MOD 8 - Increase in depth of mining

Australia must stop increasing coal mining. We need to increase jobs in the renewable sector to provide sustainable employment into the future.
Our international trading partners will soon penalise Australia for failing to reduce emissions. Increasing coal mining is failing to acknowledge their concerns and will be detrimental to our economy.
The environment damage of extending the mine cannot be justified.

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 a nail in the coffin of the environment, contributing to an already overheated planet and taking us beyond the brink.
This expansion proposal is to be declined, non negotiable.

There are three big coalmines nearby and each has been expanded. This is the eighth expansion of the Boggabri Coal Mine. Coal mining has altered and degraded the landscape, the social fabric and the water resources of the farming community. The mines and expansions have eaten away the Leards State Forest, destroying wildlife habitat and altering water catchments. Mining and burning coal from the extended mine will result in 359 million tonnes of greenhouse gases according to the owners, extend its operation for six years to 2039 and will increase emissions dramatically. Hume Coal was refused because emissions were not justified and because of the effect it would have on future generations. The United nations Secretary General is urging all countries to phasing out coal by 2030. The Australian Academy of Science is calling on the Australian Government to accelerate Australia's transition to net zero emissions over the next 10 to 20 years to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. I object to this project because from the aforementioned information it would seem to be environmentally and socially irresponsible.

I oppose this huge expansion of coal mining in the Leard state forest. I firmly believe that Idemitsu proposing to modify this mine yet again is a further threat to groundwater resources that would further impinge on the productivity of nearby agricultural production and the well being of the local farming community. This expansion and the 152 million tonnes of C02 equivalent emissions it would create should be rejected because of the contribution it would make to climate change. International climate scientists have been pointing out for many years the urgency of phasing out coal if we are to survive a climate emergency that is already having major impacts here in Australia. This raises a major issue of intergenerational equity. The IPC recently rejected the Hume Coal project on grounds of the emissions not being justified and because of the intergeneralisation equity issues. That project would have produced far fewer greenhouse gas emissions than Boggabri Mod8 making it even more dangerous to current and future generations. Please reject this huge coal mining expansion in the public interest.

Pls see attached

Attached

I object to the proposal on the grounds created by the precedent created by the IPC's recent rejection of the Hume Coal project. In that decision the IPC found that the massive environmental damage caused by the greenhouse gas emissions created by the Hume project (106 million tonnes) were not justified when weighed against the limited economic benefits. This contravened principles of intergenerational equity.

I submit that the facts of the Boggabri project are not materially different from the Hume case and the former project should be rejected on the same grounds.

This is a major extension of the Boggabri mine. It has been put in as a modification to get around requiring an IPC hearing. Other mine applications have recently been refused, eg, Hume Mine, which proposes coal emissions of more than HALF being applied for in Mod 8.
The risks of this Modification - which carries on til 2036 - are for a further 61 million tonnes of coal, raising the world temperature 3 degrees. United Nations urge a state of Climate Emergency, and this goes totally against this. We need to reach Zero Emissions by 2030.
These are several of many reasons that this application must be denied.
Thank you.

Please find attached a detailed submission on GHG emissions and the impact this project would have on climate change.

I am writing this submission to urge the Government not to approve any expansion to the Boggabri Idemitsu coal mine in the Leard State Forest. As I understand there are three large coal mins in the area all of which have been expanded since their original approval. These mines are already causing great hardship and concern to the Maules Creek rural community as huge areas in the forest have already been cleared and the prospect of further actions will worsen their situation as the company wants to deepen their excavation which would extend the life of the mine for a further six years. I believe that given the huge scale of the expansion it should be considered a new proposal.

The world cannot afford any new greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions especially as any new coal or gas approvals will undo the work on net-zero emission targets. Ian Lowe, Emeritus Professor from Griffith University, has stated that the Independent Planning Commission has "comprehensively failed to require mitigation of greenhouse gas emission." Consideration of conditions to mitigate GHG emissions is a requirement of all IPC decisions about coal miming and coal seem gas projects in NSW. I believe it is irresposible to do nothing about the almost 90 million tons of carbon emissions that are produced locally from new mining projects. This agreement would seem to undermine the NSW Government's roadmap which is a positive initiative. It seems that there is pretense in strong plans to counteract climate change when these types of projects are undertaken. We urgently need real, measurable and enforceable action to drive down GHG emissions produced by NSW fossil fuel projects.

Christina Smith

Denise Fitzgerald
85 Yarmouth Pde
Oxley Vale NSW 2340
8th September 2021

I write to object to the Boggabri Modification 8 submission.
By Idemitsu’s own assessment this will result in 359 million tonnes of greenhouse gases.
This is an entirely unacceptable proposition considering the current state of the world’s climate. When world leaders, religious leaders, scientists, and the United Nations are urging a rapid transition to renewables by 2030, we are headed in the opposite direction.
I have been heartened by the current NSW Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap which estimates that 90 million tonnes of emissions will be saved by 2030. However, these positive effects will be negated by the government’s continuation with coal.
The long-term financial outlook is dismal because Australia is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate heating. Any revenue raised by coal exports will be, at best, a short-term gain as the costs of more frequent and devastating climate events such as fires, floods and storms will be far greater.
Furthermore, the injustice of intergenerational inequity must be considered. Future generations will have to contend not only with the climate impacts, but also an overburdened economy. They will suffer because of our lifestyle has been unsustainable.
The local impacts on the rural community of the Boggabri, and the almost adjacent Maules Creek mines, have continued for a decade. There has resulted in loss of social cohesion, the destruction of landscape, and the altering of water resources.
In summary, the prospect of global heating and its attendant effects, the long-term financial burden, the injustice of intergenerational inequity and the diminished amenity of the locality, are all valid reasons to stop this eighth modification to the Boggabri from proceeding.

I wish to object to this modification, noting that due to the scale of the project, I believe it should have been assessed as a new project by the Independent Planning Commission.

I am a resident of NSW. Like the majority of Australians, I am concerned about the impact of greenhouse-gas induced climate change. Like the International Energy Association and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, I understand that coal must be phased out if we are to have a chance of keeping the planet below the target of 1.5 degrees of average temperature rise.

Approving expansion of this mine would extend its life to 2039, at a time when we urgently need to transition from using coal as an energy source due to its contribution of CO2 to the atmosphere. Idemitsu estimates that mining and burning of coal from the extended mine would contribute 359Mt of greenhouse gases.

Recently Federal Court Justice Mordecai Bromberg found that a duty of care is owed to future generations regarding “emissions of carbon dioxide into the Earth’s atmosphere” (https://www.afr.com/policy/energy-and-climate/judge-s-duty-of-care-ruling-blow-for-coal-20210708-p587yh) . Further, the Independent Planning Commission has just rejected Hume Coal’s expansion at Berrima for reasons including that the emissions were not justified as they will result in “intergenerational equity”.

The NSW Government has committed to a target of net zero emissions by 2050. Winding down our coal mines is essential to achieving this end. To approve the expansion of Boggabri under MOD8 at this time is to go against our responsibility to the present and future.

I write in solidarity with the Maules Creek community who will be affected by this mine extension.
I'm concerned that we need to act with urgency and cut greenhouse gas emissions to avert climate catastrophe.
I'm concerned that coal mining and processing uses a great deal of water and cuts open aquifers and water tables leading to desertification.
I'm concerned that extending an existing coal mine goes against the wishes of the majority of Australians, who want to see real action on climate change.

‘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.’ I would not like this to happen where I live.
There are three main points that concern me;
1) The immediate climate crisis
'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). '
“The Australian Academy of Science is calling on the Australian Government to accelerate Australia’s transition to net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over the next 10 to 20 years to play our part in avoiding the worst impacts of climate change.”
This mine extension is at odds with Australia's need to cut emissions over the next decade.

2) Water. Not only will a much deeper mine more profoundly affect water tables and water catchments in the area but the washing of the coal will exhaust precious water on the driest inhabited continent on earth; https://reneweconomy.com.au/australias-black-coal-industry-uses-enough-water-for-over-5-million-people-98731/

3) According to the Australia Talks survey, 84% -92% of Australians believe climate change is real, 79% believe we should take action in spite of what other larger countries might be doing and Australians favour Solar 83%, Wind 68% and Hydro 62% i.e. renewables, over Coal 12%, and Gas 19% as our energy source. Australians are alarmed about the climate crisis. The UN Secretary General “I urge all OECD countries to commit to phasing out coal by 2030”. The phase out needs to begin now, do not allow this mine to be extended.

I object to the Boggabri Mod 8 Extension because NSW’s output of greenhouse gases must be drastically reduced, not increased. This extension will cause a massive increase to Australia’s output of these gases.
This is not just my opinion. The Australian Academy of Science is calling on the Australian Government to accelerate Australia’s transition to net zero greenhouse gas emissions over the next 10 to 20 years to play our part in avoiding the worst impacts of climate change.
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). To put that in context, the whole of the greenhouse gas output of NSW in 2019 was 136.6 million tonnes.
I am outraged by the fact that this extension is even being considered. The whole coal mining industry in Australia should be being wound back, not extended. This, again, is not my opinion, but that of scientists in the field. The IPCC Report of 2021, authored by 234 top scientists from around the world, says that we can hold global warming beneath 2 degrees if we start reducing emissions now. Australia needs to reduce emissions by 75% by 2030 to bring us up to speed with other countries’ contributions to carbon reduction.
Massive opencut mines cause irreparable damage to the underground water systems in large areas around them by pollution and lowering the water table. Farms in the Boggabri region are being forced out of business by the mines. Water and food production are much more important assets to NSW that the coal industry.
I want a habitable planet and stable human societies for my grandchildren and everyone else’s grandchildren. On the day before my first granddaughter’s birth, I was arrested outside the Boggabri mine. I did not take that action lightly, and the situation today, as that little girl is about to turn seven, is even more drastic. I implore you reject this extension.

Expanding a coal mine, like exploring a new one, is a bad idea. We should do more to stop the global warming by limiting the use of fossil fuels.

I object to any further expansion of coal or gas mining in NSW. The Boggabri Coal mine MOD 8 expansion should be REJECTED on the grounds of its contribution to runaway Climate Change.

The contribution of coal mining and coal combustion to escalating Climate Change is now undeniable. The time we have left to act is very limited and there is no time left for the IPC to waste.

The impacts of Climate Change vastly outweigh any benefit that can be obtained from any coal mine expansion in NSW.

This is a simple decision and I expect the IPC to reject MOD 8 and send a message to other mining companies to wind down their operations in an orderly manner, properly rehabilitate the site and return the land to more productive uses. There is no way that the Climate Change impacts can be mitigated by 'strict' or 'stringent' conditions.

Please set the precedent that everyone wants to see.

In light of the recent IEA , IPCC and Nature journal accounts, there is an urgent consensus that to stay within 2C of global warming there cannot be any expansion of fossil fuel extraction. For Australia this is critical as we are already at 1.4 C of warming above pre- industrial levels. As evidenced by our most recent climate induced events around the world, catastrophic climate events are happening at a rate not predicted.
To grant an extension to this mine is both a moral and environmental betrayal. Already we are seeing such an act as declared by courts as unlawful in constituting a dereliction of duty towards future generations of citizens.

Knitting Nannas New England Northwest
We object to this modification, the volume of additional coal proposed is large enough for the modification to be treated as an extension project and require a new State Significant Development. Knitting Nannas often meet at Maules Creek. We have witnessed the dry water wells and bores on farmers properties during the drought. Farming families showering and doing laundry in town, as their wells did not have sufficient water. The Namoi River and Maules Creek ceased flowing, but the coal mines were never short of water. We are also very concerned about the unlawful surface water management system currently in operation at the Boggabri mine and intended to be extended by this modification. Whitehaven were found guilty of breaching water regulations, and it now appears that Boggabri Coal are also in breach of its surface water management plan, also the Water Management Act 2000. Coal mining has altered and degraded the landscape of Leard Forest, which was previously labelled Tier 1 biodiversity- cannot sustain further damage. Each of the four large mines in the vicinity has expanded its operations since securing initial approval from NSW authorities, with the number of modifications now topping two dozen. These modifications have cumulatively increased the environmental and social impacts of these mining operations. The cumulative impact of the mine expansion in Leard Forest must be considered. The many Modifications have had major impacts on the water security, environment, and the farming families. Boggabri mine is seeking approval to mine an extra 61.6 million tonnes of coal and extend its operation for six years to 2039. This is not compatible with reducing Australia’s emissions to meet the loosest of goals Mining and burning coal from the extended mine will result in 359 million tonnes of greenhouse gases according to the assessment provided by the proponent and we understand that 152.4 million tonnes of this would be directly attributable to the modification. We urge the Department to reject this modification.
Maps for Mod 8 show streams flowing into the mine, this indicates that Boggabri mine is not complying with its current surface water management plan, as admitted in the mine’s 2020 Annual Review. The current (2017) Surface Water Management Plan for the mine only commits to using clean water diversion or high wall dams to prevent clean water entering the mine “where feasible.”
It is not clear from the information supplied where water comes from, or how it is used. With climate change previous rainfall records are not a useful in predicting rainfall in future years. The Department of Planning must take this into account when increasing water allocations or modifying conditions for the coal mines in Leard Forest. Mines must be held accountable when they steal water, and do not comply with their water plans. Harvesting surface water starves farmers and Maules Creek residents of their previously reliable water source. This is not acceptable and mod 8 must not be approved.

Dear Members of the Dept. of Planing,

The world cannot afford any new GHG emissions. Mining and burning coal from the extended mine will result in 359Mt of GHG, according to Idemitsu. Recently the Vickery federal court case found that every new mine approval contributes to new emissions. The IPC recently rejected Hume Coal’s application, because the emissions were ‘not justified’ and would result in ‘intergenerational inequity’. NSW new coal and gas approvals will undo the work on net-zero emissions targets.

The landscape and environment surrounding this mine will be degraded forever. The rural community of Maules Creek do not have the need for this modification to be imposed on them. It is prime agriculture land.

Because of the scale of this modification by Idemitsu, it should be a new proposal requiring an EIS etc.

It is wholly inappropriate for this modification to be approved.

Yours sincerely,
Henry Dangar

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