Winterbourne Wind Farm

 
I am making this submission because I am concerned about the impacts of climate change upon the health of the planet and upon future generations. As extreme weather events forced my husband and I to sell a bush property planned for a sustainable last home (over which we had placed a Conservation Agreement following decades of restoration), the reality of climate change has been acute for us personally.

For us, selling our property was a heart-wrenching disappointment. But we were at least fortunate in having long seen the writing on the wall, with several extreme weather events occurring in rapid succession over recent years forcing our hand.

For the farmers and farming families upon whom we depend for preserving our ‘food bowls’, clothing our backs, feeding our nation, and ensuring the quality and viability of our exports, selling the farm may be neither an easy option nor a conscionable one. Yet establishing renewable projects that incorporate mitigation and adaptation provides hope for the future.

How do our farmers draw up succession plans knowing that, in failing to take steps towards mitigating the impacts of climate change by transitioning to renewable energy, they may be imposing even greater problems for their children and their children’s children to adapt to and remediate?

Do they transfer responsibility for the galloping impacts of climate change upon their children? Or do they address these issues now by creating a legacy of renewable energy sources - a legacy that both respects and preserves for future generations the specialist agricultural knowledge and dedicated commitment of generations of farmers who have come before them?

I believe that solar and and wind energy are the way of the future for the region as coal generation is necessarily phased out. The Winterbourne Wind Farm will be a vital cog in the process of national climate adaptation and the inevitable transition to renewable forms of energy, by providing not only energy security for the region but in ensuring economic and food security for future generations.

I am therefore writing this submission in support of this far-sighted and critical project for the Northern Tablelands region because I believe that it is in all our interests to act now to proactively commit to the health of our planet with renewable forms of energy - such as the Winterbourne WindFarm - before it is too late.

I am writing to object to the proposed Winterbourne Wind Farm. I believe there will be detrimental outcomes for the Walcha community and the town will not benefit in the long term from this project. I am concerned that the development of this project will cause significant traffic congestion, causing adverse effects on local businesses, such as delivery delays, inability to access jobsites as well as increased time required for children to get to and from school.

As a young person, our climate is of great importance to me. I believe that this wind farm will pave a positive path forward towards tackling climate change. NSW is nowhere near close enough to meeting our 50% co2 emissions reduction goal by 2030, and wind farming will help us towards this. Plus, the jobs created during construction and resulting permanent jobs will be great for the economy.

I am very concerned about climate change and believe urgent change is needed to ensure power from non-fossil fuel related sources. The Winterbourne Wind Farm would be a great step towards sustainable power. In addition to this the creation of jobs and boost to economies of Walcha and Uralla are an important motivation in me supporting this project.

The project facilitates cheaper energy for the state and makes our energy production more robust through diversity of capabilities. As current infrastructure is reaching end of life, the state needs to replace with economically cheaper and more sound sources.
This project will make a significant contribution to the state reaching its carbon targets and do it relying on current technology which is well known and applied.

The project will see hundreds of millions of dollars spent in regional NSW, creating jobs and skills for the future economy

I support the Winterbourne Wind Project for a couple of different reasons.
The project is a State Significant Development which will enable the state to produce a reliable power supply from a renewable resource and reduce the pollution and reliance on fossil fuels. With the proposed closure of multiple coal fired power plants in the not to distant future it is imperative that a replacement power supply is constructed.
I feel that the New England REZ will bring development and employment opportunities not only to the town of Walcha but also to the district with an influx of workers, goods and services not only through the construction phase but well after the project is completed.
I feel that Walcha, the New England and New South Wales need the Winterbourne Wind Farm.
Regards
Jock Fletcher

I am in support for the development of the Winterbourne wind project. I believe this project will help deliver clean energy in a sustainable way whilst also providing many benefits to the local community. Increased employment in the area meaning increasing services of existing business and the flow on effect this has on the community can only be positive. Along with the project using local materials ( gravel, earthworks etc) benefiting the local council and therefore the community as a whole. The move away from coal fired power is well underway and if we do not move with projects like this one to renewable sources of energy generation the cost of energy will only go up more than it currently has. With the science on climate change indisputable clean energy generation is the way of the future. This project is not only positive for the people directly involved or benefiting from the development financially but taking responsibility for our future generations to limit the damage to the environment we have previously caused and look to a greener future.

I support the project because a move towards renewable energy in Australia would reduce national reliance on fossil fuels. As a young person I feel keenly the urgency around climate change and investing in renewable energy projects is a practical method of adapting the economy to the challenge of safeguarding the environment. The project will deliver jobs to regional NSW, also a much-needed commodity and one which will offset the complaint that closing mines tends to reduce job opportunities for rural Australians.

We need to have a wind farm because it is a source of renewable energy. Renewable Energy means less global warming, improved public health, stable energy prices and many more economic benefits. As a younger person, I think it is extremely important to address this issue before it is too late. Wind power provides electricity without polluting the air we breathe. It also means we don't burn fuel which will reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. This action needs to happen as soon as possible to make sure we have a more sustainable future.

We need to offer alternative energy resources that will reduce our long term environmental impacts. As we have witnessed recent weather events, floods, fires, plagues etc, we need to change traditional mining techniques for more innovative, sustainable long term practices. Plus having a project of this size & nature will offer a significant economic & employment benefit to what is currently a small but vibrant community.

I support the Winterbourne Wind project. This project will make a great contribution to increasing the renewable energy capacity within NSW, and help the state transition away from reliance on carbon intensive electricity sources like coal fired power stations. In order to effectively halt climate change, we need more projects like this one to be approved and delivered. The impacts of the project have been appropriately assessed and are minimal, and appropriate mitigation measures have been presented. In comparison to a non-renewable energy project, like a coal mine and coal fired power plant, the impacts are negligible.
The project will deliver jobs and income to the local community around Walcha, and the proposed Community Benefit Fund will have a big positive impact supporting local projects and community initiatives.

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