Bengalla Coal Mine - Continuation

I support thr Bengalla Continuation of Mining Project, I have lived in the muswellbrook area for 44 years and am pleased with the support Bengalla gives to the community. I believe the mine is good for the community and this continuation of mining will support the local community through employment for local people and jobs for the young citizens through apprenticeships.

I am a relatively new resident of the town of Muswellbrook as I only moved to the Upper Hunter in February of 2013. In the 8 months that I have lived in the area, it is easily observed that Muswellbrook has a big connection with the surrounding coal mines, notably, Bengalla Mine (Rio Tinto) and Mt Arthur (BHP). Both of these company's logos can be seen all over the town, from the main shopping centre, to the golf club, to the sports ground.

The mining industry in and around Muswellbrook creates an astounding amount of economic activity and is the lifeblood of the borough. The companies that operate these mines are proud of the work and activity that they provide in the region and strive to maintain a close and open relationship with the community.

I believe that this development proposal deserves my upmost support. There is a much bigger picture to take into account when considering the impact on Muswellbrook and the surrounding area if Bengalla mine were to shut operations in 2017. It is not just the immediate employees one must consider, but also everyone and everything involved in supporting the mine. One must also consider the jobs and activity that come from supporting everyone that is involved with the mine. Hair dressers, teachers, supermarkets, pharmacists, doctors, nurses, restaurants; the list goes on. I know for a fact that Bengalla employs mostly local workers, and these workers have a strong and proud connection with the surrounding area.

Roughly 70% of the world's electricity comes from fossil fuel sources. With recent incidents in the nuclear industry turning people away from the power of the atom, thermal coal is a commodity that will be in demand for decades to come. Why not let the Upper Hunter and Muswellbrook reap the economic benefits of a strong mining industry? With the Hunter Valley having some of the strictest enviromental regulations in the world, I am highly confident that Muswellbrook and Bengalla Mining can have a synergic and sustainable relationship for the foreseeable future beyond 2017.

TC

I have been an employee at Bengalla Mine for the past 3.5 years and more recently my husband has been employed at Bengalla also. This mine provides us with both stable employment and a sense of community.

I am a very proud employee of Bengalla and have volunteered at many community events including; working with local schools, planting trees in the local Muswellbrook community and assisting Bengalla showcase our site at the Bengalla Open Days in 2010 and 2012.

Bengalla provides a large amount of local employment and support to the local Muswellbrook community. If this continuation project was not approved then our 400 employees and additional contractors and suppliers will not be employed and may subsequently leave the local area. I own a house in Muswellbrook and the value of our property would also be impacted if local residents were to move out of the area if Bengalla project was not to go ahead. I can speak for both me and my husband of the impact to our family if this project was not continued.

Bengalla's focus on environmental impacts is that of best practice. Each and every employee and contractor on this site is committed to ensuring that the environmental impact is minimal to our local neighbours and community.

Please consider how important Bengalla is to not only the employees and contractors that work there, but also our local community and the future for our children.

I would like to congratulate the team at Bengalla for a very comprehensive exhibition for there extension. I support the application and know from experience the efforts of all at Bengalla to comply with their current development consent.
Keep up the good work.

I am resident in Muswellbrook, and have been since 1997. My house is in full view of the rehabilitated Bengalla Mine Eastern Dump Face. My bedroom is on the Western side and I would like to register that I have never heard any noise or suffered any disturbance whatsoever emanating from Bengalla Mine.

If measurable airborne material generated by the mine does reach Muswellbrook, there has been no discernible degradation here since before the mine commenced however I was acutely aware of a change for the worse visiting a Brisbane Suburb recently. Neither my two children nor myself nor my wife has experienced any respiratory problems.

Both I and my son have separately found employment at Bengalla Mine and have enjoyed working there for some years, as the remuneration and employment conditions are exemplary. I am aware of Bengalla's requirement for additional reserves and the development intentions disclosed in this EIS and fully support their application.

I believe that the continuing positive contribution made by this and other mines in the area has been significant in improving the quality of life for local residents.

Muswellbrook as a place to reside would be significantly impoverished if developments of this nature were rejected or if significant modifications or additional constraints and burdens were imposed on such Mining Projects.

I have work for BMC for over 8years, and hope to contuniue this for many more to come.
In my time here I have seen the support that the company gives to employees/suppliers but also in a very large way the community of the upper hunter. It's a flow on effect every one in my work goup lives locally and supports the local economy through there employment at BMC. I have worked in a number of differant industries durring my career and I feel that BMC does see it from both sides of the fence when it comes to enviromental and community issues, they set the standards high.
The company plays a big part in employing/promoting youth in a number of scolarships and a very good apprenticship program.

I would like to see mines that are in operation keep operating, rather than a number of smaller mines start up in other new areas.

Muswellbrook and surrounding areas benefit from the jobs and association provided by Bengalla. Many families are reliant on the income generated by employment and trade with Bengalla.

I have not been negatively impacted by the current mine activity and would like to see them continue.

I have operated a Horse stud for 19 years, only 4 klms down river(Hunter) from Bengalla mine and can honestly say as a close neighbour, I've never needed to contact the mine over -noise ,dust, blasting, river water quality or any other impact on my property or the quality of my way of life. In the 15 years that Bengalla have been mining, they appear to have taken seriously ,the high standard of their environmental responsibility by the fact of very minimal approval breaches in that time. Muswellbrook has gained many benefits over the life of Bengalla and hopefully the future, including increased employment and business opportunities, sponsorship of many sporting and charitable organisations . With the direction of the development to continue west and away from town, any further impact would have to be a great deal less, going on Bengalla's record and past history. This must be seen as very positive, for this consent application to be approved .

It is important for the continuation of Bengalla Mine for the next 21 years not only for my employment but for the number of people the mine employs and the number of people it will employ and for the business and partnerships that benifit from the mine in the area and region.
Its continuing surport of sponsorship, scholarships and donations to our schools and organisations within the community and region is of great importance.
The mine is heading in a westward direction away from the township of Muswellbrook witch would be benifitial for that.
I strongly surport the continuation plan of bengalla mine.

Thankyou Mark Lawrence

I am in favour of Bengalla to continue mining well into the future,as they provide alot of employment to the region.Bengalla provides money to local schools and various sporting teams,I am involved with a few sporting asociations and without Bengallas funding woudn't exist.Without the mines in the area Muswellbrook will become a ghost town.I think muswellbrook region is perfect for mining as the topsoil in the region is very shallow and poor.

hi, my name is mikayla and im 11 years old,
and im from muswellbrook south public school
bengalla mine helps our school out by fundrasing us,
it gives us the money to go on really cool excursions, get super cool sporting equipment.
i also play lots of sport on the weekend and bengalla sponsors lots of teams.

hi there, i go to Muswellbrook High School and Bengalla is our main sponsor of our school. They host career days for our school and surrounding schools in this area which is very beneficial to all students.

I Support the continuation of Bengalla's mining project

I would like to record my support for Bengalla Mining Company Continuation of Mining Application. I am a homeowner and live in Muswellbrook. My house is approximately less than six kilometers from the actual mining site. Bengalla is a terrific supporter of Muswellbrook community and their continuation of Mining assists with the development of our town. In addition it provides opportunities for my children to have gainful employment as Bengalla supports many local business through their day-to-day operations. Without Bengalla's continuation many jobs, businesses and property values will be put at risk. I trust that they may continue into the future. Yours sincerely Linda Korman

I have been working at Bengalla since 2006 and support this proposal to continue to operate Bengalla. During this time I have seen a very proactive approach taken by Bengalla to safety, environmental management and community engagement.

Examples of the community support and engagement include the completion of the Bengalla Link Road upgrade at a cost of almost $8 million, support for the Muswellbrook show, Muswellbrook Open Art Prize, Muswellbrook PCYC, Bengalla Race Day, and the Upper Hunter Wine and Food Affair. Bengalla opens its doors to the public every two years with a community open day which includes a bus tour of the mine, to improve the public's knowledge of the mine and allow people to ask questions about the mining operation. It also allows for a close interaction between Bengalla personnel and the community to hear and respond to any concerns.

From an environmental perspective Bengalla have proven the ability to operate in an environmentally sensitive manner. This includes the use of sound attenuated equipment, a Real Time Environmental Monitoring System, ISO 14001 certified environmental management system and timely completion of rehabilitation (including the Eastern overburden emplacement area closest to town).

The development proposal outlined will allow the continuation of Bengalla Mine to occur. The proposal involves Bengalla moving West (away from Muswellbrook) while continuing to use the same mining methods to continue to operate in a safe and environmentally responsible manner. The proposal involves mining on land owned by Bengalla and Coal & Allied. It also involves utilising the existing infrastructure with some upgrades to continue to operate efficiently.

The existing workforce (myself included) need this proposal to be approved to continue to have a job. I live in Muswellbrook with my wife and young family. If this proposal is not successful then we would probably need to leave Muswellbrook to seek work.

It is my view that the proposal should be supported to allow the continuation of Bengalla Mine. Bengalla continues to be a responsible corporate citizen and it is important that the operation is allowed to continue.

To whom I may concern,
I strongly believe that the continuation of the Bengalla mine should be approved on the basis of the information given at public exhibition.

I want Bengalla to get the extension of mining as i am employed by Bengalla and my wife has started a business in Muswellbrook and she also volunteers at local charities in muswellbrook. We moved here 2 years ago and love it , my children go to St James school and it would be a great shame to have to leave the area if approvals are not given to Bengalla. They are a great company to work for and do a lot for the local community. We live only 8 minutes from the mine and it is great to see all the rehabilitation work going on as the mine progresses further to the west away from town. In closing we wish to live here and contribute to the local economy for many more years so we need the approval to be able to do that.

I support the Proposed Bengalla Continuation Plan.
I am employed at Bengalla as a Mining Engineer and I have worked here for 5 years. I live in Muswellbrook with my wife and children. I would like to see Bengalla continue as it provides the local community with employment opportunities and generous donations. Both missing would present a serious impact on the Muswellbrook and surroundings way of life.

My Name is Amy Harburg and I support the continuation of Bengalla Mine. I have been an employee of the mine for the past six years and hope to continue to work there and live in the community into the future. My experience of working at Bengalla Mine is of a very safe workplace that has a major emphasis on environmental management. The site also is a large contributor to the community through the community development fund and community events like the Bengalla Bird Watch Event, Bengalla Cup at the Muswellbrook Race Club and the many other local community event organised, funded and run by the Bengalla Mine. The standard of environmental management at the site has proven to be of a high standard and the rehabilitation is very progressive.
I support the continuation of Bengalla Mine.

I support the continuation & expansion of Bengalla Mine. It provides much needed jobs for the area.