Wilpinjong Coal Mine Extension

I am currently employed by Wilpinjong Coal Mine, and I support the application by Wilpinjong Coal mine submission as this company has proven to be an excellent supporter and contributor to the community by donating to various local 0rganisations. As an employee I see first-hand the environmental commitment this company has on its mine site to protecting existing areas and surrounding towns. I fully support their application.

I fully support the Wilpinjong Extension Project. Please understand that I am pro the use of renewable energy sources and I envisage and look forward to a future where thermal coal will not be required to produce electricity at all. Unfortunately, we are many years (perhaps even decades) from this being an affordable or viable reality. I would be against the extension project if it jeopardised productive farming land, but it definitely does not. I fervently believe that the poor soil quality and relatively low agricultural capacity (based on potential stock rates and cropping capability) of the proposed WEP land make this area an ideal location in which to access thermal coal reserves for NSW (and far preferable to other highly productive farming land).
The jobs which the mine provides (and will continue to be able to provide if the WEP is approved) bolster the Mudgee and Gulgong communities immeasurably. Many families who reside in these towns are supported either directly or indirectly by Wilpinjong, regardless of whether a family member actually works at the mine or not. Peabody sponsors and supports many community based projects and philanthropic pursuits. Mudgee and Gulgong still have the benefit of feeling like robust rural towns (despite the recent mining decline) with agricultural and tourist ventures still thriving. Wilpinjong has seemingly done its due diligence with regard to purchasing all homes made available for sale by Wollar residents. Those residents who remain seem determined to stay, which of course is their right, but it is not as if the mine has made it difficult for them to leave, if they determine that Wilpinjong has impacted on their amenity. Please don't decide against this project on the basis of naysayers who would protest any coal production or extension project being approved anywhere, despite the fact that the vast majority of these people would still draw electricity from the grid. Thermal coal production in the areas covered by the WEP, coupled with rehabilitation of the land after mining has ceased, will actually lead to the land being better.

I am writing this submission in support of the Wilinjong Extension Project. I am currently employed at Wilpinjong and have been for almost 10 years. I feel that Mudgee would not be such a vibrant community and progressive town without the three mines offering direct employment and providing opportunities for local businesses in this region. With large employers, such as mines in a region, the economy of a country town is cushioned somewhat during droughts when agricultural pursuits are in decline. With mines located well away from the town, Mudgee is not impacted by any noise or dust. The majority of visitors to the town are totally unaware that the town is supported to a certain extent by mining and related businesses so mining is not having a negative effect on tourism. Mines also support local charities and community events which, without their funding, might not even exist.

This Project is supported by a comprehensive EIS with proposed management and mitigation measures. Based on these management measures, the project should be supported due the local and regional benefits that are predicted.

1) Sacred Place
Thirty years ago when seeking a place to give birth I visited a friend living on Mogo Road within the Goulburn River National Park. I found a place nearby on the River to settle and gave birth there. This has become a sacred place for me.
My daughter and I return there every 5 years to appreciate the place and reflect.
Our last 2 visits have been marred by the coal mine in the Wollar Valley.
In 2011 the huge pile of coal within the mine fence was smoking. I learnt that it had spontaneously caught alight and the mining company was unable to extinguish this until they had removed the pile gradually over a long period.
During the night we spent camping on the Goulburn River at the birthing site in 2011, the noise of machinery was so loud that I had to keep reassuring myself that we would not be run over. We were about 15 km from the mine. In all my experience of visiting this area in Goulburn River National Park prior to that, the sound had been local bush sounds of animals and birds and the wind in the trees. There were some human generated sounds from neighbours dogs or cars which were momentary and the sound of cicadas and galahs soon took over again.

The continuous roar of engines from the mine is a severe intrusion to the National Park and it's neighbours.
Mining in Slate Gully can be expected to increase the noise to this area.

Our neighbour on the River explained that the mine put up a sound monitor but that this did not actually function until work at the mine had moved so that less sound was travelling up to the Goulburn River near the northern end of Mogo Road. This behaviour is dishonest. It is clear that the State Government is not taking it's responsibility seriously if it accepts data collected only by the mining company when assessing the many impacts of the mine.

2) Rehabilitation
I am looking forward to the time that the Wollar Valley is returned to rural farmland and bush.
When will that occur?
Who is responsible to bring that about?
Who will pay the cost?
For the Community of Wollar and those like myself, who visit there regularly, these are crucial questions but they are not clearly answered in this proposal or for the current Peabody mine at Wollar.
Around Australia there are thousands of abandoned mine sites. They are left as dangerous and unsightly holes in the ground. In the last few years while walking in Garigal National Park in Sydney I came upon one such mine at Terrey Hills. It is unfenced and could easily lead to injury or death if a walker took a wrong turn and fell in during the night.
Is this to be the fate of the holes being dug by miners at Wollar?
If Peabody is close to bankruptcy will it be able to rehabilitate this mine?
Does the NSW Government have the power and the will to see that it does?
The answer, according to past experience is no.
Therefore, the idea of opening up an expansion to the mine at Wollar is irresponsible and unsupportable.

3) The Bush
Observation of reptiles is that they are on the move from Wollar. There has been a mass migration away from the mining area as the constant vibration of the mining is not tolerated.
If this is observed 15 km from the mine then the expansion of the mine any closer to the Munghorn Gap Nature Reserve and Goulburn River National Park is not acceptable. Eroding the buffer zone that currently exists is to increase the damaging effects already suffered.

4) Community and a Place of Rest.
I remember Wollar as a town where the general store and mechanic shop was the hub. A place where a rollicking dance drew the region's families and loners together in the Memorial Hall. A village where many children grew and their voices carried from the school yard. I remember coming back to Wollar for the funeral of the friend who had drawn me there the first time. I walked behind the hearse from the church to the cemetery and joined with her friends and family in laying her to rest.
How can that friend, and the other inhabitants of the cemetery, now rest with the earth vibrating with mining?

I had thought that I too would like to be buried in the cemetery at Wollar because it was quiet, bordered by the bush and close to my place of giving birth.
I do hope the mine is finished and gone before I die so that I can rest there in peace.

5) Health Effects
I am currently caring for someone who is struggling to breath after working for years in coal dust. He has fibrosis of the lungs; scarring of the fine membranes through which the air breathed in meets the red cells in one's blood as they move, one at a time, through tiny capillaries. I hope the mine protects it's workers from this danger. However the neighbours of mines, human, animal and plant are not so protected.

The time for new coal mines has past. The wider community are seeking sustainable energy sources.
Our Federal Government has committed to reducing the growing impact of Climate Change. Leaving coal in the ground is part of that process.

For the health of Wollar, Australia and the planet we owe our lives to, it is good that the expansion of the Wilpinjong Mine does not proceed.

IT IS OF GREAT CONCERN THAT I WRITE THIS SUBMISSION IN REGARD TO THE LATEST WILPINJONG MINE EXTENSION .MY FAMILY AND I LIVE PART TIME AT THE ABOVE BARIGAN ADDRESS AND HAVE BEEN REGULAR VISITORS TO THE SURROUNDING AREA FOR 30 YEARS. IT HAS BEEN SAD TO SEE THE PURPOSEFUL GRADUAL DEGRADATION OF THE LOCAL COMMUNITY AND SURROUNDING ENVIRONMENT.THE NUMBER OF EMPTY HOUSES AND FARMS IN DECLINE DUE TO THE COMPANY ACQUISITION IS STAGGERING AND DELIBERATE. WITH THE POTENTIAL OF A FURTHER EXTENSION TO THE MINE, THE SELF ADMIITTED DESTRUCTION OF THE COMMUNITY IN AND AROUND WOLLAR BY PEABODY IS BOLD BUT UNACCEPTABLE.THE LOCAL NATURAL ENVIRONMENT ALREADY COMPROMISED WILL BE FURTHER PUT AT RISK. THE ENTRY TO THE GOULBURN RIVER NP WILL NEARLY BE STRAIGHT ACROSS FROM AN OPEN CUT PIT. THE LINES BETWEEN NATURAL RESERVES AND MINE ARE ALREADY BLURRED TO THE POINT THERE IS LITTLE OR NO BUFFER ZONE LEFT ESPECIALLY ADJACENT TO MUNGHORN. THE CUMULATIVE EFFECTS OF ADJOINING AND POTENTIAL NEARBY MINE PROJECTS IS STAGGERING,. SO MUCH SO THAT ANYWHERE ALONG THE ULAN RAILWAY LINE IS IN DANGER OF MINING UNDER CURRENT TRENDS .ALL IN ALL I FEEL THE NSW GOVERNMENT HAS APPROVED ENOUGH PROJECTS IN THIS AREA ALREADY., PROVIDING PLENTY OF ONGOING EMPLOYMENT FOR THE GREATER COMMUNITY AT THE EXPENSE OF THE WOLLAR AND NEARBY COMMUNITIES.SINCERELY NEIL JARMAN , BARIGAN

I object to the proposal to the Wilpinjong Mine Extension for the following reasons:

- The community of Wollar will be destroyed with the extension coming within 1.5 km of the village, which was a thriving small rural town and a support base for many families just 10 years ago

- The noise assessment and air quality monitoring has not been adequately dealt with
- The extension removes existing buffer zones for the Munghorn Gap Nature Reserve
- Three final voids in the landscape will impact on the local environment and waterways for hundreds of years into the future
- The predicted job numbers expected to result are overstated compared with the current workforce extracting the same volume of coal
- This proposal to continue extracting low quality coal while causing irreversible environmental and social damage cannot be justified.
- A truly independent analysis of the proposal and impact on future generations of Australians is too great to ignore.

enough is enough
There has been too much irreversable damage to the environment and communities by open cut mining
These mining companies have absolutely no intention of remediating the final voids - they will walk away and leave the taxpayer to fix the mess

I support the project for the reasons listed below:

Creation of Strong Employment Opportunity locally, state wide and nationally
Support community directly and indirectly via economic benefits
Royalties and Tax benefits to government and associated departments
Reputable mining company which holds a history of strong operation and environmental responsibility

I strongly object to this expansion of Wilpinjong coal. How can you trust this company that is in financial distress. I am sure they will not be able to manage a further expansion. It will end up costing the tax payers in the future. The village of Wollar will be only 1.5kms from the expansion, how can the village not be impacted with more noise and dust and mine related traffic, when their life is already a living nightmare from this mine. Jobs at this mine do not out weigh climate change as the burning of this poor quality coal is releasing more millions of tonnes greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere which is at odds with our commitments the federal government signed on in Paris. This Peabody company is still trying to buy up residents that still live in the village of Wollar but the fringe dwellers of which I am one is another story. I live 18 kms north of Wollar and have been told the company do not have any plans to buy me out. With the expansion and the possible lose of the village of Wollar,that leaves me and others more isolated with no rural fire service, no post delivery, no shop, no fuel and gas, no district nurse and many more services that are essential for people who live in rural areas . We should be given the option by Peabody energy to be bought out or compensated for this. If this expansion is given the green light. Which I hope does not happen.

I object to the extension of Wilpinjong Mine.

The extension will leave 3 final voids in the landscape that will impact the local environment and waterways for hundreds of years into the future. This is a completely unacceptable legacy. The state government does not have adequate legislative triggers in place to manage these void into the long term, particularly important given the financial decline in the coal industry.

This proposal will destroy the community of Wollar and The cumulative social impact of loss of population through mining projects from Ulan to Bylong has not been considered. It does not appear that the NSW department of planning has any clear upper limit of land area to be offered to mining companies in the hunter valley, nor does it appear to be adequately considering multiple land use and the industry needs of a diverse range of economic sectors into the future. MIning is not compatible with planning for our food bowl or other important sectors.

The noise assessment, monitoring and mitigation measures are highly inadequate.

Air quality has not been assessed against the new standards adopted in December 2015

The cumulative impact on biodiversity, Aboriginal cultural heritage, water sources, greenhouse gas emissions, community and rural industry has not been rigorously assessed.

The ongoing coal extraction will produce an additional 20 million tonnes of greenhouse gas per year, which will exacerbate the impacts of climate change, and is at odds with Australia's commitments under the Paris Accord.

The area has significant landscape Aboriginal cultural heritage values that have not been assessed in a regional context.

The extension will remove 354 ha of remnant native vegetation impacting 24 threatened species and communities - more than the current approval. The biodiversity offsets will not provide sufficient habitat for the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater.

The extension removes existing buffer zones for the Munghorn Gap Nature Reserve.



The ongoing impacts on groundwater and surface water systems will be greater than predicted.
The predicted job numbers are overstated compared with the current workforce extracting the same volume of coal.
Peabody Energy is in deep financial distress and may not be fit to meet all obligations.
The contract to supply AGL's Bayswater Power Station can be met by the current approval.
The proposal to continue extracting low quality coal while causing irreversible environmental and social damage cannot be justified.

1.The extension of Wilpinjong Mine will destroy the community of Wollar. The cumulative social impact of loss of population through mining projects from Ulan to Bylong has not been considered.
2.The noise assessment, monitoring and mitigation measures are highly inadequate.
3.Air quality has not been assessed against the new standards adopted in December 2015
4.The cumulative impact on biodiversity, Aboriginal cultural heritage, water sources, greenhouse gas emissions, community and rural industry has not been rigorously assessed.
5.The ongoing coal extraction will produce an additional 20 million tonnes of greenhouse gas per year, which will exacerbate the impacts of climate change, and is at odds with Australia's commitments under the Paris Accord.
6.The area has significant landscape Aboriginal cultural heritage values that have not been assessed in a regional context.
7.The extension will remove 354 ha of remnant native vegetation impacting 24 threatened species and communities - more than the current approval. The biodiversity offsets will not provide sufficient habitat for the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater.
8.The extension removes existing buffer zones for the Munghorn Gap Nature Reserve.
9.The extension will leave 3 final voids in the landscape that will impact the local environment and waterways for hundreds of years into the future. This is a completely unacceptable legacy.
10.The ongoing impacts on groundwater and surface water systems will be greater than predicted.
11.The predicted job numbers are overstated compared with the current workforce extracting the same volume of coal.
12.Peabody Energy is in deep financial distress and may not be fit to meet all obligations.
13.The contract to supply AGL's Bayswater Power Station can be met by the current approval.
14.The proposal to continue extracting low quality coal while causing irreversible environmental and social damage cannot be justified.

This submission is done in full support of the proposed Wilpinjong extension Project.
I have been an employee of Wilpinjong mine for the past 7 years having relocated to Mudgee from Sydney. Wilpinjong Coal mine has provided excellent opportunities for myself to further my career in Electrical Engineering and supervision and also provided my family with the opportunity to be part of a very positive country community that enjoys the benefits that mining investment can bring to a country town including sporting facilities and events, and community services projects such as life skills.
Investment and employment is areas outside of large cities is vital to small country areas. The opportunities created for future employment for the area helps to keep a community strong and moving forward.
The extension to the Wilpinjong mine will continue to provide opportunities for the surrounding area and should be promoted.

I object to this extension on the basis of:

1. An increase in extraction and stockpiling is unacceptable when uncontrolled spontaneous combustion continues to occur, with major impacts on the local community.
2.The incremental impacts of increased noise, dust and blasting has not been assessed. The mine has been allowed to continue using outdated practices. Peabody has not reviewed its spontaneous combustion management plan since the mines approval in 2006, even although production has been allowed to increase.
3. Again to continue these low quality coal projects which have massive impacts on the community is again another indication that these companies interests are held in higher regard than the local communities which are significantly impacted. Mining again has top priority over all other considerations, irrespective of major negative impacts on people, their livelihoods,health & the irreversible impacts on the environment - water in particular, flora and fauna. Also the aboriginal heritage issues have not been adequately assessed.
4. the site has emitted offensive odours from the spontaneous combustion of the coal, something which has been allowed to continue without being addressed
5. If the industry is regulated, why won't the "Regulator" regulate !

I REJECT this application that no new coal can be dug up if Australia is to meaningfully facilitate its commitment to keeping global warming under two degrees.

I REJECT this application to expand based on the precarious nature of Peabody's finances.

Australia supported the Paris convention last year and acting to keep the earth's temperature rise at less than 2 degrees. Last week the planet hit a 2 degree increase for the first time, which albeit temporary was significant.

To avoid catastrophic biodiversity loss the expansion of all new coal must stop. It all must be left in the ground. As Bill McKibben says: "We've simply got to keep coal and oil and gas in the ground; there's not any other way to make the math of climate change even begin to work." (1)

From the Carbon Market Institute in February 2016 "The debate is over - the massive economic impetus to a zero net emissions global economy is unstoppable and business gets it. Consensus has been reached among the world's major political and economic actors that we are on an inevitable path to decarbonising our economies. The Paris Agreement states that emissions should peak "as soon as possible" with rapid reductions thereafter and includes a five-year cycle for reviewing emissions cuts with action to be continually ratcheted up. We are on a path to net zero emissions" (2)

Castellas CEO of the Carbon Market Institute, mentions that "business gets it", and "Consensus has been reached among the world's major political and economic actors". This consensus means that there must be no new coal, not at Wilpinjong, not by Shenhua, not in water catchments or in the Galilee Basin. How do the coal industry get to have more power, influence than all the "world's major political and economic actors."

Maybe a few years ago the environmental impact could have been debated. But in the face of existential climate change, it is not a tweak in the EIS here, a tweak there to appease the local environment concerns, that is relevant. Nor is the union excuse of a few jobs and the factional power these added members bring the hierarchy. (And we all know the mining industry would automate every job if it could). IF a govt priority is to create regional jobs and thriving regional communities then create a blue print for this, provide cheap renewable energy to manufacturing, facilitate innovation and stimulus in agriculture and tourism.

I reject this mine not just the extension will destroy another 800 ha of land or further impact the Wollar community and its environs. It is not just that it is so close to the Goulburn River National Park and the Munghorn Gap Nature Reserve with its biodiversity and migration zones. It is that no new coal can be dug up.

No new coal can be dug up in Australia. No coal expansion in Australia approved. Go ask the church, the communities, the university scientists, the drs, the nurses and other MOST TRUSTED professions. Call a moratorium until a referendum takes place if needs be. But stop coal finance and power taking away our kids' futures.

THE PROPONENT PEABODY COAL - UNFIT FOR PURPOSE

I REJECT this application to expand based on the precarious nature of Peabody's finances.

Wilpinjong Coal Mine in the Hunter is owned and operated by Peabody Energy US.

Peabody Energy (the largest pure coal play company in the world) is on the brink of bankruptcy, its share price hovering just below $3 down from $179 in Nov 2014 and $50 in mid-2015. It has $6bn debt and can't pay its bills. (3) It certainly will not pay for any rehabilitation of damage caused at this mine to any level that is needed. And nothing it can pay will turn down the dial of planetary warming except if it stops mining coal.

On 29 Feb 2016 Peabody filed a report with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) detailing recent discussions with creditors and outlining potential debt swaps that would not guarantee any of the company's existing debt. Across the markets the question is being asked: Is Peabody Energy Preparing for Bankruptcy? (4)

The question of coal's impact on climate change must be first and foremost in the framework for approval. There are no economic benefits on a dead planet and certainly not for the lives that will be lost from climate change.

Isabel McIntosh
Sydney
MOTHER OF THREE CHILDREN

(1) https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2016/03/04/why-degree-temperature-jump-more-important-than-trump-hands/lCyz5MHZkH8aD0HIDJrcYJ/story.html
(2) http://ecogeneration.com.au/news/a_new_era_for_the_global_economy1/101446
(3) http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/02/12/peabody-energy-wont-last-long-posting-earnings-res.aspx
(4) http://247wallst.com/energy-business/2016/03/06/is-peabody-energy-preparing-for-bankruptcy/#ixzz42B5AdRH1

Dear Sir/Madam,

I and my family object to the extension of the Wilpinjong Mine on environmental grounds, such as the destruction of dozens of hectares of native vegetation, which will cause the dislodgement and distress of native animals. We are also sick of our precious water being wasted on coal projects when we all know that at the current price the coal, the entire industry is living on borrowed time. I am duty bound to speak out against such things in the interests of my children, and their future children. We cannot eat or drink coal, and we live in a dry continent, yet coal mines seem to take priority over protecting our precious water sources. Thankyou for taking the time to read our objections.

I support the extension of the attached submission for the following reasons;
1) the organisation has proven itself to be engaged and support of the public and community in the area in which it operates.
2) The organisation has delivered on its commitment to the environment and the community.
3) the continued business in the are will support the prosperity of the community which is currently struggling with market weakness.

During development and operation, mines bring significant benefits to regional areas through economic development, capacity building and infrastructure. Additionally, it is recognised that mining is but a temporary land use. I firmly believe that Wilpinjong is continuing to develop land rehabilitation techniques based on community expectations and government regulations and can demonstrate previously mined land is being developed for future economic activity and conservation. I strongly believe that Peabody recognises the importance of successful rehabilitation is fundamental for the continuing social licence to operate and as such, continual adherence to meeting rehabilitation targets and objectives is a clear demonstration of its commitment.

As such, I fully support Wilpinjong Coal submission seeking an extension of operations to ensure associated employment, other economic effects as well as biodiversity benefits that can be realised as important positive returns to the region both now and in the future.

Wilpinjong Coal makes significant financial contributions to NSW via state royalties and to Mid-Western Regional Council via voluntary planning agreements. Wilpinjong supports many local non-government and community organisations.

Mining is a major employer in the Mid-Western LGA, employing approximately 1,300 people directly and providing opportunities for local businesses.

Wilpinjong Coal makes contributions to a number of non-government and community organisations in the region in the form of sponsorships, donations and in kind support to various education, community development, health, environmental, arts, culture, and youth services causes

I object to the false claims of the Minerals Council. They are delusional. Currently they claim that mining improves the land. That is totally ludicrous!