MOD 3 - Pit 8 Extension

I fully support this proposed modification for Wilpinjong Mine as they continually support the local community in which I live and keep locals and local businesses employed

My friends and family work there.

I strongly support the proposal as I work at Wilpinjong & it supports the company & surrounding areas.

I object to this proposal on the grounds of the damage to significant biodiversity.
The proposed extension of mine disturbance will significantly impact two critically endangered ecological communities (CEEC) and eleven endangered fauna species.
Endangered microbats: The new open cut area contains the highest density of the endangered
Large-eared Pied Bat and Eastern Cave Bat in the region. Two rocky hills will be removed, which
are at the centre of the hotspot. These are critical breeding habitats including known maternity
sites, resulting in a Significant and Irreversible Impact (SAII).
Box Gum Woodland CEEC: The assessment fails to adequately consider indirect impacts from
the proposal on the Box Gum Woodland CEEC and understates the extent of impact. This
community is identified as groundwater dependent. The potential impacts of the proposed
groundwater drawdown is not considered or assessed.
Regent Honeyeater: The proposed expansion will directly remove mapped areas of important
habitat for the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater. There are current records of breeding
activity in the district that are not recognised in the assessment report.
Koala: Impacts on landscape connectivity. Expansion of open-cut mining forms an extensive
and hostile barrier between the locally significant conservation areas of Munghorn Gap Nature
Reserve and Goulburn River National Park. Will remove the closest points of intact remnant
vegetation on the valley floor currently forming stepping stones of habitat between these two
reserves for a wide variety of woodland birds including the Critically Endangered Regent
Honeyeater and mobile fauna like the Endangered Koala.
I also object on the grounds of the impacts to ground water. This development will cause a groundwater drawdown of over 20m and loss of groundwater (base)flows to Wollar Creek of over 21 million litres per year. No monitoring has been done within the area of mine expansion to establish a baseline or measure impacts from current mining operations in Pit 8. Terrestrial Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems (GDEs) have not been adequately assessed including those within the boundary of Wollar Village that provide significant ecological and aesthetic values. Wilpinjong Mine has a poor history of water management and modelling by intercepting more water than predicted. Increased salinity loads of up to 3.5 tonnes salt per day in mine discharge are a potential downstream water quality impact.
There is no justification to continue coal mining. These activities are contributing to global warming that is adversely impacting the Australian environment. Floods, fires, droughts have all been exacerbated by burning coal. We are directly responsible for this damage if we export it. We need to be globally responsible and stop approving new coal modifications or extensions. Why are we doing it? Its certainly not for the benefit of everyday Australians, who are suffering from increased insurance premiums, heat stress, and property loss. So why are we doing it? Its certainly not benefitting the Australian people and that is who the government including the Department of Planning are in place to represent and protect.
Our region has withstood the brunt of coal mining activities in NSW, and we have environmental scars to prove it. We have sacrificed enough of our environment to international coal businesses. We need to protect what legacy is left to us and the Wiradjuri people. Enough is enough.
I totally oppose this development and it is not in the public interest of local people, the local environment, endangered ecological communities and animals, and of Australians in general who are suffering under the effects of climate change.

I support the expansion because if the value to the community

I fully support the project.

I support this project going ahead. The Wilpinjong Mine is a well run mine that provides multiple opportunities for businesses and individuals. It, along with other mines in the district, provide employment and supply opportunities and a level of economic prospertity to a regional area in NSW that would not be present without them. If the project life was cut short it would have a noticeable effect on the lives of people in the district (and beyond) and the economic well being of surrounding towns.
At a time when the big issues seem to about employment opportunities and the ability of young people to put a roof over their head, projects like Wilpinjong play a big role in giving well paid opportunities to people (particularly young people) to get ahead and achieve home ownership in regional NSW. It also helps develop our base of skilled trades and workers.

I strongly support the proposed modification for the Wilpinjong Mine . My reason for this is that both my partner and I work at this mine and our plan is to stay at this mine until we can retire. We are planning to retire in the Mudgee region and so having the mine life extended to the end of our working lives will assist with this.

I am a new Employee at this Mine, I am hoping that this will not be a job but a future for me and my family. If there is a future at this Mine, my wife and myself has spoken about relocating to this area. From what I have seen so far the management and care to bring the land back is unbelievable. I suppose this is easier than a deep pit where wilpinjong is low depth extraction. I hope I have a future here. Steve L...

I strongly support the proposed modification for Wilpinjong Mine as I feel it would not only benefit myself, as I am an employee, but also the Mudgee community, regional NSW, and the Australian economy.
In today’s current economy many individuals are struggling with the cost of living, this will ensure current employees are employed and contractors and engaged. Also many companies are downsizing moving their production overseas or closing down this prosposal is about moving forward and increasing production, keeping jobs and supporting the community and Australian economy.

Hi!
My name is Jin and I’m an artist based in Sydney. I deeply care about the environment and I am concerned about the impending climate catastrophe facing our communities in the near future. I am part of a community called climate writers, and we recently visited the coal mines surrounding Wollar.
It was an incredibly confronting sight. Along the horizon we could see trees that used to border a huge forest that is now a void. I am incredibly concerned since hearing that this coal mine has plans to expand.

Besides seeing the coal mine, other harrowing sights of our visit to the area included the deserted town centre of Wollar. Talking to the locals we found out that no one lives there anymore and all the properties have been bought up by the coal mines, save for one.
The town is not dead yet and they are fighting to save their village and my friends and I all want to help them.

Please protect the Wollar Village and stop the project from expanding. The project also threatens significant Aboriginal cultural sites. I ask that the government prioritise the clean energy transition – Wollar is the gateway to the Central West Renewable Energy Zone. Coal expansion here slows NSW’s transition and competes for workers needed in renewables. I acknowledge the historical significance of coal and how it has shaped our economy and made us prosperous but the switch to renewable energy will secure our future.

Thank you for reading my submission.

I support Wilpinjong’s extension application because of the economic benefits that it provides to the town a nd general area l All the job opportunities for young people are drying up without the mines and if we don’t have places for them we will lose them from the community to larger cities

To whom it may concern,

My name is G and I live in Northmead, NSW. I’m originally from Adelaide but moved to Sydney in 2020, just after the massive summer bushfires. I moved to Sydney in search of community, employment opportunities, and seeing more of Australia. In my time since moving, I’ve lived here through pandemic lockdowns, flooding, more fires, water pollution, and more. I’ve become increasingly concerned about the impact of climate change on my home here. I see how hot Western Sydney gets compared to the Sydney CBD, and when I chat to my neighbours, I hear them expressing the same concerns. I know people around me plan to move up the coast because they can’t cope with the increasing heat and I worry how those who can’t leave will fare.

As such, I strongly oppose this planned coal mining extension. Coal mining is a massive greenhouse gas emitter and creates huge amounts of pollution, impacting local communities and biodiversity. I recently visited the town of Wollar to talk to locals about the impact the existing mines have had on their community and it is shocking to me that further expansion is planned. Locals expressed to me how their population had shrunk to due noise, air, and light pollution, and how none of the promised economic boons had eventuated.

I also walked the track to the Drip, and could not believe the plans for mines to come within 500m of such a beautiful and fragile rock formation. During my short walk around there, I saw so many birds, heard frogs, stepped over insects, surprised an echidna, and spotted a lace monitor. All of this would be destroyed by mining coal so close to this habitat. The local and worldwide impact of our coal mines should be diminished, not increased.
In order to protect Wollar and the surrounding communities, including the environment, I have the following asks:
1. Reject Peabody Energy’s Mod 3 proposal – it should be assessed as a new project, not a modification.
2. Protect Wollar Village – mining should not be allowed to extend to village boundaries.
3. Stop further destruction of Aboriginal cultural heritage – Mod 3 will destroy 15 additional sites significant to the Wiradjuri Nation.
4. Defend critical wildlife habitat – the project threatens endangered species including the Large-eared Pied Bat, Eastern Cave Bat, Regent Honeyeater, and Koala.
5. Protect local water systems – the mine will cause groundwater drawdown of over 20m and reduce creek flows by 21 million litres per year.
6. Prioritise the clean energy transition – Wollar is the gateway to the Central West Renewable Energy Zone. Coal expansion here slows NSW’s transition and competes for workers needed in renewables.
7. Reject unjustified climate and economic impacts – the extra emissions far outweigh any local economic benefit.

Thank you for reading my submission. I truly hope this proposal does not get approved, having witnessed firsthand the severe negative impacts of these coal mines.

The Wilpinjong Coal Mine Mod 3_Pit8 Extension will facilitate a much larger expansion of the current approved mine and will release over 25 mt of additional Greenhouse Gases thus further exacerbating the parlous effects of Climate Change which will cost more than any imagined public benefit. In addition it will disturb an additional 155 hectares of land which will lead to a loss of Aboriginal cultural heritage and spiritual landscape for the Wiradjuri people. Important Habitat for threatened species such as Koalas, Regent Honeyeaters and at least two species of bat will also be destroyed which will adversely affect their chance of survival.
There will also be adverse impacts on the Wollar Creek catchment , and the village of Wollar will once again suffer from dust and social disturbance.
Climate Change presents a clear and present danger to life on the planet.! Any additional release of Greenhouse Gas is to be rejected for the sake of future generations.

I support the Wilpinjong extension because I work there, its my income. It supports Mudgee, and the town wouldn’t exist without the mines. This is my career and I want it to continue.

I am an employee at Wilpinjong Coal Mine and I wholeheartedly support the proposed Modification Project. Both my wife and I are employed at the mine, and in 2018, we made the important decision to relocate our family to Mudgee. Since then, we have embraced the Mid Western Regional Council area as our home, culminating in building our family home in 2022 as a long-term commitment to live and work in this wonderful community.
This modification is critical to sustaining meaningful employment at Wilpinjong, enabling us to continue contributing to the local Mudgee economy and supporting local businesses through our ongoing household expenditures—including rates and taxes, groceries, school fees, fuel, and leisure activities—over the next seven years and hopefully beyond. We have deeply invested in this community and do not wish to leave Mudgee due to the mine’s closure. We are committed to raising our children here, completing their education locally, and hope they may one day follow in our footsteps by working at the mine.
Additionally, my mother, who has lived with us in Mudgee since the passing of my father, relies entirely on my financial support. She is an active and valued member of the community through her involvement with the Lions Club. The continuation of this modification will allow her to maintain her connection to Mudgee and avoid the disruption and hardship that relocating to another town would cause.
In summary, the Modification Project represents far more than a business decision—it is vital to our family’s stability, the well-being of our community, and the future of Mudgee. I sincerely hope it receives the support it deserves

I support the modification of the Wilpinjong Mine Extension

I support the Wilpinjong extension because I work on site

I strongly support the wilpinjong pit 8 extension as I believe it creates a strong economy for the surrounding towns mudgee and gulgong
Creating over 706 employment opportunities and supporting local businesses and charities including breast cancer awareness and other vital charities

I work at Wilpinjong coal mine. I fully support the submission