Rye Park Wind Farm

Having run my own home on solar and wind power since 1991, I have come to the realisation that alternative power for a home, large establishment or state, requires the use of two natural sources: wind and solar.
While we have solar, it is not available at night. But wind is a 24 hour resource and should be used more extensively. To maintain the power of the wind, we need to have as many wind turbines as possible to ensure continuity of supply. The Rye Park farm will provide that consistency. And with the farms being in close proximity to Canberra and many of our Defence facilities, we need to ensure that we have an alternative source of power, should the traditional coal fired systems fail through a terrorist or military operation.

I and my family have lived in the Rye Park area for 20 years, I attended school in Boorowa and now own a business in Boorowa. I also have a wife and two small children.
The plan to build 109 wind turbines in the countryside to the south-east my home fills me with dread, especially as I will also be impacted by the Bango Wind Farm development south-west of my home, and the proposed Rugby Wind Farm to the east, north and south of my home. The visual and sound impact of so many wind turbines surrounding us will make the place unlivable.
The community of Rye Park has, over the years, been a close community and the secret intrusion of Epuron, followed by Trustpower, has divided the community and created a feeling of sadness for those who have been here all their lives. The common argument that wind turbines will `droughproof' individual people's farms is a ridiculous statement, and perhaps is only a statement that can be used by those who cannot run their businesses efficiently. If I ran my business at a utilisation rate of 34% I wouldn't last long, and this is what Trustpower are claiming is the best they can do on average (Appendix K, page 7). If my employees were sitting around motionless for 66% of the day I would fire them, not give them thousands of dollars every year in incentives to do nothing!
Many of the hosts, at least those who actually live in the Rye Park area, have inherited their land and I find it hard to understand that their fathers and grandfathers retained the vegetation and habitats that now house a considerable number of endangered species and ecosystems, and they are now willing to destroy this purely for money. The Rye Park area has been widely recognised as one of the most unique areas in Australia due to this concentration of endangered species and habitats, some of which have not even been studied sufficiently to accurately gauge the impacts this development will have. For the proponent, in the Response to Submissions document, to be only just recognising the Southern Pygmy Perch and the Yellow Spotted Bell Frog after 6 years of research and study makes me wonder what else has been missed, and what else we will lose.
Thousands of dollars and man hours have been spent by Governments, Landcare, Greening Australia, local farmers etc to save and increase the habitat for the Superb Parrot. This will all have been in vain if the Rye Park Wind Farm is allowed to be built. The parrots will not know that they are only supposed to fly in a certain direction and between certain wind turbines! They will arrive in the spring as usual, fly the same way they usually do, and attempt to nest in the same area as they were born. How does anyone know if the Superb Parrots will still attempt to do what they have always done if they arrive in the spring of 2018 and find hundreds of very large predatory birds (wind turbines) in their nesting area. Surely it is better not to take that risk.
Until the information day held by Trustpower in September 2015 our home was not even considered to exist, and it was only that my mother told Michael Head on that day. Even so, and despite the fact that in the document Summary, page 109, it is stated that `the Proponent has expanded the direct consultation effort to all residences located within 5 km of a turbine' we have not yet been contacted. The figure in Table 7-3 states that there are 57 residences 4km to 5km from the proposed development but I have to question the accuracy of this figure when they haven't even found us all yet, and there are very few residences marked on their maps outside the 2km area. My business in Boorowa has just been approached during the exhibition period, and I as the owner was not spoken to, so any reference to the majority of businesses in Boorowa supporting the project can be disregarded due to the inadequacy of capturing accurate information from all businesses in Boorowa.
The future of the village of Rye Park is at risk. The value of our property, along with those of all residences in the area, is of concern. The ongoing biodiversity of the surrounding landscape and environment is in danger. The community of Rye Park is divided. For these reasons I trust you will not approve the Rye Park Wind Farm proposal in any form. Trustpower have had 6 years to prove the adequacy of this proposal and have still not done so. Turning our landscape into something that resembles a `Mad Max' film is not saving the environment!
Shane Apps

I live on a property north of the village of Rye Park where my husband and his family have lived for many years. Until my marriage I had lived in Boorowa for most of my life and attended school there. We now have 2 small children.
The proposal to build 109 wind turbines along the range east of Rye Park, and to the south-east of my home, continues to be of great concern to me. This Response to Submissions document was supposed to allay the fears of all those who put in submissions in 2014 but it does not do this. In fact it shows the same inaccuracies and unprofessionalism as the previous document and makes me wonder how this company, or their contractors, can accurately place the many turbines, roads and related infrastructure to plan when they cannot even get the names of local roads right.
The decision to now use the Rye Park/Boorowa Road for the majority of traffic movements is also of great concern. Trustpower's commitment to maintain this road in the same condition it is currently in is no reassurance. This road is currently in poor condition and, even though it is a main road, it is only wide enough between some potholes for one lane of traffic. The hundreds of additional movements each day going through Boorowa and along this road will only deteriorate the road further and make it a dangerous place to live and travel.
I know the world has to continually change but to think my children will never remember the Rye Park area as I have seen it is hard to comprehend, and when the reason is given that it is mitigating climate change how can it be taken seriously when the maps clearly show the turbines are to be built in heavily vegetated areas that will need to be cleared to erect the towers. The over -clearing of forests is one of the major reasons given for climate change.
Our oldest child will soon be ready for school. The closest school to our home is the Rye Park Public School and the Little Plains Road is a bus route for this school. We would love our children to attend the smaller school however the thought of the village being surrounded by hundreds of wind turbines, taking the Bango proposal into account as well, has been the deciding factor in our decision to school them in Boorowa despite the added commitment to get them there. I am concerned about the so far unproven health impacts from infrasound, the feeling of imprisonment the village of Rye Park will have and the disturbing sound impacts of the turbines. Our daughter would also be attending the school at the time of construction and travelling the roads in a school bus will not be the safest option, neither will the increase in traffic through the village. I also do not believe the school will have a future if the Rye Park Wind Farm in constructed. It will not be the pleasant place it currently is and there will not be enough families staying here, or moving here, to keep the school open.
I trust sense will prevail in this instance, and the building of wind turbines in this environmentally sensitive area will not be approved in any way.
Clair Apps and Family

I previously put in a submission in 2014 to this proposal and feel my concerns have not been responded to in this new document, have never been contacted by Trustpower about my concerns, and in fact I now have additional concerns.
My concerns about the effect of the electromagnetic disturbances of the turbines and associated infrastructure will have on my Dorsal Spine Stimulator, and the increased pain I will be submitted to if this will not work effectively in my home, are still very real. I cannot even tell from the new document exactly how far away the turbines will be from my home due to the inaccuracy of maps and road names, and have never had a visit from Trustpower to tell me. I have only ever received two letters from them in 6 years.
And again the visual impact, and associated loss of value of my home, cannot be mitigated in my lifetime. I fear that I will no longer be able to live in the village of Rye Park. Do I need to wait for the turbines to be operating before I find out?
My new concerns include the bridge that is to be built over the Pudman Creek to give access between the village and the development in the hills to the East of the village. There is a spring in the creek at this place that supplies water to many of the homes in the village. Any alteration or disturbance to the creek may result in the spring being blocked and the loss of our water supply.
We as landowners are not allowed to do anything to the creek due to the presence of Pygmy Perch. Our local Landcare group got a grant at one stage to clean up the creek, which we did, and then almost went to jail for it because another authority said we were not allowed to disturb this critical habitat. No one has been allowed to disturb the Pudman Creek since, so how can Trustpower be given permission to do exactly what we are not able to do?
And again, I would be put in jail if I started clearing land to the extent that this development will need to. Would I tell the judge not to worry about it sir, I will plant a few more trees in South Australia somewhere and that will make up for it? Just the clearing of the natural vegetation along the laneways, and the cutting of corners will destroy critical habitat, and also destroy the character of the village as we know it.
The grants, subsidies, or whatever Trustpower would like to call them, that I believe will be given to this company to operate are astronomical. In the document it states the development when operating will only run at 34% utilisation. The Government will not give me a grant to run by business in a way that I can sit around motionless for 66% of the time!
I would be happy to discuss with you further.
Still Concerned Rye Park Resident,
Ted Gibbons.

I have been a resident of Rye Park for over 40 years and, along with my husband, have raised our family here. Our home is approximately 3kms from the nearest turbines and will be severely visually impacted by about 10 turbines, although it is very hard to tell how many we will actually see due to the size of them and the inaccuracy of the maps, road names, photo montages etc.
I understand our road is to become a main thoroughfare for development traffic, along with the construction of a new bridge at the end of the street. This will destroy our peace and quiet, as well as risking the safety of our grandchildren and pets.
We have only ever received 2 letters from the developers and have never had a visit from them to tell us about the wind farm, and we have never told them that we support the project.
Our community has been divided by this development. Epuron, followed by Trustpower have secretly entered our community and fostered a feeling of mistrust amongst us for people we have known most of our lives. This is an awful feeling. The whole feeling and look of the village landscape will change due to the clearing of vegetation, widening of lanes, and the building of these unsightly structures. A newspaper article recently (Yass Tribune) likened the Rye Park wind towers to 55 storey buildings, and when you think of 55 storey buildings dotted all over our beautiful rural landscape it is awful.
Although wind farm developers tend to say there are no proven health impacts from wind turbines I am concerned that there is enough hearsay and uncertainty. How will I know if I am one of the unlucky people who are affected?
We are getting on a bit, and of course are thinking of the possible need for Residential Aged Care in the future. We thought our property would be worth enough to give us a comfortable retirement due to us being close to Canberra for people searching for a quieter life. The value of our property will determine the quality of Aged Care we will be able to access if needed. I feel that our property value will now decrease considerably and we will no longer be able to afford what we thought we would.
Please save our village, environment and community and reject this application. I do not think Trustpower should be given any more opportunity to prove this development is a good thing. Six years should be long enough.
Concerned Resident of Rye Park,
Lesley Gibbons

I grew up on a property north of Rye Park and my mother and brother still live on the property. I did my primary schooling at the Rye Park Public School, High School in Boorowa. I now live and work in Boorowa with my wife and 3 small children, and live close to the intersection of Court Street and Dillon Street. We of course are regular visitors to the farm at Rye Park.
I am in disbelief that an international company can come into our communities, divide the community the way it has, only consult the community enough to be able to tick the box, and offer money to certain sections of the community on the understanding that they will not complain if things go amiss in the future.
The Boorowa/Rye Park area has some of the most unique eco-systems in Australia, and a lot of work has been done by local landowners, my mother included, to save the habitats of endangered species such as the superb parrot by maintaining remnant vegetation and planting new areas. Obviously there have been many people doing this over many generations, and over a period when it was expected that landowners clear-fell their properties. The farmers north and east of Rye Park have always been able to see the value in maintaining the existing old growth, and expanding it. This area may not be as large as the Great Barrier Reef but I believe it is just as valuable and should be saved. Destroying all of this in the name of saving the environment? Doesn't make sense to me. Nothing in this document suggests that Trustpower are fully aware of the extent of damage that will be caused, and no amount of mitigation measures promised in this document will make up for what will be lost.
As I mentioned earlier Community Consultation has been limited. There are to be 11 turbines built in the Yass Valley council area and yet that is where Trustpower have concentrated their consultation measures. The CCC meetings are held in Yass, Trustpower opened an information centre in Yass (six years after entering the area) and it seems surveys have been concentrated in Yass. As a response to submissions the `over mass' vehicle routes were removed from the Yass area.
What about Boorowa? There are to be approximately 75 turbines built in the Boorowa Council area, with the majority of the traffic movements going through Boorowa, and yet I have seen virtually nothing about this project in the Boorowa newspaper, there has been no information centre opened in Boorowa and there have been no information days held in Boorowa. Most people in Boorowa I talk to either think it has all gone away or know nothing about the proposal, and certainly know nothing of the scale of the development. I have not been able to find maps or pictures in the transport section of this document that clearly shows the traffic routes through Boorowa. There is a mention of the possibility of using gravel from a quarry in Cowra (Appendix D), and again there is nothing to show that there may be increased traffic into Boorowa from Cowra.
We live 2 houses from the proposed Dillon Street route. The RTS suggests that there will be 76 total heavy vehicle movements per day and 200 light traffic trips per day (Appendix E, 5.1) over an 18 month period. I think this time of construction has been greatly underestimated as the document points out there will need to be road and bridge upgrades before construction even starts, and elsewhere mentions a 3 year construction period. These traffic movements are not taken into account. Even if these figures are conservative it is a huge traffic burden near my home and an increased noise level that will make life difficult.
I have not been approached by Trustpower, or anyone doing surveys for Trustpower, to let me know of the proposed development.
We purchased our home as an investment and stepping stone to fulfilling our dream of moving back to my mother's property and educating our children in the Rye Park School. We have now put that dream on hold until the decision is made on the future of the Rye Park proposal. We will not be moving to a place where wind turbines can be seen and heard, and would not be educating our children in a village that is to be surrounded by an industrial power station. Why would we invest our hard earned cash into a home when we would never be able to recoup its value? As it is we have just found out that the proposed Bango Wind Farm has an application in to the Dept Planning and that these turbines will be about 192 metres high, will surround Rye Park on the western side and we will be able to see them and hear them from our home in Boorowa!
I have not read this entire document as the repetition within the document made it hard to find information, and very little information was provided on the impacts, or benefits, to the people of Boorowa.
However I did find a table (Appendix K, page 11, table 2a, Assumed Expenditure Distribution) that tells me that the Capital outlay on the local level for Building Construction is 0.0%, Fabricated Metals is 0.0%, Transport is 4.0% and Labour is 2.0%. When you consider that the total build will cost $539.6million (page 6) and that the 6.0% local spend will include Yass, Young and probably Canberra, then I can't see how Boorowa is going to benefit much from the development during the construction stage.
This table also shows the operating Local spend for Building Construction will be 4.0%, Fabricated Metal will be 2.0%, Transport will be 1.0% and Labour will be 12.5%. The operating costs per year of course will be much less, and again when spread throughout the `local' area will be insignificant as far as I can tell.
What we have to gain from the influx of people from Canberra and Sydney looking for a safer, quieter lifestyle is far more than what the `wind farms' will provide to our communities. If the Rye Park WF is approved we will no longer have these people moving to the Boorowa/Rye Park area. Already we are seeing some of these `treechange' people sell up and move away in the Rye Park area, and as soon as the people of Boorowa realise the impacts of the Rye Park and Bango proposals there will also be a retreat from here.
I ask you not to approve the development of the Rye Park Wind Farm and the industrialisation of our Landscape.
Eric Apps and Family

I grew up on a property south of Boorowa on the Tangmangaroo Road and have been farming for many years on a property at Frogmore. I have many close friends in the Rye Park area who are concerned about the impacts of the proposed Rye Park Wind Farm and this has prompted me to make a submission to this application.
Having lived in our local communities all my life I am for the first time seeing division and mistrust at a level not seen before. Epuron, followed by Trustpower came to the area at a time when farmers were doing it tough, promising they would `drought-proof' their farms. I am tired of hearing this as the only reason for farmers to host wind turbines, and there is nothing in the original Environment Impact Statement (EIS) or this Response to Submissions (RTS) document that shows how these farms will be `drought-proofed". The majority of the hosts do not even live on the land that the turbines, power lines, etc are to be built, and if the ones who do live there are good business people they would not need this extra income. All that has been achieved so far is to downgrade the value of all properties in the Boorowa/Rye Park/Yass area. No one will want to live where they can see wind turbines, and when they are to be built on the tops of the hills they will be able to be seen by everyone for 100kms.
I also doubt that businesses in Boorowa will benefit much from the proposal. There may be some short term increase in business for cafes, pubs and the motel but as soon as construction is finished things will go back to normal. If businesses have increased their capital outlay they may even go out of business once the workers go away, as has happened to some of the businesses in Crookwell. What also happened in Crookwell was that a major Goulburn company Divals got the earthmoving contract, not the smaller local businesses. Appendix K - Economic Impact Assessment tells me nothing to alleviate my suspicion that local people will not be given work.
I live in an area that is popular with people who have bought property here to escape the `rat-race', commonly known as `tree-changers' or `hobby farmers'. These people love coming to their farms, and I have gained extra income at times by giving them a hand. I see them employ local builders, plumbers, earthmovers and farmers to help set up their new homes or renovate old ones. They go to Boorowa to buy their building products, farm produce and groceries and gum boots, and the cafes, pubs and restaurants give them a taste of country hospitality. Surely this long term industry is more valuable to Boorowa than Wind Farms. We will not have both.
The Rye Park area is also a popular place for these people to land, and when I talk to these people they are concerned about their investment losing value, the visual and sound impacts of the turbines, and in particular the intrusion to their quality of life in the country. I too am concerned about all of this, and the fact that if the Rugby WF and the Bango WF (to be built on the land of my birth) also go ahead I will not be able to travel anywhere without seeing these structures. And who is to say that if the Rye Park WF is approved the developers will not continue north along the Great Dividing Range through my current home!
It would by criminal to approve this proposed application and wipe out the sensitive environment in the Rye Park and Boorowa area. If this happens Australia will lose what cannot be replaced, not only the eco-system, but the farmers as well. Can we afford to do that?
James Best.

I am a partner in a farming business based at a property near Rye Park NSW.
My husband and I own a property which would host wind turbines proposed in the development application SSD 6693.
We believe the Rye Park wind farm project will have many advantages for the community of Rye Park and beyond and we are very much in favour of its construction.
As farmers we are constantly taking stock of our resources (Natural, physical, financial and human) which allow us to operate our business and achieve our goals.
Climate, topography, landshape and water are closely related and together are the most permanent property elements available in our resource base. These are the most difficult to alter or change.
Just as all farmers are constantly making production decisions based on their stock take results, this particular proposal allows us to harness wind as a renewable resource to produce a large amount of sustainable energy for the State's electricity grid. Introducing this proposal would have no affect on our current grazing enterprises, as wind farms co-exist well with primary production. It would allow us to diversify our enterprises in keeping with the natural resource base in the area.
Having a regular stream of income, not related to rainfall or livestock markets would drought proof our property and would allow us to continue to operate as primary producers in the current unpredictable climatic environment.
The economic benefits of the Rye Park wind farm proposal reach further into the communities of Boorowa, Upper Lachlan and Yass Valley shire. The project will create 369 jobs during the construction phase and support 35 on-going fulltime positions. Business owners in Boorowa and Yass overwhelmingly recognise that this will have flow on affects with money being spent in the local community.
In addition to this, Trust Power has made a long term commitment to the project through its commitment of almost $300,000 per year to the Community Benefit scheme. This will directly support growth of community groups within the rural townships.
I don't know of any other development which would allow the current primary production in the area to continue and bring this sort of money into the local community.
We are satisfied that the developer has made provisions in the application for maintenance of local amenities and enhancement of the natural resource base.
The project has identified the potential risks to superb parrot by blade strike and loss of habitat and these risks will be minimised by the deletion of 4 turbines and relocation of a fifth from the original application. It has been investigated that potential collision strike is non -significant as observed flying occurs within the tree canopy or below 20m. The re-design of the project to reduce habitat impact and the off-set strategy to replace vegetation unavoidably cleared will mean that the development will have no significant affect on the superb parrot's continued survival.
We welcome the development of an alternative energy system to our environment and believe that the Rye Park Wind Farm satisfies all the requirements of a project which will benefit local farmers and community members as well as the broader consumers of clean energy.

I would like to provide this submission for consideration in the approval process for this project. I state that I am not in the employ of the proponent, nor will I derive any income from the project, should it proceed. I live south of Rye Park villiage in a position that I will see approximately 30 of the proposed wind towers. For a period of time I was employed by the proponent of the proposed Rugby Wind Farm in their information centre, and during that time was visited by many people. I was able to hear a number of arguments against wind farms, as well as many supporting them. Overwhelmingly though, people were gathering information to assist in deciding their point of view, as most had heard or read the anti wind farm reasoning. I have never tried to tell people what to think, only to alleviate their concerns by providing information.
After considering opinions expressed, and reading large ammounts of information from around the world as well as Australia, and visiting established wind farms in the region up close, I conclude that nothing is perfect.
Asthetics are a personal thing, I actually find them majestic, though many don't.
I don't consider that there is any health threat to residents at the setback distances proposed.
Bird strikes happen, but not commonly. Statistically, of birds killed by human activity, less than 1 in 10,000 is caused by collisions with wind farm components. (The greatest cause is collisions with windows, followed by collisions with vehicles, then by domestic and feral cats.)
It is true that there will be distruption during the construction phase, but if we didn't build infrastructure because if disruption , well we'd never build anything. I consider the many benefits of employment, income to hosting families and the community and the flow on effect of this income, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and reduced reliance on fossil fuels to far outwiegh the negative impacts.
I would like to add a note to anyone reading this who has a different opinion, that I respect your opinion as I hope you will respect mine. People differ in their opinions about many subjects, politics for example, and this is a very healthy thing in a democracy.
Thank you for the opportunity to lodge this submission, and your consideration of it.
Regards, Matt Smith.

My submission is in support of the Rye Park Wind Farm Project. As a nation we need to move quickly to the point where a substantial portion of our energy is generated from renewable sources. The impacts of significant climate change is just too big a risk for our people, infrastructure, environment and economy.

The Rye Park Project is expected to generate 1,192 Gigawatt hours (GWh) electricity per annum. This is enough electricity to power 130,000 homes.

*The carbon footprint is estimated to be paid back in nine months.

*Rye Park's strong and consistent wind makes a wind farm an efficient use of agricultural land.

*Local farmers will receive over $2 million every year for the next 20 years, either in lease payments or through neighbour agreements. This will dramatically increase the financial resilience of the local farming economy.

*The construction of the wind farm and associated infrastructure will have negligible impact on continued grazing activities. The wind farm will mostly use existing farm tracks and virtually all electrical cabling within the wind farm will run underground.

*The Rye Park Wind Farm project is a $600 million project. It has the potential to add economic value of $163 million in NSW, $45 million in the ACT and $49 million to the Yass/Boorowa region over the construction period.

*The project will create 369 jobs in the region during the construction phase, significantly increasing the number of people living and working in the area.

*35 ongoing full time roles will be created in operations and maintenance, providing long term job opportunities for locals.

*There will be a direct injection of over $5 million per year to the local community through payments to landholders, permanent staff, local councils, and the community. $300,000 of this will be paid directly to community organisations through the legislated Community Enhancement Fund contribution.

*Local businesses will supply goods and services including accommodation, engineering, earthworks services, fencing and landscaping.

*Ridges and valleys are a feature of the landscape around Rye Park. This will assist in minimising the visual impact of the wind farm. Only parts of the wind farm will be visible to a viewer at any one time.

*The planning for this project has required additional flora and fauna surveys to be completed, adding to understanding of the natural value of the area.

*Unlike coal-burning power plants, wind farms use no water in their operation, leaving local rivers and creeks untouched.

This project stacks up on all levels and I urge you to approve it.

I like renewable energy and believe that the town could benefit from wind turbines. It is a great opportunity for farmers to productively use wind in areas of their farm. I believe turbines do not have any bad effects and it is a great way to provide an income for our family. In my opinion the noise will not affect our household and my health will remain in a high quality.

I object to this Wind Farm application for the following reasons:
1. overwhelming visual impact that is not in keeping with the rural landscape, especially at Residence 50.
2. Impact of constant noise, on both humans and livestock
3. the developer retains rights over the property during the lifetime of the wind farm.
4. inefficiency in power generated as wind turbines only work at 31% of capacity (international average).
5. This windfarm is owned by an overseas company and that is where the money is going.
6. The creation of the wind farm still relies on fossil fuels.
7. There will be erosion from land clearing for the installation of the turbines.

I object to the Rye Park Wind Farm on the basis of:
- overwhelming visual impact to the property that I will ultimately inherit from my parents (Residence 50), not only from the house, but from every area on the property.
- destruction of vital wildlife habitat during construction and decommissioning.
- the increased potential wildlife kill from the increased blade length.
- birds and bats cannot be told where to fly, so I don't believe the flight corridor changes are realistic or the planned "building in stages" to allow wildlife to re-establish habitat
- destruction of farming land that is vital for the production of food and fibre in the long term.
- impact of constant noise in the usually quiet rural environment.
- fire hazard - inability to fight fires around turbines, from the air as well as the potential for turbine failure to cause fire.
- increased local traffic, during construction and decommissioning, will cause further deterioration of all roads, will create potential increase in road incidents and accidents, will increase wildlife road kill.
- if the Bango Wind Farm is also approved, the cumulative visual impact from both the Rye Park Wind farm to the south, east and north east, together with the Bango Wind Farm to the north west, will be overwhelming on our property.
- increased health impacts during construction from increased vehicle exhaust in the area as well as dust, may lead to an increase in personal health issues including asthma and hay-fever.
- concerned for the welfare of livestock due to the increased truck movements and subsequent noise, and the potential for lack of understanding and empathy by wind farm workers/drivers. This potentially impacts all properties along transport routes but especially along the quieter roads including, but not limited to Rye Park Rd and Cooks Hill Rd, as well as vehicle movements on private property within the Wind Farm boundary.

The Rye Park Wind Farm Project is the right development in the right place to provide the right outcomes for the broader community and economy. Specifically:
* Sustainability - wind energy is a sustainable energy source that mitigates the risk of over reliance on fossil fuels and requires no water to run, which is particularly important in a dry continent such as Australia.
* Mixed Land Use - windfarms allow for mixed land use so that farming and agriculture can continue.
* Location & Space - as one of the least densely populated countries on earth, ranked 236 out of 244 countries, there is ample space in Australia for windfarm technology with minimal impact on the landscape (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_territories_by_population_density).
* Technology - encouraging the implementation of alternative technology provides an opportunity for local industry to grow and develop new skills.
* Economic Benefits - the Rye Park community will receive an economic benefit, both during the construction and maintenance phases, with an increase in the number of people living and working in the region.

I am writing to express my support for the construction of the Rye Park Wind Farm Project. I hail from a farming family in the Rye Park community. I completed my primary and secondary schooling in the local area and following this moved to Wollongong to complete an Engineering degree. Initially I studied a Bachelor of Mining Engineering, however with evidence of climate change and an increasing global awareness I could not see myself completing a degree so heaving focused on extracting non-renewable resources for electricity production. Following this I changed my major and graduated with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering and have a firm interest in renewable and sustainable design.

The Rye Park Wind Farm will provide an injection of revenue into the local communities with job opportunities for skilled professionals, subsidies for farmers, neighbouring property owners and additional community grants. I have witnessed first hand the extended hours of planning and research that Trustpower has conducted to ensure that the Wind Farm will be safe, economic and in the best interest of local residents.

As part of Generation Y my views align with a majority of my peers, renewable energies are the way of the future and there is no valid reason that this project should not go ahead.

I believe this is the right development with the right developer in the right place. The developer has taken note of prior submissions and has adjusted the project to address the issues raised in a comprehensive and considered way. It has also sought to engage with the farmers and community to obtain feedback and to provide honest and open information on the project and its likely impacts. Not all of it is good in the eyes of everyone, but on balance it appears to me that the benefits of the project will far outweigh any negative impacts it may have and that the positive benefits for the broader community will be significant.

My family and I have been operating a grazing business in the Rye Park area for over 10 years and I can see that this project will have significant economic benefits for the farmers and community of Rye Park as well as for the surrounding area, particularly the major supply towns of Yass and Boorowa. The project will provide a significant direct and long term economic boost for the businesses in those towns and those benefits will flow through to the broader community.

Personally, the economic benefits of the project will allow us to invest more money into our farm and allow us to improve the sustainability of our farming systems and to improve our land. In doing so we will employ more local labour and spend more with local businesses. The project will not impede our ability to operate our grazing business in any way nor will it have any negative impact on our business.

While the project will generate electricity in a more sustainable, cleaner and less environmentally damaging way than some of the traditional forms of electricity generation, I also expect that the economic benefits of the project will have flow on environmental benefits at the farm level by providing funds for better whole farm planning and more environmentally conscious decision making. In our case this will include fencing off and regenerating environmentally sensitive areas such as gully's and putting in place better water infrastructure that minimises the impact on the environment.

The additional funding provided directly to the Rye Park community will enable the community to improve the town infrastructure in ways that simply would not happen if the project was not developed in the area. Those benefits will be a long term benefit for the current residents and all future residents of the town.

The work required on local roads, which will be funded by the developer as part of the project, will both improve the local roads and be a great benefit for the local councils in the area. These externally funded road improvements would, I expect, free up council funds that would otherwise have to go into maintaining those roads. So either more roads will get improved in the area or the councils will be able to divert the money saved into other areas for the benefit of the whole community.

I am happy to expand on my submission if requested.

As a local resident and a proposed host to the Rye Park wind farm I am in support of this wind farm project. Not only do I support this project I support all projects that generate green or clean energy. Australia needs projects like this one to help reduce our CO2 emissions. This wind farm is expected to produce over 1GWH of energy every year. Wind is now the easiest, cheapest and quickest way to produce this amount of energy, with the lowest impact on the environment.
Rye Park is known for having strong and consistent wind. Most of the land that is to be used for the wind farm is low grade grazing land as a result there will be little or no impact to the local farmers in the district.
The wind farm will also inject a large amount of money into our local community, over $2million dollars through neighbour agreements and host lease agreements. This money will make its way into the rest of the community, building a stronger community. The wind farm will cost over half billion dollars and the construction period alone is expected to inject about $50 million into Yass and Boorowa. I suspect it will be one of the largest project ever seen in the area employing over 350 people during construction.
There is a large group of local residents that have signed neighbour agreements or agreed provide land to build the turbines on. This represents a large percentage of the population of the Rye Park district that are supporters of the project. I have also spoken to many businesses in the district and have found only a very small level of resistance to the project, as many believe that the project will inject much needed stimulus into the towns and give a boost to the local economy.
There will be an ongoing benefit to the whole district through the direct employment of 35 staff and the payment of approximately $300,000 a year into a Community Enhancement Fund. This fund will be used for the benefit of the local community helping to provide or improve existing facilities and services.
Almost all the members of our local CFA are in support of the project as the additional roads that will be built will allow quick and safe access to any fires in this large rugged area that is currently very difficult to access.
I understand that there is a requirement for some water during construct however, once this has been completed there is no ongoing need. This will leave all our creeks, streams and rivers untouched. Unlike coal generators which uses LARGE amounts of water as seen at Lithgow with their large cooling towers or so called cloud maker.
In summary I can only see benefits to Australia, NSW and or local district. As it will help reduce our CO2 emissions and boost our local district in many ways.

I would like to submit my support for the Rye Park Wind Farm Project. I see that it will have positive benefits for the environment, local farmers and for the local and broader communities.

Environment:
- Sustainable, clean energy production with a minimal carbon footprint.
- Minimal land degradation, as opposed to open cut coal mining.
- No loss of productive farming land.

Local Farmers:
- Money generated from lease payments can be put back into farm improvement and development resulting in better production.
- Reliable income stream from lease payments can help farmers during non-productive times such as drought.
- Limited impact on farm production during construction phase due to utilisation and/or improvement of current infrastructures.

Local and Broader Communities
- Job generation in Rye Park, Boorowa and Yass areas as local personnel and businesses are utilised during the construction phase. This will continue into the future as farmers put more money into farm improvement and development with their increased cash flow.
- Improved roads as the developers repair any damaged roads during construction, freeing local councils to put money into other projects.
- Increased opportunities for the Rye Park community to improve local facilities, including amenities, parks and school, benefiting the local area and its people.

As a landholder in Rye Park for over 10 years, I am looking forward to the opportunity to develop a more productive farm, employ more local businesses and expertise as this improved productivity occurs, and to contribute more fully to the improvement of the local community. We have been afforded this as a result of the Rye Park Wind Farm Project.

The Wind Turbine problem in NSW driven by political convenience is reminiscent of the fate of timber communities in Tasmania.
In 1986 I was working as a young forester as part of the Tasmanian Timber Industry. That was an election year and Bob Hawke was the Prime Minister. In truth, I had voted for Bob Hawke in the previous election believing he would look after the "working man". Well I was wrong!
In 1986 Bob Hawk sold all the timber workers in Tasmania down the river to win the mainland green vote. All my fellow workers and I were just collateral damage in an "end justifies the means" political campaign.
In 1986 I swore to myself that I would never vote Labour again; and I haven't after 30 years. In 2007 my support for the coalition was vindicated when John Howard flew to Tasmania and with the support of 2,000 timber workers and the CFMEU fought off Latham's attempt to shut down Tasmania's industry.
Now, in 2016 I'm having a Deja vu moment; this time it's not Labour selling rural people down the river, it's the Coalition; the Liberal Party.
By supporting wind industries the Coalition has opted to destroy our rural landscape, our rural health, our rural investment, our wildlife and our rural lifestyle for the sake of highly subsidised and inefficient wind turbines. Just to win the urban green vote.
It is not surprising why rural independents such as Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott who commit to rural constituents and local issues have been so successful.
Wind turbines are not the answer to climate change, there a short term political stunt

To whom it should concern,
I am writing this submission opposing the Rye Park wind farm, number SSD6693.
As a 5th generation grazier living within the area of the proposed wind farm, it gravely concerns me how this industrial factory will impact on me and my family.
Our farm is situated 3km west of the Rye Park factory of 109 turbines (reduced from 126) and 3km east of the Bango factory (approx. 122 turbines). I do wonder whether this situation exists anywhere else in the world, where our Federal, State and Local Governments are willing to subject their voters and rate payers to this accumulative amount of visual and infrasound saturation.
While we are talking about Local Government, as you would no doubt be aware, the Local Councils of Boorowa, Harden and Young are now amalgamated. I would like to know how this proposal from Trustpower can even be considered now, knowing that Young Council had rejected any wind factories in their jurisdiction, as well as having no actual councilors representing rate payers at the moment.
It also concerns me why Trustpower feels it is necessary to offer neighbouring properties (within 2kms of the turbines) $2,500 - $5,000 compensation, as well as having a clause in the contract that requires them to keep quiet about any negative issues that may be a result of the turbines. WouldnÂ't this be termed as Â`hush moneyÂ' elsewhere? Is this money being offered because Trustpower themselves are concerned about the impact the turbines will have on our community, which it doesnÂ't want the general public to know about?
I do hope NSW Planning & Environment starts to consider the number of submissions that are opposed to these factories and think about the majority NOT the minority of the residents LIVING in the area that will be directly impacted by this proposal.