Maules Creek Continuation Project

Dear Assessor,

We cannot afford to extend this mine for 10 more years. The emissions it will produce will make climate change more extreme. What is the point of the NSW and Federal Governments setting net zero targets and not honouring them?

We also can't afford loss of biodiversity such as the Swift Parrot, and other species and ecosystems that live within Leard State Forest.

I strongly oppose the Maule Creek Continuation Project.

The United Nations Secretary General has strongly suggested no new coal mines or extensions to coal mines and the International Court of Justice has warned those that do may be subject to expensive litigation from Island States. And, in a peer reviewed scientific document, it states that 70% of our atmospheric oxygen comes form the ocean, but climate change could stop such production causing massive asphyxiation on Earth. As there already exists today massive oceanic dead zones hundreds of square kilometers in size, this threat to atmospheric oxygen is very real. These arguments, ought to supply sufficient argument to halt further coal mine extensions.

I should not have to be writing a submission such as this: we are our time in our human history when we cannot but help know that continued damage of the environment plus the use of fossil fuels is detrimental to the future of the planet.
For a government to be giving approval a mining project that will not start until 2034 seems completely illogical; this approval would be locking in ongoing destruction until 2044.
We are at a tipping point in human history When environmental destruction combined with fossil fuel use will lead us to a tipping point from which we will not be able to return within our lifetimes the tipping point likely create a cascade of extinctions human beings birds animals insects fish all life.
The NSW Goverment, has a job, like all governments to care for the sacred, to step in and prevent such trigger points arising. While this behaviour is in reality non existent (the saving of the Franklin River an exception). I write in the hope that I could see it again in my lifetime and that it could arise in NSW.
The expansion of this mine will cause the clearing of 500 hectares of key foraging habitat for swift parrots, it will also cause the clearing of 428 hectares of Leard State Forest which undoubtedly is home to thousands of creatures. Swift parrots are an endangered species, but not but it should not matter whether a species is endangered or not, their homes should not be destroyed.
To clear over 46% of the Leard State Forest to allow for coal mines to extend is unfathomable, it is basically allowing nature to be destroyed to allow for ongoing profit.
To add to the risk of this proposal Whitehaven Coal has an appalling compliance record. They have been found guilty of numerous breaches on 35 occasions and they have been prosecuted numerous times. They cannot be trusted to care for the environment if in fact there are any restrictions put in place.
This project puts at risk the local community and its water supplies; Whitehaven has already been prosecuted for stealing water at the Maules Creek coal mine. And it is known that underground coal mines suck water from beneath local creeks and groundwater that is used to supply water to farmers and wildlife.
The impact on a changing climate from both the emissions from the mine itself, the extra coal that will be dug from the ground and burned for energy in tandem with the destruction of natural habitats ­—which are climate regulating systems— this proposal is a disaster.
Whitehaven Coal must be required to fully assess the impacts of downstream emissions from this project on the local environment and the community. Proper attribution science must be applied. None of this has been done in the current EIS.
Permission for this expansion should not be given.

As a concerned citizen and a retired Science teacher, I would like to say I do not support the further expansion of the Maules Creek Continuation Project. Whitehaven Coal has an appalling compliance record. In the last 10 years, Whitehaven has been found guilty or investigated for breaches of the law on 35 occasions, many of them including multiple offences. They have been prosecuted numerous times. They are not a company to trust destroying State Forests and following the guidelines.
It is way too early to provide further extensions to this coal mine this far in advance. The decision should be left for at least another 5 years to see what the world will be doing then as the energy market is changing rapidly. This will help Whitehaven not to have a White Elephant of an asset.
This project will clear over 500 hectares of key foraging habitat for the Swift Parrot, despite only 500 of them remaining in the wild, and will push the species closer to extinction. This is a key site for Swifties and must not be put at risk.
The project will also clear a further 428 hectares of the beautiful Leard State Forest, resulting in over 46% of the State Forest having been cleared in total for three coal mines. Our scarce and precious public lands should not be destroyed for coal mine profits.
This expansion poses a major risk to local water resources – it will suck down
water beneath local creeks and the groundwater used by farmers to water their
stock. Whitehaven has already been prosecuted for stealing water at the Maules
Ck coal mine at the height of the last drought.
We need to use our valuable land for farming not for mining company profits. The financial benefits for NSW from this coal mine are so small to be ludicris!
Please do not give the go ahead for this project at this time.
Respectfully,
Dennis Nickell

I object to this mine expandingas it apparentlywill destroy the habitat of the Swift Parrots. Over the last century we have caused the decline of so many native animals and birds so it is time to save one species by not expanding this mine. I am not against coal mining .

The Government should not be approving this project now or ever. It's not proposed to start until 2024, however is getting an approval in before laws are strengthened.
500 hectares of swift parrot habitat are to be cleared which will put the parrots at risk of entinction.they will also clear a further 428 hectares of the beautiful Leard State Forest, resulting in over 46% of the State Forest having been cleared in total for three coal mines.
Whitehaven has a terrible record for compliance, . And the risk to water sources is appalling.
Greenhouse gases cause by this proposal have to be taen into account.

With less than 500 swift parrots left in the wild and 20 of these parrots found in the area of Maules Creek, it would be irresponsible of the government to accept the continuation of this mine. As more and more animals become extinct, it’s time for us to stop destroying this precious planet and start being more sustainable and a coal mine is not the appropriate.

I have outlined the key reasons ffor my objection below:
1. It is insanity to continue to approve coal mines in the face of a worsening climate crisis.
2. the Swift Parrot, which relies heavily on this and similar areas, is one of our most endangered species. Considering Australia's appalling record of species extinctions, we must do everything in our power to ensure we do not add any more species to that list.
3. Whitehaven Coal has an appalling record and cannot be trusted to comply with regulations
4. the operation will pose a serious risk to local water supplies
5.the project will result in more forest clearing, and we have just heard the latest data on the disgraceful amount of deforestation that is happening in NSW.

My objection is for the following reasons –
1. There should be an end to approval of new coal mines or expansion of existing coal mines in favour of achieving Net Zero by 2050 in NSW. The direct emissions from the mining process itself, of over 3 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, will completely undermine NSW achieving climate targets.
2. This project will clear over 500 hectares of key foraging habitat for the Swift Parrot, despite only 500 of them remaining in the wild, and will push the species closer to extinction. This is a key site for Swifties and must not be put at risk.
3. The project will also clear a further 428 hectares of the beautiful Leard State Forest, resulting in over 46% of the State Forest having been cleared in total for three coal mines. Our scarce and precious public lands should not be destroyed for coal mine profits.
4. This expansion poses a major risk to local water resources – it will suck down water beneath local creeks and the groundwater used by farmers to water their stock.
5. The expansion will harm the local farming community at Maules Ck and cause negative social impacts.
6. It will further empty the district of families through alienation of productive land, and create dangerous dust pollution and escalating noise for surrounding areas, whilst creating division and conflict. It will exacerbate the housing crisis in the region.

Following the NSW Court of Appeal decision last week on the Mt Pleasant coal mine, Whitehaven Coal should be required to fully assess the impacts of the downstream emissions from the project on the local environment and community. This requires proper attribution science to be conducted. None of this has been done in the current EIS.

To whom it may concern,
I’m writing as a NSW resident who works in the conservation field and cares deeply about protecting Australia’s remaining biodiversity, especially our critically endangered species like the Swift Parrot. I strongly oppose the proposed Maules Creek Coal Mine Continuation Project.
This project locks in climate destruction until 2044. There’s absolutely no justification for approving a coal mine expansion now that won’t even begin until 2034. This is a calculated move by Whitehaven to secure approval before climate laws get stronger, and it would lock in catastrophic emissions until 2044, when we should be phasing coal out entirely.
The expansion would result in around 238 million tonnes of total greenhouse pollution, mostly from the burning of exported coal. NSW communities are already living through the impacts of climate change - fires, floods, heatwaves, and this project would make it worse.
The plan to clear over 500 hectares of critical Swift Parrot foraging habitat is shocking and unacceptable. These birds are clinging on by a thread. There are fewer than 500 left in the wild, so every patch of habitat matters. Leard State Forest is one of the few places left where they can feed, and mining it out of existence would push them closer to extinction.
This project would also destroy another 428 hectares of native forest meaning over 46% of Leard State Forest will have been cleared for coal mining. That’s public land being trashed for private profit.
Whitehaven has repeatedly shown that it can’t be trusted. In the past decade alone, it’s been investigated or found guilty at least 35 times for breaches of environmental and planning laws. This includes being prosecuted for stealing over 1 billion litres of water during the height of the last drought, and for polluting local creeks. Why would we give more power and more land to a company with this kind of record?
The mine already puts huge pressure on local groundwater and surface water, and this expansion would make it worse. Dust, noise, and land alienation are all already harming the health and wellbeing of people in the region, especially Aboriginal communities and small farming communities. We should be supporting them to stay on the land, not driving them out with more industrial disruption.
The direct emissions from mining operations alone (over 3 million tonnes of greenhouse gases) will undermine the NSW Government’s own climate targets. And that’s not even including the downstream emissions from burning the coal. The recent NSW Court of Appeal decision on the Mt Pleasant mine shows that downstream impacts must be properly assessed, but that hasn’t happened here. It’s completely out of step with climate science and public expectations.
I urge you to reject this proposal. We need to be protecting what little habitat we have left, not mining it. We need to be winding down fossil fuels, not approving them decades in advance.
Sincerely,
Amelia Murray

Approving expansion of the coal risks the irrevesible loss of an endemic bird species for what is short term gain. The excelerating adoption of renewble by Australians energy consumers clearly demonstrates that domestic demand for coal will decline.
Unfortunately, demand for export coal will continue but must we feed this market with our native wildlife. PLEASE LOOK AT THE LONGER TERM ENERGY MARKET before obliterating what cannot ever be replaced.

Save the Swifties. I'm not sure that I could make it any clearer. Madness seems to fly in the face of common sense.

It’s imperative that all our wildlife is safe from mining and agriculture and in particular we must save the Swifties Parrot.
Please do not extend the Maules Creek coal mine for any length of time. We can’t keep destroying these parrot’s habitat. You can’t expect these precious parrots to just move on, this is their habitat and without the correct foods being made available they will perish.

Save the swift parrots

Banking an approval that won’t start until 2034
• The NSW Government shouldn’t be approving a coal mine expansion now that
will not even start until 2034 – it is locking in greenhouse gas emissions far into
the future that we can’t afford.
• This proposal is designed to ‘bank’ an approval now before climate laws are
strengthened further in response to the rapidly escalating impacts of global
warming in the form of more extreme weather events.

Turbocharging climate change
• NSW communities are already experiencing devastating impacts from global
warming but this project will produce an extra 238 million tonnes of total
greenhouse gas pollution.
• The direct emissions from the mining process itself, of over 3 million tonnes of
greenhouse gas emissions, will completely undermine NSW achieving climate
targets.

Water and communities at risk
• This expansion poses a major risk to local water resources – it will suck down
water beneath local creeks and the groundwater used by farmers to water their
stock. Whitehaven has already been prosecuted for stealing water at the Maules
Ck coal mine at the height of the last drought.
• The expansion will harm the local farming community at Maules Ck and cause
negative social impacts.

Swifties and Leard State Forest
• This project will clear over 500 hectares of key foraging habitat for the Swift
Parrot, despite only 500 of them remaining in the wild, and will push the species
closer to extinction. This is a key site for Swifties and must not be put at risk.
• The project will also clear a further 428 hectares of the beautiful Leard State
Forest, resulting in over 46% of the State Forest having been cleared in total for
three coal mines. Our scarce and precious public lands should not be destroyed
for coal mine profits.
• It is clear that NSW has the highest rate of land clearing in Australia, as much as other 3rd world countries.
This level of land clearing is totallt unacceptable.

Banking an approval that won’t start until 2034

The NSW Government shouldn’t be approving a coal mine expansion now that will not even start until 2034 – it is locking in greenhouse gas emissions far into the future that we can’t afford.
This proposal is designed to ‘bank’ an approval now before climate laws are strengthened further in response to the rapidly escalating impacts of global warming in the form of more extreme weather events.
Swifties and Leard State Forest

This project will clear over 500 hectares of key foraging habitat for the Swift Parrot, despite only 500 of them remaining in the wild, and will push the species closer to extinction. This is a key site for Swifties and must not be put at risk.
The project will also clear a further 428 hectares of the beautiful Leard State Forest, resulting in over 46% of the State Forest having been cleared in total for three coal mines. Our scarce and precious public lands should not be destroyed for coal mine profits.
Whitehaven is a serial offender

Whitehaven Coal has an appalling compliance record. In the last 10 years, Whitehaven has been found guilty or investigated for breaches of the law on 35 occasions, many of them including multiple offences. They have been prosecuted numerous times.
Water and communities at risk

This expansion poses a major risk to local water resources – it will suck down water beneath local creeks and the groundwater used by farmers to water their stock. Whitehaven has already been prosecuted for stealing water at the Maules Ck coal mine at the height of the last drought.
The expansion will harm the local farming community at Maules Ck and cause negative social impacts.
It will further empty the district of families through alienation of productive land, and create dangerous dust pollution and escalating noise for surrounding areas, whilst creating division and conflict. It will exacerbate the housing crisis in the region.
Turbocharging climate change

NSW communities are already experiencing devastating impacts from global warming but this project will produce an extra 238 million tonnes of total greenhouse gas pollution.
Following the NSW Court of Appeal decision last week on the Mt Pleasant coal mine, Whitehaven Coal should be required to fully assess the impacts of the downstream emissions from the project on the local environment and community. This requires proper attribution science to be conducted. None of this has been done in the current EIS.
The direct emissions from the mining process itself, of over 3 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, will completely undermine NSW achieving climate targets.

This is an ongoing disaster. The Maules Creek mine should be closed, not expanded. Ther are no benefits for Australians in expanding this mine..just the opposite. Whitehaven is basically un-Australian and we all suffer from their exported wealth. The environment is also being destroyed by these people for private profit, and the future of local wildlife, including the extremely endangered Swift Parrot, is being trashed..all to benefit non-Australians, and leaving a total mess for US to clean up.
Stop it now.

OPPOSE

Maules Creek Mine is major project which greatly contribute to the economy of Gunnedah, Bogabri and Narabri. Not only by contributing with taxes, it grants direct jobs and indirect income generation to the communities by supporting local economies.
Further, Whitehaven Coal operations are aligned with world class standards, these being responsible and committed to ESG - progressive rehabilitation allowing restoration of landscape as earl as possible. Overall, will be beneficial to various stakeholders while maintaining responsible mining (respect to the environment and the communities).

I OBJECT to the Maules Creek Continuation Project.

I am concerned that this project will destroy over 500 hectares of, and contribute to the loss of almost HALF of, the Leard State Forest!

This precious bushland is foraging habitat for one of Australia's most endangered birds, the Swift Parrot.

Alarmingly, there are only around FIVE HUNDRED of these creatures left! It is utterly absurd that they would be put at risk of actual extinction by the destruction of this critical habitat, for mere short-term gain. We should be doing everything possible to ensure their survival.

It also concerns me that other threatened species, including the koala, Greater Long-eared Bat and Regent Honeyeater, as well as various plant/tree species could also be put at risk by the destruction of this habitat. Remember, our iconic koalas could be extinct in NSW by 2050.

The poor track record of the company proposing this expansion also alarms me. Having been investigated or prosecuted for various environmental issues, I therefore am concerned that it could fail to operate without further issues in future. Who knows how impactful the consequences could be.

Finally, the public objection and protests against this mine should not be ignored. Citizens from across the state were concerned about its impacts on the environment and surrounding communities, and now, if approved, these will be prolonged, and perhaps exacerbated.

I live in the Hunter Valley and know what it is like to be surrounded by large open-cut coal mines. I completely understand those concerns.

Therefore, I do not support this expansion project.