Mandalong Southern Extension (Mod 1)

The proposal to mine coal in and under the Mandalong Valley, and further south under the Dooralong Valley and under Wyong Creek, should be rejected. The mine should not receive planning approval in any form.

The damage that will be caused to the rock strata under these valleys and watercourses from long wall mining will be ecologically and economically significant, and irreversible.

The warming caused by atmospheric carbon emissions from burning the coal will be long lasting, leading to irreversible damage to ecological and economic systems, and adding to the social dislocation and disaster already unfolding.

There is no imperative to extract the coal - there are better clean alternatives, meaning the coal should (and can) be left in the ground.

Refuse the application altogether.

To whom it may concern,

In reference to the TransGrid's TL24 power line and stanchion relocation project submission TL 24 relocation process. I refer to Mandalong Transmission Line TL24 relocation Project Flora and Fauna assessment. The Intersection location of the Infrastructure road design for the Southern Lease Extension Project of Mandalong road, TSC Act 1995 and the RPS(2013)and (2014) EPBC Act 1999 did not identify any impact upon any threatened species. There for it was not necessary to engage the EPBC Act. A Matters Search was undertaken within the DoE online Database on the 1st of July 2015, threatened flora for the Project may now include Melaleuca Biconvexa of which is on the EPBC list. I believe the first Preliminary Design for Proposed Intersection on Mandalong Road has been unable to comply with Council requirements Guide to Road Design Part4A. The road design Plan is now being assessed by Council in a Northern location approx 90m from the original site location next to the northern boundary . The vicinity of the proposed Infrastructure Road Intersection and road location that will provide access for the whole of the project i.e. TransGrid's TL24 and Mandalong South Surface Site may now need to refer to the EPBC Act 1999 if the new Intersection and Road Design trigger the Act. Should there be ongoing mapping in the locations of flora and fauna that are detected in the TL24 and infrastructure locations, with protection these communities tend to regenerate and expand. I believe this species has been mapped by Vegetation surveys and Ground Truthing by RPS (2013) and (2014) and locations documented of the species in the vicinity of the said areas. Previous harsh farming practices affected the regeneration of the species in these locations. With new practices applied we are now seeing regrowth in these areas. Please reference Development Consent Mandalong Southern Lease Extension Project,Traffic and Transport 24 (a) and (b). The proposed intersection may now also be located in part of the flood plain. There is a significant flood drainage area in the gully that flows from the adjacent mountain that collects in the proposed Intersection location. Flooding in this location may need to be considered. Is previous reference to the EPBC Act still valid and correct in consideration to Centennials TL24 review and approval process. I would also like to identify that the flood studies by Umwelt 2013 flood modelling and GHD 2015 i believe failed to complete flood profiling on the western side of 943 Mandalong rd Mandalong of which is identified in the TL24 location of stanchions as four of the twelve towers are located on this property. I identified the inconsistency of the flood studies in a submission on the EIS for the Southern Lease Extension Process. Should these studies need to be correct through these assessment processes. I have tried to understand information provided to the community to the best of my abilities.