genuine intent to run a world class operation by their positive & pro-active actions, community connection & engagement. Some of the areas they participate & in particular indigenous youth & adult support & education programmes are ahead of the game, an example to other large entities to follow suit. Their clear & transparent approach to mining operations & for me in particular the environmental management plans are positive & real in sustainable long term operations. The requirement to operate in 2021 requires robust & achievable environmental management plans & I have no doubt in which the seriousness & required resources (from all stakeholders) will in fact be achieved.
Whilst the world wide current discussions on renewables are a high focus point, removing political & incorrect facts, Coal remains an absolute essential resource for many years to come. Australia has the best quality & cleanest burning coal & with clean burn technologies utilised remains a viable & necessary raw material. MPO currently & if approved for the optimisation project will continue to employ hundreds of locals directly & indirectly which by & large is money spent locally in the community & other non mining small businesses keeping the community going as well as providing income for the government through royalties.
I'm endorsing the optimisation project openly & would be more than happy to discuss if required in more detail my submission. I appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the process.

I am a Muswellbrook resident and i have no problem with the mine as it hires local people and contractors, and supports local business.

Is and will support the local community

WesTrac supports the proposal.
Please refer to attached letter of support.

Great quality thermal coal asset providing jobs in the region for years to come.
There is consolidation happening in other coal mines across the region to there will be marginal if any increase in overall coal mining in the region.
Given the high quality [high Energy] nature of the coal from Mount Pleasant - will support Asian power stations using less coal and therefore reduce carbon emissions as opposed to procuring coal from lower quality exporters.
I strongly support this submission

This project will bring positive economic benefits to the Hunter Valley into the future.

I am a supporter of a transition away from coal to renewables. I also support the view that this cannot be a rapid transition and that for a balanced transition there is still a 20 - 25 year place for coal power stations.
Muswellbrook, surrounding area's and regions have long benefited both directly and indirectly from the coal mine industry. There are 2nd and 3rd generation workers that have learnt valuable industry skills that are not easily transferrable to other industries. They love what they do.
The Mount Pleasant expansion would support a large number of coal mine workers who, in some cases, consider themselves too old to be retrained to other industries. It would be the anchor in a transition plan to move away from coal. As other mines come to an end or close due to economic conditions, Mount Pleasant has at least 30 years of economic life that would support those workers displaced from other mines.
The Royalties, direct and indirect taxes would provide funding to the NSW government to invest in transition plans to renewables.
The expansion of Mount Pleasant provides a sensible transition to renewables and i support it.
Thank you

The Optimisation Project for Mount Pleasant restores future hope for the mining industry in the Muswellbrook area. The outcome of this project not only effects Mount Pleasant Operations but effects the young Upper Hunter students that are looking at career options, and people currently employed in the mining industry that wish to reside in the Muswellbrook area.

I am writing this submission in support of MACHEnergy for the Mt Pleasant Operations, expansion Project. PARK PTY LTD have recently partnered with MACHEnergy for the supply of fuel to (potentially) the end of 2026. The volume of fuel supplied to MACHEnergy under this contract, as well as any potential uplift in future contracts, supports PARK PTY LTD’s “Boosting Australia’s Diesel Storage (BADSP) Program”- Application.
Any increase in volume such as that offered through the expansion of the Mt Pleasant Project, aids in the Government’s bid for strategic storage and the necessary tank turns in supplier’s strategic storage offerings.
PARK PTY LTD firmly believe that the proposed expansion to Mt Pleasant Operation will, create further job opportunities both directly and indirectly through local community support functions. PARK believes that the way in which MACHEnergy operates in relation to community impacts, site rehabilitation and corporate sponsorship provides them with a social licence to continue to operate, knowing that any environmental or other issues will be managed respectfully with engagement of both the local community and traditional owners.
PARK confidently supports the proposed mines expansion at Mt Pleasant, knowing that the operations, community expectations and environmental impacts will be managed to an extremely high standard.

In the current climate of Covid and job losses it is extremely important to keep all ventures that provide jobs in rural NSW running. The Mt Pleasant operation provides many jobs, both in the operations and in the development. The optimisation will provide further security for those jobs and additional jobs during the construction.

My support is for the Mt Pleasant Optimisation Project. The project current supports a large amount of direct employees, as well as indirect industrial contractors and local businesses as spill on from work being brought into the area.
Also seeing first hand attempts MACH Energy are making to keep current project work in the local community by engaging local business to tender for current upgrades to their site.
I support this project and would be happy to further discuss in the future if required.

Mount Pleasant Optimisation Project
26/2/2021
Sue Abbott, Scone, NSW

I object to the Mount Pleasant Optimisation Project.
The risks and threats that we face today as a result of global climate emergency are incompatible with modern society as we know it – and yet here we are again being asked to comment on a destructive company’s plans which in turn is seeking permission from the NSW State government to be permitted to continue the chaos and destruction of our planet on a massive scale.
We know that fossil fuels are destroying the planet and we know that there are no safe levels. The NSW Department of Planning, Industry & Energy’s intransigence on facing this fact means that it has failed to stop coal development madness. What DPIE should be doing instead of encouraging this toxic behaviour is to actively be putting a stop to this coal mine outright along with cancelling all operating licences for all coal mines across New South Wales straight away.
Australia’s climate emergency policy has been a catastrophic failure of risk management revealing for all to see that scientific facts matter little in Australia when addressing the climate emergency.
We know that last year was the hottest year on record; we know that the 1.5 degree Celsius increase will be reached before 2030, and we also know that reducing emissions alone will have no significant impact on warming trends over the next two decades because it is similar to turning a tanker on the ocean when it is heading in the wrong direction – it does not happen quickly. Yet we must still make the commitment to do this because here in Australia we have no carbon budget left, it pretty much runs out in 2025.
It is already too hot on Planet Earth; it is already unsafe.
We have reached Tipping Points which are essentially thresholds beyond which large change is initiated. Evidence from Tipping Points alone suggest that we are in a state of planetary emergency.
Clearly we never wanted to be in this position but here we are. Just take a look at Arctic Sea Ice (already tipped), the West Antarctic Ice sheet (already tipped), Australia’s coral reefs (already tipped), the Greenland Ice Sheet (on the point of tipping), Boreal forests, Alpine glaciers, Atlantic circulation, the Amazon Rainforest all well on their way to tipping.
Losing the reflective power of Arctic Sea Ice will lead to warming equivalent to one trillion tons of CO2 and advance the 2 degree celsius threshold by 25 years, and as Professor Veerabhadran Ramanathan has said, ‘any rational policy would make preventing this a top climate priority for world leaders.’
I cannot stress enough that the world is right now on a catastrophic trajectory of 3-5 degrees of warming by the year 2100, which to put it bluntly is curtains for modern human society. If this coal mine is permitted to operate in any capacity whatsoever the existential threat to civilisation is even more guaranteed.
I would like to point out to the commission that those who sanction coal-mining aggrandisement, so evident here in the Hunter Valley, need to know that they are condemning people to die. Any authority which approves any fossil fuelled project is essentially killing people and nature by its very act of sanction.
Given that climate change has already made everything too hot, lurching us dangerously close to the ‘Hothouse Earth’ scenario, our primary task must be to build capacity for ‘emergency-speed-emissions-elimination’ - dealing in coal mines just will not cut it.
Mobilising for zero emissions by 2030 is critical because a 2050 timeframe will not prevent catastrophic outcomes, nor will approving this coal mine’s optimisation project; both are just signing our death warrants.
Terrifyingly we are at the brink of large-scale climate disruption, and as global warming intensifies physical, social and economic system failure will inevitably occur. This situation is unprecedented in human history.
We need emergency action to prevent climate disruption not another wretched coal mine development, yet profound ignorance amongst our bureaucrats and politicians has meant that not one of them has acknowledged the full reality of the climate crisis, and so the Groundhog Day that is coal mining approvals continues.
To conclude I would like to state again that I object to the Mount Pleasant Optimisation Project.

As a direct contractor to MACH Energy Mount Pleasant Operation for over 12 months, I am in full support of the Optimisation Project. There are several reasons I support the Project including;

Being able to work on my doorstep which allows me to spend time with my family and friends. There aren't many other mines in Australia where you can drive home at the end of the day. My contract allows me to make a living in an area I have called home for almost 20 years.
Not only do MPO support me financially, but they support my parents business and those of many of my friends.
MPO are a huge financial supporter of many local organisations I'm involved with such as the Muswellbrook Chamber of Commerce and Upper Hunter Women in Business, a successful networking group I founded last year to provide opportunities for local women.
The Aboriginal Community Development Fund makes such a positive impact to our Aboriginal community and it's been wonderful to watch many programs and initiatives implemented.
The MPO team is doing a wonderful work with rehabilitation and it's great to see what the enviro team are working on through the Community Newsletter.

The coal industry is the backbone of Muswellbrook and the town needs to know it has the security from the Project, enabling local businesses to keep their doors open and our economy thriving. I've lived in Muswellbrook through two mining downturns and have seen first hand the devastating impact job losses have here as well as the flow on to almost every business here. Muswellbrook needs stability and security and the approval of the Project will position our community to plan for a positive future and prosper.

support

Crown Lands has no further comments for this proposal.

I am appalled at the proposed Mount Pleasant Project. This battle to try and save at least some of our prime agricultural land in the Upper Hunter, not to mention fending off the negative impacts on air quality, water, health, sustainable rural industries and climate change is just a never ending struggle. I cannot understand how a government, at a time when coal is clearly on the wane as a source of energy and renewables are clearly the way of the future, can continue promoting and approving coal projects.

Please find attached further submission in objection to the planned mine expansion/optimisation at Mount Pleasant.

Yours sincerely