Bango Wind Farm

I think the most important reason to approve the Bango Wind Farm is because the energy it produces will contribute to the RET for Australia and NSW. Providing power to 140,000 homes is a significant way of reducing our reliance on the burning of fossil fuels.
The location of this wind farm is ideal because of the strong and consistent wind in the region. Because ridges and valleys are a feature of the landscape, only parts of the wind farm will be visible to the viewer at any one time.
It is of great benefit to the local farmers who will receive payments either in lease payments or through neighbour agreements which will help them become more financially resilient in the years when drought or falling commodity prices affect their income.
The wind farm will boost the local economy through jobs associated with the construction and maintenance of the turbines as well as people who live in the area. It has the capacity to inject millions of dollars into the local economy for decades.
Importantly as well, water in the local rivers and creeks will remain untouched as the wind turbines do not require water in their operation unlike coal mines which require vast amounts of water.

We think the most important reason the Bango Wind Farm should be approved is because the energy it produces will contribute to the RET for Australia and NSW. Providing power to 140,000 homes is a significant way of reducing our reliance on the burning of fossil fuels.

Australia needs to rapidly move from fossil fuels for our energy production to renewable energy if we are to meet our obligations from the Paris agreement. Also, if the NSW State government wishes to reach its zero emissions target, these types of projects are crucial.

The location of this wind farm is ideal because of the strong and consistent wind in the region. Because ridges and valleys are a feature of the landscape, only parts of the wind farm will be visible to the viewer at any one time.

The wind farm will boost the local economy through jobs associated with the construction and maintenance of the turbines as well as people who live in the area. It has the capacity to inject millions of dollars into the local economy for decades.

Importantly as well, water in the local rivers and creeks will remain untouched as the wind turbines do not require water in their operation unlike coal mines which require vast amounts of water.

Uploaded below

To who it may concern

Wind Energy is a big part of the Renewable mix and as such all wind farm projects should be approved with out fail.
I am part of a big wind project in the Coolah Valley. These projects have a lot more positives than negitives.
Lets get on with it.

I am delighted to hear of the planned Bango Wind Farm Project. I am a huge supporter of clean energy and look forward to the day when all our energy needs are met by sun, wind, geothermal and other natural sources. A wind farm near Yass would be a fantastic addition as it is near to where I live and I hope some of my power needs will come from this infrastructure. As a rural farmer I hope that one day wind and solar energy will be so cheap to set up for each home that everyone in a rural community will be 'off grid' apart from generating energy to feed into the grid.

Dear Sirs
I am writing to express my full support for the Bango Windfarm . I am a farmer from the local region and a beneficiary of the positive economic effects Windfarms bring to rural communities. It is through my own family's experience that I can state that the positive outcomes for land holders in the location of the Windfarm far outweigh the visual imposition on the landscape. I support renewable energy projects as an alternative to coal fired power production as a means of reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions. As a farmer my family's commercial fortunes are directly influenced by climate and climate change. Climate science has identified future goals to minimise global warming , which is the main driver of the length and frequency of drought conditions in Suoth Eastern Australia, I believe that to achieve these goals we need to use our best endeavours to meet our renewable energy targets. Building more windfarms in appropriate areas will help us achieve the aforementioned goals and targets.
Yours Sincerely
Matthew Donoghoe.

Our submission in support as attached.

I oppose the Bango Wind Farm.

The proximity of a wind turbine development so close to a community is not acceptable. Particularly this one, which will using turbines larger than any ever used in Australia. I object to the fact that they are so close to a school. I object to the noise that we will subjected to when we chose to live in a place that had no noise. I object that we, as a community, simply have no choice. I object that the rural village of Rye Park and it's outlying farms will be surrounded by 200 or more 200 metre industrial turbines being Rye Park and Bango Wind Farms.

From a personal perspective I object even more strongly to the Bango Wind Farm.

We will be surrounded on three sides by turbines. There is nowhere on our property that we will not see them. The only rooms in our house where we will not see them are the bathroom and the toilet. Surely this saturation can't be allowed to happen.

Having said that, according to the EIS Part 3 Visual Significance Ratings, our visual significance is Low-Nil/Low and our cumulative LVIA Rating is Moderate-Low.

Hillview Lane, (an access road) which runs adjacent to our property, is not mentioned in Wind Farm Site Access Locations and has no significant mention anywhere in the EIS. Yet on Figure 3.2 it is clearly shown as an oversize vehicle transport route and the only access to the north east cluster of 5 turbines and a batching plant. See Appendix 14 Traffic and Transport Assessment.

I would request that the five turbines in the north east corner - those closet to Rye Park School - NOT be approved.

The LVIA should be rejected. Please see attached.

We need a world that stops burning coal. Wind energy is a means to secure our national economic strategic interest and maintain financial viability of our regional centres. We simply need more wind towers to meet our energy demands.

Please see uploaded docs

Please see attached PDF

See Attached PDF

I object to the turbines being so close to the village of Rye Park. Apart from the visual amenity and the noise exposure and the cumulative impact of two large wind farms, there is also the risk of grass fires.

I am concerned regarding the size of the proposed turbines as these have never been tested in Australia and as such would have no set standards - if, in fact, there are such things. Obviously the visibility will be greater and I assume there would be a difference in noise impacts also. But how can a study on noise impact be done without a subject? Does this then make Rye Park an experiment/guinea pig?

The excess traffic and type of traffic to which our local roads and residents will be subject from the Bango Wind Farm, is in no way acceptable. But what is even more disturbing is that there is every possibility that both the Rye Park and the Bango Wind Farm will be under construction concurrently. This would mean that the village of Rye Park and it's outlying farms, would be surrounded by the noise, traffic and dust and disturbance from not one, but two, of the biggest major wind farm projects in Australia. I just don't see how this can be allowed to happen. If, on the other hand, the two developments were to run consecutively, Rye Park would be subject to at least 4 years of continuous construction and all that goes with it.

We are aware that CWP Renewable's Taralga Wind Farm has had ongoing problems with residents' television reception, even though the EIS for Taralga stated that problems were not likely to occur. From that we can only surmise that the same situation will occur here. Particularly as we have two Wind Farms for signals to traverse.

In Rye Park,we rely heavily on our UHF radios. We have non existent/extremely poor, mobile phone service When our telephones go out, or there is a fire, or storm, our contact is all by UHF radio, Our volunteer firefighters receive and return information from the base station in the village and information is passed between tankers, trucks, assisting fire crews from outside areas and residents who are on stand by for assistance. This is a service that cannot be interfered with at any time or in any way. It is essentially a lifeline for Rye Park.

In Traffic and Transport, page 11, 3.2.1 Wind Farm Site Access Locations there is no mention of the access point at Hillview Lane. In fact, considering it is an access point, there is hardly any mention of Hillview Lane in the entire document. It is, however, shown on the map of Transport Routes. Hillview Lane is the Access Point to the 5 turbines and batching plant/rock crusher at the north east corner of the development. There is no mention at all of the condition of the road/lane except for the fact that the entrance would need to be altered. We do not understand why this access point of 2.5kms is not included with the others. Hillview Lane is maintained by Boorowa Council, now Hilltops Council and as such, should have been discussed with both parties, as I am sure the other access points - unless they were on private property - were.

Our property and our home will be impacted enormously by the Bango Wind Farm and the Rye Park Wind Farm. We will see turbines from every angle on our property. And in our home, we will see turbines through every window except the bathroom and toilet.

Our home will be saturated by wind turbines. Approx 200 turbines, of a size never seen before in Australia will swamp the small village of Rye Park and Its surrounding farms. We, personally, will probably be one of the most impacted, non-involved landholders, by the number of turbines being erected around us.

Our right to the lifestyle we chose will be denied us. We will be forced to live under conditions which we never would have chosen. Wind farms should never be approved so close to residential areas. Whether they be small rural villages or larger towns.

Hillview Lane runs adjacent to our property, and approx 200 metres from our house, so during construction, we will be seriously subjected to oversize vehicles, noise, dirt and dust, not to mention the visual aspect on three sides of our property.

When we spoke to the sound expert at the last open day held by CWP in Boorowa, he didn't seem to know what impact the sound of two adjacent wind farms would have on the people in between. This in itself is disturbing because his report in the EIS states there is no problem.
So now, as well as the visual aspect, which is unacceptable in that we cannot be anywhere on our property or within our home without seeing turbines, we also have the noise factor to contend with. And after looking at the EIS figure of cumulative noise from Rye Park WF and Bango WF it would appear that we are very close to the crossover point - if CWP's noise "expert" is correct.

The main things that concern usregarding the village are the visual aspect, traffic and transport at the construction phase, local road deterioration, communications, and aviation. We have seen no definite or acceptable answers in the EIS to any of these concerns.

But the things that disturb us greatly are the fact that we, at Glenwood, will be saturated by two windfarms and what the cumulative effect of these developments will be and how they will impact our lives. We don't believe that the answers we want are in the EIS and they certainly weren't forthcoming from any open days held by CWP, so we have no idea where to find them. Once these turbines are erected and operational, it's too late anyway.

In conclusion, I would like to state that in our opinion, the Mt Buffalo cluster should not be approved. And at the very least, the cluster of 5, and associated batching plant at the northeast corner of the project, should not be approved.

Effect on the children at Rye Park Primary school.
The proposed Bango wind turbines to the east of Rye Park village combined with the Rye Park windfarm proposal to west of the village of Rye Park, puts approximately 33 turbines within 5km of the village, including the village primary school. No mention is found in any proposal documents to address the possibility that they may be doing harm to our children.
Dr Nina Piermont (2010) states that "the presence of noise in the environment degraded how these children's brains processed language sounds, which in turn degraded their ability to learn to read. It wasn't that the noise just kept them from hearing things they needed to learn; the noise actually harmed their brain's ability to process language". She went on to state "over 90% of my sample of affected people, both adults and children had cognitive difficulties during wind turbine exposure--problems that lingered and resolved slowly after exposure ended. These included difficulties with reading, math, spelling, writing, multitasking in kitchen and home, remembering a series of errands, maintaining a train of thought in a telephone conversation, following the plot of a TV show, following recipes, and following directions to put together furniture." Professor Arline Bronzaft (2011) states "based on our knowledge of the harmful effects of noise on children's health and the growing body of evidence to suggest the potential harmful effects of industrial wind turbine noise, it is strongly urged that further studies be conducted on the impacts of industrial wind turbines on their health, as well as the health of their parents, before forging ahead in siting industrial wind turbines".

Researchers, commissioned by Pacific Hydro and reported last year, took sound measurements near the company's Cape Bridgewater wind farm, in south-west Victoria. A correlation was recorded between the noise made by the turbine and the sensations felt by residents. It was the first time reactions like this had been included in a wind farm study."What we found was that previously they were complaining about the noise, but it wasn't really the noise, it was sensations." Pacific Hydro external affairs executive manager Andrew Richards said it was not the company's role to contribute further reports about the noise made by wind turbines, including medical studies.
Statements by Rye Park windfarm proponents that the NHMRC reported that there is no evidence that wind farms cause medical problems is incorrect. NHMRC actually states that `given the poor quality of current direct evidence and the concern expressed by some members of the community, high quality research into possible health effects of wind farms... is warranted." NHMRC Statement: Evidence on Wind Farms and Human Health February 2015 NHMRC ref # EH57. This research should go one step further and investigate the specific effects on childrens' brains of the cumulative effect of so many turbines in close proximity. Have this many industrial wind turbines been built in such close proximity to a school of any kind let alone a primary school?
Piermont N., (2010) PhD Keynote address before the "First International Symposium on the Global Wind Industry and Adverse Health Effects: Loss of Social Justice?" in Picton, Ontario, Canada, October 30.
Bronzaft , AL., (2011), The Noise From Wind Turbines: Potential Adverse Impacts on Children's Well-Being, Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society 31(4) 291-295

I reserve the right to submit further submissions

I would like to state I have many major concerns about the proposed wind turbines. Our property is situated in the valley between 2 proposed wind farms with one being sited 3km to the west (Bango Wind Farm,122 turbines) and another one 3km to the east of our home (Rye Park Wind Farm,109 turbines). Our property is not only our home but also our workplace and livelihood as we run a sheep stud.

A major concern relates physically to our inability to live on the property due to reported ill-health caused by the effects of the wind turbines. The magnitude of possible health effects is not known as there are no conclusive research studies into the cumulative effects of being exposed to multi-directional industrial turbines and certainly not to the high number of turbines proposed in this area (231 total). With us being surrounded by these huge structures (the proposed Bango turbines are 200m and the Rye Park ones 157m tall) regardless which direction the wind is blowing from we will be impacted by them. The Trustpower EA (proponents for the Rye Park Wind Farm) states that the NHMRC reported that there is no evidence that wind farms cause medical problems. However the NHMRC actually states that:
"After careful consideration and deliberation of the body of evidence, NHMRC concludes that there is currently no consistent evidence that wind farms cause adverse health effects in humans. Given the poor quality of current direct evidence and the concern expressed by some members of the community, high quality research into possible health effects of wind farms, particularly within 1,500 metres (m), is warranted." NHMRC Statement: Evidence on Wind Farms and Human Health February 2015 NHMRC ref # EH57.
The NHMRC CEO Professor Anne Kelso stated that "existing research in this area is of poor quality and targeted funding is warranted to support high quality independent research on this issue". The operative words being "high quality" and "independent" as most of the opinions quoted by wind farm proponents are made by `interested parties' with no medical qualification only a degree in sociology. The Nov 2014 judgement of the Environment Resources and Development Court of South Australia is cited by other wind farm proponents as proof that detrimental health effects of wind farms do not exist. In this case, an `expert' witness Professor Wittert referred to a study which looked at all 51 Australian wind farms with a total of 1634 turbines. Professor Wittert (an endocrinologist) who undertook the `research' said that the methodology in the study was robust. A search in Google Scholar identified that this `research' was conducted by accessing data from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme to compare medical prescriptions of people living in areas with and without turbines. This study purportedly involved 12,000 people living within a 10km radius around wind farms in South Australia and Victoria and concluded that "There is no hint of any effect on a population basis for an increased use of sleeping pills or blood pressure or cardiovascular medications whatsoever". This cannot be classed as robust research as for this to be relevant the groups compared would have to be identical in all aspects including physical, psychological and socio-economic. Other writers have described Professor Gary Wittert as the paid medical expert for Acciona.
Researchers, commissioned by Pacific Hydro, took sound measurements near the company's Cape Bridgewater wind farm, in south-west Victoria. A correlation was recorded between the noise made by the turbine and the sensations felt by residents. It was the first time reactions like this had been included in a wind farm study."What we found was that previously they were complaining about the noise, but it wasn't really the noise, it was sensations." Pacific Hydro external affairs executive manager Andrew Richards said it was not the company's role to contribute further reports about the noise made by wind turbines, including medical studies.
$3 million in research grants has been allocated and surely no approvals for these projects should be given until the research has been presented.

I reserve the right to submit further submissions

I would like to state I have many major concerns about the proposed wind turbines. Our property is situated in the valley between 2 proposed wind farms with one being sited 3km to the west (Bango Wind Farm,122 turbines) and another one 3km to the east of our home (Rye Park Wind Farm,109 turbines). Our property is not only our home but also our workplace and livelihood as we run a sheep stud.

One of our concerns relates to the loss of visual amenity. The proposed Bango turbines are 200m and the Rye Park ones 157m tall. Even though the Bango Windfarm proponents state that we will not see the project from our residence, the turbines will be clearly seen from much of the property. When combined with the blatant visual effect of the Rye Park Windfarm which will be seen from our residence as well as the vast majority of our property, there will be nowhere that the wind turbines do not intruded on our visual enjoyment of our home and property. CWF's statement that `there are no specific references to designations or policies which indicate or recognize a `high value' landscapes' (page 47) they are a high value to us and the imposition of 230 wind turbines will be a huge blot on our views devastating our enjoyment of the landscape from every direction. There will be no escape from the sight or the sound of them thus they will destroy the joy of living and working on our property.

I reserve the right to submit further submissions

I object to the `Bango' Windfarm on the grounds that it is a misnomer that can be seen as a ploy to fool the people who will be most affected by the windfarm into believing that they are not even close to the area they will be built in and, as such, will reduce the number of people who will submit objections. The EA describes the project as being "20 km north of Yass, 7 km south-east of Boorowa, 4 km south-west of Rye Park". Even if the project was originally going to start near Bango, which has a very low number of residents, it still should have been called the Boorowa Wind Farm to demonstrate transparency of purpose.

I reserve the right to submit further submissions

Please see attached letter of objection.

I strongly dissaprove of the costruction of the Bango Windfarm, NSW.

My concerns are as follows:

* Disturbance of large vehicles, on the small country roads, safety and noice an issue.

* Destruction of the natural habitat for wild life and birds.

* Movement of sheep and cattle on roads is essential ,and will be disrupted due to vehicles/trucks on roads.

* Large amount of bushland cleared resulting in big amounts of erosion in the area and surrounds.

* Fire control would not be as affective.

* There are 200 residents living in and around the village of Rye Park ,which I feel will affect there lifestyle/health which will be so heavely impacted from this construction.

* If the Bango Windfarm is constructed I beleive Rye Park as it is and always has been ,will ultimately be destroyed both physically and in spirit of a country village.

*The constructions of the Bango Windfarm is a disaster waiting to happen.