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State Significant Development

Determination

Mount Pleasant Optimisation Project

Muswellbrook Shire

Current Status: Determination

Interact with the stages for their names

  1. SEARs
  2. Prepare EIS
  3. Exhibition
  4. Collate Submissions
  5. Response to Submissions
  6. Assessment
  7. Recommendation
  8. Determination

Extend the life of the open cut operation by mining deeper coal seams, using existing and proposed new infrastructure.

Attachments & Resources

Notice of Exhibition (1)

Request for SEARs (2)

SEARs (13)

EIS (48)

Response to Submissions (3)

IESC (2)

Agency Advice (25)

Amendments (2)

Additional Information (26)

Recommendation (3)

Determination (3)

Approved Documents

There are no post approval documents available

Note: Only documents approved by the Department after November 2019 will be published above. Any documents approved before this time can be viewed on the Applicant's website.

Complaints

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Enforcements

There are no enforcements for this project.

Inspections

9/04/2021

16/03/2022

Note: Only enforcements and inspections undertaken by the Department from March 2020 will be shown above.

Submissions

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Showing 141 - 160 of 267 submissions
Pamela Reeves
Object
GLADESVILLE , New South Wales
Message
At a time when the demand for coal is decreasing around the world, it is inappropriate for a coal mine operator to be allowed to expand its operations in an area already decimated by coal mining.
At present, the air quality in the area breaches national standards and an expansion will only exacerbate the situation for people already suffering from breathing difficulties.
Increased mining will also add to the spoil piles which are an ugly eyesore for residents but also an environmental concern.
The people of the Hunter Region want to have investment to diversify their economy so they can move away from coal.
I most strongly object to this proposal.
Ryde Gladesville Climate Change Action Group
Object
GLADESVILLE , New South Wales
Message
The Ryde Gladesville Climate Change Action Group is group of over 650 citizens who are greatly concerned about climate change and want to see a move to 100% renewables by 2020 accompanied by a rapid phasing out of mining for fossil fuels.
The world's appetite for coal is decreasing as renewables become the preferred source of power because they are cheaper, more reliable and sustainable. Banks and insurance companies are walking away from investing in fossil fuel projects because they are likely to become standed assets. Companies and countries are putting in place measures to remove their dependence on fossil fuels.
So, we most strongly object to this proposal. The people of the Hunter want to move away from relying on polluting coal and instead need investment to diversify their economy.
Name Withheld
Object
Muswellbrook , New South Wales
Message
Mount Pleasant Optimisation Project
Impact on the town is severe as it is. Excessive dust. Excessive noise. Excessive light. It is too close to the town as it is. Like Bengala. Like my Arthur. The dust is uncontrollable at all times. My house and belongings are continually covered. Can only imagine what I am breathing in. The mine is to close legally to town as it is. How it got approved is a illegal situation by itself. The town is turning against mt pleasant and Bengalla and Mt Arthur. Everyone is starting to wake up to the fact that the mines are way too close and the environment impact is growing. The town has had enough and the movement is just starting to grow now.
And the fact that most workers are not local is another story. I work in all of these mines as a contractor. I speak to the workers. Very very few are local.
Brendan Terzian
Support
MUSWELLBROOK , New South Wales
Message
Allowing the optimisation project to go ahead will mean continued employment for locals and people outside of the region which in turn keeps businesses running in Muswellbrook.

The longevity of a project like this will also help boost the economy especially after the pandemic that has hit and continue to boost the local councils and charities with much needed funds for future projects in the local community.
Name Withheld
Support
CAMERON PARK , New South Wales
Message
I would like to submit this in support of the Mount Pleasant Optimisation Project. The approval of this project will continue to support myself and my family and the many other direct and indirect people and businesses currently being supported by the Mount Pleasant Project. It is my view the project should be allowed to progress as the project will support growth and opportunity in the Muswellbrook and surrounding areas. Particularly as we navigate a way forward with the impact of COVID and the shrinking economy the Mount Pleasant project has provided a steady stream of income to individuals, businesses and support to the government via taxes and royalties.

The Mount Pleasant Optimisation Project will support many local direct employees and local businesses who will benefit from the approval, and the future security of work and income to support their families and businesses. The Optimisation Project will also create additional jobs and support growth in the local and broader economy.

The Mount Pleasant deposit is of a very high quality and energy. Mount Pleasant has shown responsibility and leadership in areas of environment and rehabilitation. Mount Pleasant continues to ensure rehabilitation works is undertaken in a timely manner, to a high standard, and has been undertaken in a way that enhances the landscape.

The ongoing economic benefit, the high standards in environment and rehabilitation, together with the high quality resource at Mount Pleasant make this a great opportunity to support the approval for the Mount Pleasant Optimisation Project and support the many people and businesses who will continue to benefit from the Mount Pleasant project both now and into the future.
Name Withheld
Object
Merriwa , New South Wales
Message
Please see attachment
Attachments
Zoe Lonergan
Object
GEORGETOWN , New South Wales
Message
I object to this project on the following grounds:
1. We are in a climate crisis, we should be closing mines, not opening more.
2. Muswellbrook is already covered with dust and experiences air quality that does not meet national standards. Doubling production would have serious health impacts on the residents of Muswellbrook.
3. I grew up on this land, as did my father. It's heartbreaking to think that future generations won't be able to experience the beauty and diversity of this area as mining continues to destroy the ecological community.
Kirren Hartley
Support
MUSWELLBROOK , New South Wales
Message
Mining bring so many jobs. And with what is going on with the world right now we need to keep as many employed as possible.
Kurt Dial
Support
MUSWELLBROOK , New South Wales
Message
I support this submission 110%
Name Withheld
Support
MUSWELLBROOK , New South Wales
Message
I think this is an excellent project to bring more jobs and money to our town!
Name Withheld
Support
MUSWELLBROOK , New South Wales
Message
This Mount Pleasant Optimisation Project is going to help the economy by providing more jobs for locals, more houses being bought in the local area and supporting local businesses and trades in the area.
Sally Shields
Object
ABERDEEN , New South Wales
Message
An objection to the proposed Mount Pleasant Optimisation Project

We wish to object to the possibility of a grant of consent extension for the Mount Pleasant coal mine at Muswellbrook in N.S.W.
Our objection rests on the desperate need for the various regulatory authorities to follow the lead of the court in the KEPCO decision in the Bylong Valley. That is, they must clearly state that no further new mines or extensions will be granted to extract thermal coal because of the irrefutable evidence that human induced climate change needs to be curtailed for the sake of the generations that will follow us into the second half of the Twenty-First Century.
The evidence to support this contention is abundant and we identify some of those issues in the following.
 This opening statement is “anecdotal” but we believe it worth stating. In 1974 or 1975 I, (Earle Shields), was studying 1st Level Geography for the Higher School Certificate. On one occasion, my teacher, the late Mr. Martin Pitt, arrived to the class and quoted from a journal article written by one of his former lecturers at Sydney University. The author was contending that if humanity did not curb the emissions then being discharged into the atmosphere it was highly likely that it would increase the “greenhouse effect” and lead to a general increase in the Earth’s atmospheric temperatures. In the decades that have followed, further research and modelling have shown that the theory has erupted into an existential threat to this planet.
 Clearly climate change has arrived because we have failed to act. The devastating drought of 2017-2020 along with the catastrophic bushfires of 2019-2020, which had been predicted by an increasing body of scientific research, saw the loss of agricultural production and untold hardship in both the farms and the towns in rural areas. Then came the ‘Black Summer’ bushfires, (which, incidentally, started in August and September largely because of the drought!) which saw the loss of more than 30 lives and the destruction of some 3,000 homes, farm infrastructure such as thousands of kilometres of fencing and hundreds of farm out-buildings. The suffering of those directly affected, including first-responders, will continue for an unknown time period. After the fires, research indicated that an estimated two billion native animals perished in the inferno. Consequently, some species have now been placed onto the ‘endangered’ lists and survival cannot be guaranteed. These financial, psychological and environmental costs cannot be ignored.
 The arguments about the on-going economic benefits of granting an extension must be disregarded. Governments must wean themselves off dependence on mining taxes and royalties. Equally communities must stop relying on contentions that a diminishing level of mining activity means a lack of opportunity for the next generation. When BHP closed the Newcastle Steelworks at the end of the last century there were dire predictions of the demise of the city. With targeted restructuring the City of Newcastle has emerged as a vibrant and very livable metropolis. The COVID-19 Pandemic has produced one significant benefit in Australia. It has shown that we have the fiscal capability to support those in need when necessary.
 Despite supposed environmental controls and regulations, continued mining until 2048 will contribute to a decline in the livability of communities in the Upper Hunter. Dust generated by mining is ubiquitous in this region. Medical professionals have stated that it has a deleterious impact on many people who suffer from a variety of respiratory conditions. The location of the existing mine site, dangerously close to the urban area of Muswellbrook, has led to a significant deterioration in air quality. There have been many occasions when air quality has failed to meet national standards. However, it is not just respiratory problems that result from poor air quality. We are aware of individuals who reside in Scone who suffer from debilitating eye irritation when dust pollution is able to travel the 20 to 30 kilometres from mines located around Muswellbrook north to Scone.
 If the mine is given the proposed extension, at the conclusion of extraction activities the void that will be left will be a blight on the landscape. Despite well-crafted public relations campaigns these mine sites will never be rehabilitated to the landscape that existed prior to mining. It is our understanding that the voids that remain will slowly fill with water. That water will become salty as well as be contaminated with residual mining chemicals and pollutants and will probably be largely unusable.
There are many other arguments based on science and fact that support a call to not grant the proposed extension of the Mount Pleasant mine.
Thank you for taking time to consider this submission.
Earle and Sally Shields

14th March 2021
Jim Lonergan
Object
KAYUGA , New South Wales
Message
Refer to attached submission
Attachments
Peter York
Support
MCCULLYS GAP , New South Wales
Message
Mount Pleasant Operation is delivering industry leading GeoFluv Rehabilitation and this should be commended for such a new mine site. The approval of the Mount Pleasant Operation would deliver New South Wales $2 Billion in mining royalties with an economic benefit of $855 million to the state of NSW.
Employment Opportunities for Muswellbrook will also be improved through the employment of 600 People, which peak at around 830 people during construction.

I support the Project and it must be approved.
Sharyn Munro
Object
WINGHAM , New South Wales
Message
Surely the government has a duty of care to the people of the Upper Hunter Shire, so badly impacted by coal mines already. To be creating air and noise pollution until 2026 is culpable enough, but to even contemplate extending that to 2048 is unconscionable.
The cumulative impact of this mine 'optimisation' proposal must be considered. Air quality in Muswellbrook is already seriously bad and this mine's 'dust/PM10 pollution from its position on the NW of the town, from whence come the prevailing winds, will of course exacerbate the health impacts. With local air quality below national health standards now, it would be criminal to worsen those levels.
Again, the cumulative impacts must be taken into account with the amount of water, 32 million litres, to be taken from the abused Hunter River. With a drying climate from climate change, all water is even more precious, and needed for irrigation more than for coal. That water loss, draining into the final void, will continue.
Muswellbrook is a town surrounded by mines and has become a dust bowl, unpleasant to live in. My families came from there, and I well recall how nice it was before mountainous spoil heaps were its landscape and brown its air. People leave if they can. Scone and Aberdeen folk will share in the unpleasant visual shock if this goes ahead, with the breaking into the ridge of Castlerock Rd.
The Upper Hunter was once a beautiful rural region. The Singleton and Muswellbrook areas have been overtaken by excessive coal mining on large scales; must this keep extending? Please say NO to this. Muswellbrook should not look to keep depending on harmful coal as employment, but diversify now.
An unequal offset as proposed will result in net loss of biodiversity, which is NOT acceptable nor what is meant by an 'offset': 'like for like'.
And to consider doubling the coal output and thus carbon emissions levels is certainly not in keeping with Justice Preston's ruling in the Rocky Hill case where the world's carbon budget could allow NO more emissions. As a grandmother I urge this expansion you to reject this proposed 'optimisation' which not only will equal the further degradation of life around the Hunter, but that of our planet.
Name Withheld
Support
SINGLETON HEIGHTS , New South Wales
Message
I am in support of Mount Pleasants extension due to both personal and community benefits. I am currently employed at Mount pleasant and the extension means stronger employment security for myself and colleagues. Mount Pleasant also provides employment opportunities for the local community for permanent employees, labour hire and contractors. The loss of this employment will have a negative impact on Muswellbrook and the local area due to the number of people that will loose their jobs, the loss of the income that is spent in the community and the support that Mount Pleasant has for local business.
Water Group
Comment
,
Message
Attached.
Attachments
Heritage NSW – HERITAGE COUNCIL OF NSW
Comment
PARRAMATTA , New South Wales
Message
Please find comment from a delegate of the Heritage Council of NSW on the EIS
Attachments
Heritage NSW – Aboriginal cultural heritage (ACH)
Comment
Sydney , New South Wales
Message
See attached advice
Attachments
Name Withheld
Support
NORTH ROTHBURY , New South Wales
Message
I support the extension of the project as my livelihood as well as countless others relies on the coal industry, as well as the benefits the company/ies involved in the project provide to the local community. Mt Pleasant also has a fantastic rehabilitation program for the local area and land. The project is truly beneficial in many ways for the community.

Pagination

Project Details

Application Number
SSD-10418
EPBC ID Number
2020/8735
Assessment Type
State Significant Development
Development Type
Coal Mining
Local Government Areas
Muswellbrook Shire
Decision
Approved
Determination Date
Decider
IPC-N

Contact Planner

Name
Joe Fittell