Modification 4 Longwall 317 and 318 Modification

Good for the local community, good for the greater Illawarra & the state of NSW.
I'd like to see this proposal approved to help support my family and the thousands of other people / small businesses that benefit from the mine.

Peabody and Metropolitan Mine plays an active role in the Helensburgh community as a sponsor of the Helensburgh Tigers Rugby League team, and supports environment programs at Holy Cross and Helensburgh Public Schools. They also Support a 400 strong local Metropolitan workforce.
• Spend $217 million annually with local suppliers.
• Injected $324 million directly into the NSW economy
last year.
• Spend $73.5 million in wages annually.
• Have invested over $1 million in community grants
and sponsorship over the past 10 years.
• Paid $49 million in royalties to government last year.
• Develop a skilled regional workforce with 10
trade apprentices onsite annually through our
intake program.
• Invested nearly $1 million in local conservation,
supporting reintroduction of platypus and stuttering
frog into Royal National Park.*

I support the extension of the Metropolitan Colliery project. The future of coal is in the Illawarra, with a steady stream of talent coming from the surrounding universities and towns, it is a key location for future job security in the region.

Metropolitan Mine is an important local employer and has taken significant steps to minimise its environmental footprint. I support continued operations at the mine.

Based on past experience I wholeheartedly agree with the assessment that the extension of the mine is likely to result in
" ... irreversible damage to the quality and quantity of Greater Sydney's drinking water supply."
I also maintain that, in the present context, expansion of any coal mining activity is highly undesirable.

Hi,
I live in the Sutherland Shire and deeply value the Royal National Park and the
critical role the Woronora Reservoir plays in providing safe drinking water to the
region. I am seriously concerned that the proposed mine expansion poses an
unacceptable risk to the long-term security of our drinking water supply.
The Woronora Reservoir is a critical part of Sydney’s drinking water supply. I
believe coal mining so close to, and even underneath, our catchment land is
irresponsible. The risks to water quality and supply are too high.
Upland swamps are fragile and vital ecosystems. Mining underneath them puts
them at extreme risk of drying out or collapsing. These swamps cannot be replaced.
As we face increasing climate extremes, it’s unacceptable to expand a high
emission coal mine. This mine produces significant methane and contradicts the
NSW Government’s Net Zero targets.
We need to support coal communities in a fair transition, not lock them into more
years of damaging mining. Expanding this mine benefits a foreign-owned company
while putting our local environment and future at risk.
For the reasons above, I strongly object to Modification 4 Longwall 317 and 318
Modification of the Metropolitan Mine. I urge the Minister to reject this proposal in
order to protect our water, environment, and climate.
Kind regards,
Linda Gotvik-Dobson

I support the proposed extension of operations at Metropolitan Mine. The project will maintain regional employment, secure the livelihoods of over 400 workers, and continue to provide significant contributions to the Illawarra economy. Extending operations while reducing the overall footprint strikes an important balance between economic sustainability and responsible resource management.

I have worked with Metropolitan Colliery for the past 18 years, managing drilling projects, rock bar remediation, carrying out water sampling and inspections within the WaterNSW Special Area. Over this time, I have seen first hand the effort and care that goes into ensuring the mine meets its environmental responsibilities.

In all my years of involvement, Peabody has never taken shortcuts. They are thorough, transparent, and always committed to doing things the right way. The protection of the catchment has consistently been treated as a priority, and environmental obligations are always met.

The modification being proposed is a straightforward extension of existing operations by two years, until 2031. It does not involve any increase in activity or expansion of the mine’s footprint. From my experience, this extension will allow Metropolitan to continue operating responsibly, while maintaining the same high standards of environmental performance that I have observed over nearly two decades.

I live and work in the Wollongong region, and have a deep connection with our land and community. Me, my family, and my friends rely on the water from the Woronora Reservoir, and I have grown up being astutely aware of the need for good water resource management and the horrific impacts of droughts on my community.

With this in mind, I unreservedly object to Modification 4 – Longwalls 317 and 318.

This modification proposed continued coal mining within the Special Areas of the Woronora Catchment - a critical drinking water source for over 5 million people. The longwall panels proposed are located worryingly close to the Woronora Reservoir - a crucial asset for regional water security. Longwall mining is well known to cause subsidence, fracturing of rock layers, and irreversible damage to watercourses, reservoirs, and upland swamps. This is a well documented and publicised fact.

In a country known for its droughts, and as a Wollongong local who was raised on water wise campaigns and now sees similar campaigns on saving water being run by Sydney Water, I find it ridiculously hypocritical that such damaging proposals could be considered.

The proponent, Peabody Energy, is a US-based multinational that pays no corporate tax in Australia, despite earning substantial profits from its Australian operations. As a company, Peabody also has a record of treating its workers poorly including unfair dismissals (as ruled by the High Court) and poor reactions to industrial actions. I recognise that mining is an important employer in our region, but it is unjustafiable to compromise a vital water source for limited short-term employment, especially when workers could be supported to transition into sustainable industries. This company clearly has no meaningful connection and feels no responsibility to our region, apart from wanting to wring it dry to increase their profits.

All this is setting aside the climate implications of increasing coal mining efforts. The international court of justice has ruled that we have an obligation under international law to prevent climate change, and that Australia may be liable to pay compensation to disproportionately impacted states if we fail to do so. NSW is not on track to meet its net zero targets. Continuing to approve the expansion of high-emissions mines (Metropolitan's scope 1 emissions in FY2024 were its highest on record), regardless of coal type, undermines our climate commitments and our responsibility to those vulnerable neighbours both in Australia and more broadly in the Pacific region.

These water, biodiversity and climate impacts and responsibilities were far less well known when the current mine footprint was originally approved in 2009. The ongoing use of modification pathways to prolong irresponsible mining operations under an outdated approval process is completely unacceptable. A proposal such as this that has serious environmental and public interest concerns should unquestionably be subject to a full Environmental Impact Statement and fresh assessment under current laws and science. Consistent with Labor government promises both before and after the most recent election, Metropolitan Modification 4 must also be referred to the Independent Planning Commission of NSW for an independent and transparent assessment.

In summary, this proposal is irresponsible and approving it would be placing overseas profits ahead of the welfare of our local community, both present day and future. As such, I unreservedly object to Modification 4 – Longwalls 317 and 318. I implore you to deny this application, and take a step in the right direction and towards securing a prosperous and long-lived Wollongong community.

Met coal is critical to support the energy transition whilst also supporting thousands of jobs across various industries.

No profit is worth risking contamination of drinking water, creeks and habitat. This proposal is utter madness. Nowhere in the entire world is mining being conducted under a drinking water reservoir. Please. Think of anything else besides dollars. Anything. Its disgraceful, shameful and preposterously that this is even being considered.

Please see attached letter of support

I am writing in support of this project, which represents a vital opportunity for continued investment in the local workforce and economy. The extension will secure stable, long-term employment for hundreds of local workers, ensuring financial security for families and sustaining the livelihoods of many in our region. The project will also generate significant economic flow-on effects for local businesses, including contractors, suppliers, and service providers. This continued investment strengthens the foundation of the community, encouraging further growth, innovation, and resilience in the local economy.

This extension is not just a project—it's a commitment to the future of our workforce and local industries. I fully support its approval and implementation.

the contribution to the local area (Helensburgh) and Illawarra in general, in respect to continued employment for the current workforce, contribution to NSW revenue through royalties paid is worthy of a positive response to this application. Additionally, it is an extension of a current approval. The mine is already established in the area of the application and it would be a waste of our resources to walk away from the remaining coal.

I strongly object to this project as I believe this project will damage our public water supply. This company has already pleaded guilty to criminal offenses for discharging coal waste into the Royal National Park.

Our drinking water is precious and mining underneath Woronora Reservoir water catchment is a bad idea. The government should draw a line that protects the catchment area. Already we have issues of coal pollution in the Royal National Park. Peabody Metropolitan Colliery discharged into Royal National Park waterways in 2022 and 2023. The company was convicted and received a $500,000 fine, including costs. Can this company be trusted?

As a graduate Environmental Engineer from the University of Wollongong, and as a resident of the South Coast of NSW, I can say that we are all affected by the dangers to water security to the Sydney Water Catchment. As we move into an unstable future climate, water security and planning for a sustainable, healthy water catchment is necessary for the regions resilience to climate impacts, let alone the addition Carbon released by expanding coal extraction and use from this mine.

The risk to the upland swamps and streams feeding the Woronora Reservoir are critical natural public infrastructure which directly serve us for our most precious resource, drinking water! Why risk threatening these systems by undermining further into the this catchment. I strongly oppose the expansion to this longwall mine operation in our drinking water catchment.

I object to the proposal. I live in the Illawarra area and believe in the preservation of our natural environment. My participation in bushcare groups and objecting harmful proposals are ways I care for the environment. The proposal will be a risk to ecosystems, swamps and endangered flora. More than ever we need to focus on preserving the natural environment we have left and move away from coal mining operations. For the reasons above, I strongly object to Modification 4 Longwall 317 and 318 Modification of the Metropolitan Mine. I urge the Minister to reject this proposal in order to protect our water, environment, and climate.

I support the submission

I am an employee of Port Kembla Coal Terminal and the future of Metropolitan Mine is critical to my employment. With the closure of other mines in the area the throughput at PKCT has reduced to a point where any further mine closures will more than likely effect my employment.