MOD 8 - Increase in depth of mining

I support this project based on its economic benefits to the local area, NSW and Australia.

The project will result in an extension to mine life. I object on the basis of the climate change impacts of mining coal. This week, the IPCC Report was released, which was unequivocal in stating that unless we stop mining and burning fossil fuels as a matter of urgency we will no longer have a liveable planet. Any planned extensions to coal mining projects is putting our children's future at risk.

My submission is attached

I object to this project, on the grounds that coal mining and the burning of fossil fuels is endangering the lives of Australians and all people worldwide. The most recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, released just this week, showed that the world will probably reach or exceed 1.5 C of global warming within the next 2 decades. Whether we can limit warming to this level and avoid the more catastrophic impacts of climate change depends on our actions taken right now; already, the impacts of climate change are being felt in all regions of the world. We must reduce our carbon emissions as a matter of extreme urgency. Greenlighting an extension to a coal mine in this time of human history would not only be foolish, it would be highly unethical. There is no future in coal, and the extension of this project until 2039 should not be allowed to go ahead.

I strongly support Modification 8 of the Boggabri Coal Project for the continued benefit of employment and revenue from royalties for the people of New South Wales.

In Sharma et al. vs the Environment Minister (Cth) the Federal Court made a landmark finding that the Minister has a duty of care to protect young Australians from climate change. This is the latest in the trend of significant legal decisions globally on this topic.
https://www.judgments.fedcourt.gov.au/judgments/Judgments/fca/single/2021/2021fca0560fbclid=IwAR17zXvBrYMYtiigGtqLr58dMBKzW1M6n1XFqJPGnT3_fFzXhaGEhHNtzLU
Approving this project runs directly opposite to the direction of the Federal Court.
I note that the Federal Minister for Environment claims she has no duty of care to young Australians and has lodged an appeal to this Federal Court decision accordingly. History will judge her legacy for this opinion. As it will judge others, particularly in the thermal coal industry who oppose science, education, innovation and the best interest of all Australians.

Australia is a signatory to the Paris Agreement. This international treaty seeks to limit global emissions to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. Approving this project overtly runs contrary to this International Treaty obligation.

The fact the NSW government's own economic guidelines as used in this project expansion proposal don't properly consider Scope 3 emissions from the international burning of fossil fuel extracted in NSW is a folly. It fails to grasp the concepts and consequences of additionality and the tragedy of the commons and should be updated.

This project is foreign owned with all the coal being exported - This means it provides the absolute bare minimum benefit to Australia.

Approving this expansion project runs directly contrary to the governments own policy efforts towards renewable energy and climate change mitigation.

Support in the community and among investors for coal projects is thin and fading fast.

White collar coal workers should be trying to jump ship now while they may still be able to get a job in other industries. Thermal coal's negative reputation among Australians will only continue to get worse as a bedfellow of asbestos, tobacco, child slavery and whaling; in that the used to be normal but are now widely morally, politically and commercially condemned - Not a good look for ones resume and future career prospects.

Acknowledging the inevitable, the government should be focussing its efforts on an orderly wind down of the thermal coal industry, including strongly financially supporting blue collar coal workers to transition into other industries.

For the benefit of present and future Australian's a moratorium should be placed on all thermal coal mine project proposals.

WesTrac NSW supports this project - please refer to our submission attached.

It is totally unacceptable, and a dereliction of our duty of care, to continue to allow coal mine expansion in the face of the overwhelming evidence (as highlighted by the latest IPCC report) of the irreversible damage being caused by burning of coal.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres today (2nd Mar 2021) urged all governments, private companies and local authorities to “end the deadly addiction to coal” by cancelling all global coal projects in the pipeline. He called the phasing out of coal from the electricity sector “the single most important step to get in line with the 1.5-degree goal of the Paris Agreement.”

To quote the IEA (18th May 2021) "Investors should not fund new oil, gas and coal supply projects if the world wants to reach net zero emissions by mid-century, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Tuesday, in the top global watchdog's starkest warning yet to curb fossil fuels"

THESE MESSAGES ARE FOR YOU. AS DECISION MAKERS, YOU HAVE A DUTY OF CARE. YOU ARE LIABLE.

We need a just transition to a modern clean economy. There are so many opportunities for our country with zero emissions initiatives.

And the coal is NOT needed for cheap power. To quote the UN again:

"Phasing out coal from the electricity sector is the single most important step to get in line with the 1.5-degree goal.
This means that global coal use in electricity generation must fall by 80% below 2010 levels by 2030.
Once upon a time, coal brought cheap electricity to entire regions and vital jobs to communities.
Those days are gone.
More than half of the renewable capacity added in 2019 achieved lower power costs than the cheapest new coal plants.
Fossil fuels-related air pollution causes 1 in 5 of all deaths globally each year.
And coal’s economic viability is declining. This has been accelerated by the pandemic.
In virtually all markets, it is now cheaper to build new renewable energy capacity than new coal plants."

So, you have no excuse for continuing to approve thermal coal mines.

https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/radical-change-needed-reach-net-zero-emissions-iea-2021-05-18/
https://unfccc.int/news/un-chief-calls-for-immediate-global-action-to-phase-out-coal

I object strongly to this proposed mine extension.
The expansion or commencement of any further coal mines in Australia is in direct opposition to our governments stated aim of meeting carbon emissions reduction targets. With the recent IPCC report starkly laying out the catastrophic consequences of failure to rapidly reduce green house gas emissions , world-wide, it defies belief that our government is still supporting and expanding our fossil fuel industry.
This is a massive moral failure on our governments behalf. It has brought international opprobrium from nations who have grasped the urgency of the climate situation and are taking ambitious steps toward cutting fossil fuels out of their economies, and aiming to meet stringent emissions reduction targets as soon as possible. The Morrison government’s failure to grasp the imperative to act urgently, and to divest from the fossil fuel industry to which they are shackled, will be remembered for generations as the greatest failing of a government in Australia’s history.
Reducing fossil fuel emissions is not a choice we can further haggle over in Australia. It is imperative that we cannot afford to ignore. The consequences of doing so are dire, as clearly stated in the IPCC report, and our government will be held morally culpable for its dissimilation and delay in playing our part in the international effort to avert climate catastrophy.
Proposing and supporting any new coal, gas or oil projects in Australia is complete madness. Coal is dead, and the opportunity for rapid transition to clean energy exists, and is being rapidly embraced in other countries. Our government must stop dissimilating, deflecting , ignoring and failing to act on this most critical of issues.
No more coal mines. No more!

IPCC code red and IEA both clearly state no new or expansion of existing fossil fuel projects from a week ago! Transition workers and economy to renewables only.

The latest report of the IPCC released recently made no bones about the need to cease production of fossil fuels, including coal, as a matter of urgency if governments around the word are to have any chance of heading off the worst effects of human induced climate change.

There is no place in NSW, and not anywhere in the world, to be approving the expansion of current coal mines or establishment of new ones.

We should, in fact, be redcucing the size and scope of existing mines with a view to closing them down as soon as is feasible.

Recent court cases have show that there is an imperative on governments and their agencies to look to the future, to address the impacts of climate change on future generations and to implement a duty of care to those future generations.

I urge that this application to expand the Boggabri Coal Mine by increasing the depth of operations and extraction be refused.

The project Boggabri MOD 8 aims to engage in deep mining to extract 61 mill Tons of coal. This project should be subjected to an environmental assessment rather than being submitted to the Department of Planning. Existing / previous mining at this site has already led to a lowering of the water table, disadvantaging regional Maules Creek farmers. The emissions resulting from this project are very substantial, as deep mining leads to significant levels of fugitive greenhouse gasses such as methane. I am asking that the NSW Government refer this project to the Independent Planning Commission for assessment. The production and release of 359 mill Tonnes of greenhouse gasses is totally irresponsible in the light of compelling evidence provided by the International Panel on Climate Change, that in order to avoid catastrophic changes in global temperatures we must move to zero emissions as soon as possible.

The proposed modification 8 for the Boggabri coal mine involves substantial increases in Green house emissions as the 61.6 million tonnes of coal to be mined will yield an estimated 359 million tonnes of green house gas. While the company promises to minimize greenhouse gas emissions, their own documents indicate there is little actual plans to do so. Recently, the proposed Hume mine was turned down by the IPC because among other things, it posed a significant source for intergenerational inequality. The Boggabri mod 8 also poses such a danger for our future generations. Given the IPCC report on the drastic threshold of disaster the world faces, it is imperative that coal mining and its emissions, including fugitive emissions of methane gas be eliminated as soon as possible. Certainly this modification should not be approved.

Thankyou for the opportunity to submit.
I am a 62 year old grandmother. We left our home x6 and evacuated to the Bega Showgrounds during the 2019-2020 Black Summer Fires.
Experts have identified these worsening fire seasons due to Climate Change.
The most recent, 6th IPCC Report has given a Code Red Alert.
We need to continue closing fossil fuel mines.
This mine was to be closed, I do not and morally, cannot support an extension of this mine.
I implore you to reject this mine's continuation.
Thankyou.

Please register my objection to this mine planning modification.

The Boggabri mine has already been going for far too long. My mother, my siblings and their children live in close proximity to the Boggabri mine and the dust, noise and blast pollution are just unacceptable. In fact, it is scandalous. Not to mention the disastrous long term local affects on the water table and Leard State Forest. It just cannot continue for any longer than the already agreed terms and an extension indicates a failure of the original approval process.

In addition, climate change is already upon us. We're seeing catastrophic global weather events now. Just watch the news any night of the week. Not least the recent fires in the nearby Mt Kaputar National Park, and the long term 2016-2019 drought that devastated the Boggabri and Maules Creek community. The Paris climate summit in a few weeks time is trying to address this primary issue and prevent runaway climate change. Digging more coal is not the answer. It's actually the problem. Please stop this totally unjustified mine extension request.

Many thanks for your consideration.

I am objecting to this Project for the following reasons.
Firstly for the effect it would have on the local environment. Farmers in the area are already suffering from the diversion of water to mines, causing additional strain on their operations. The increased depth of the void that would result from this modification would likely have a further detrimental effect on the level of the local water table. Provision for rehabilitation of mine sites is already grossly inadequate in most cases and this modification would make rehabilitation of this site even more unlikely. Any increase in mining operations will cause additional air pollution from dust and diesel emissions which are already a serious problem in the local area. Additional fugitive methane emissions from the mine would be substantial.
Secondly, the burning of the proposed additional 61.6 million tons of coal would produce 359 million toms of greenhouse gases over the requested six year period. The recent decision by the IPC rejecting the Hume coal project stated that an additional 106.7 million tons of GHG was "not justified", and "would result in intergenerational inequity." The Department must consider this decision in its deliberations. At a time in history when the International Energy Agency warns that no increase in fossil fuel production must occur, to consider allowing a project such as this to proceed until 2039 is insane.
The Project must not be approved.

Object to mod 8 on the following grounds:
The continuation of Boggabri Coal for the nominated 6 years due to the environmental impacts to the Community of Maules Creek and Surrounds.
Blasting and Drifts to wards my house. Vibrations from the blasts already experienced continuing. Increase in dust and air pollution. Extreme Noise 24/7. Loss of water experienced. Impacts on climate due to Green House GAS emissions released in mining process.
The ongoing physical emotional stress caused by the never ending mining by Boggabri Coal.
The lack of reliability of the company complying to its conditions is another big worry. I need the Dept of Planning to Reject this Application. Please do not approve even with conditions.

Boggabri Coal Mine is a huge open cut mine in the midst of a State Forest in Northern NSW. It has been extended 7 times since 2012 and this is the request for Extension 8. The new extension is in order to extract even more coal, 61.6 million extra tonnes. The despoiling of the forest, the wastage and contamination of groundwater resulting in a drop in the water table in an area that feeds the Great Artesian Basin, the destruction of habitat of many species during a time of rapid and increasing wildlife extinction will result. But the worst effect is the release of huge amounts of greenhouse gas into our world's atmosphere. The recent International Panel on Climate Change has stated this should not happen anywhere. The United Nations Secretary General asks for a commitment to 'Phase out coal by 2030'. It would instead be a doubling of NSW 2019 emissions and based on Idemitsu's figures (the overseas company that owns the project) no lowering of emissions would occur until 2037. The amount emitted if the project is approved would be 359 million tonnes more of greenhouse gases.
It would be irresponsible in the extreme if this project is allowed to proceed. Please do not approve this modification.
Thankyou.
Janet Thompson

Solidarity submissions for the Maules Creek community

For a decade, coal mining has altered and degraded the landscape, the social fabric and the water resources of the rural farming community at Maules Creek. There are three big mines nearby, and another not far away, and each of these has expanded its operations after securing initial approval from NSW authorities.

The latest expansion is the eighth modification of the Boggabri coal mine in Leard State Forest. It’s right next to the Maules Creek coal mine and together the two mines have eaten away the forest, destroying wildlife habitat and altering water catchments.

Boggabri mine, owned by Idemitsu, wants to mine an extra 61.6 million tonnes of coal and extend its operation for six years to 2039. Mining and burning coal from the extended mine will result in 359 million tonnes of greenhouse gases (according to Idemitsu’s assessment).

This expansion is being treated by the Department of Planning as a “modification” only, which means it cannot go in front of the Independent Planning Commission.

We fully expect the Department to waive this application through, but are supporting the community at Maules Creek, who have contended with two dozen mine modification proposals since 2013.
I feel very strongly that this "modification " flies in the face of the looming climate catastrophe that the whole plant is facing and our promise of inter generational equity is being compromised by such expansion.

Please refer to attached correspondence regarding this matter.
Thank you.