Northern Coal Services Project

I am greatly in favour of this project as it is proposal the will enhance the already worthwhile contribution made by this organisation in the areas of employment both with the current and future operation of the mines and product management. The improvements are all contained in established sites that will benefit from proper integration without unnecassary or adverse impacts on the adjacent surounding and community.
There are many local businesses supporting employees and families that will also benefit for the continued and improved at Centennials Northern Coal Logistics operation once it is implemented

I support the submission for the project because I currently work for Centennial Coal and if this project does not go ahead it could effect the future of not just my employment but many others.
Centennial support local community projects and events all the time and without the success of this project i believe the community would suffer.
I also like to support local business and community where ever possible by purchasing as much as i can locally, with out this project it may in turn effect my ability to continue to support local business.

The long term benefits of this project far outway the negative.

Centennial Coal has an excellent track record managing their environmental responsibilities. They provide direct employment to hundreds of people in the local area and also employ many subcontract firms.
Centennial value the community, safety of people and have sound environmental credentials.

I have been employed in the mining sector at Newstan Colliery 37 years and during this time have seen huge changes within the industry. Most pleasing to me is the inprovement of Centennial Coal's environmental work at Newstan Colliery and Northern Coal Logistics, including the the design and build of the Clean Water Plant, automation and monitoring of water systems across the site. This has improved the quality of water captured and allowed greatly improved water management during high rainfall events.

Mining in the Hunter Valley and, in particular, around Lake Macquarie has invested vast amounts of money in infrastructure, machinery and employment much of which has stayed within the local community. Allowing the continued operation and expansion od Northern Coal Logistics will continue to contribute income and jobs growth within the Lake Macquarie area. This income in the area has allowed my family to raise and educate our children to take their place as professionals within the health community. This may not have been achievable without the income and job security mining has provided in the past and hopefully will again in the future

I hope the Department of Planning looks favourably on the EIS application, locals and the state of NSW needs employment and mining to take us forward

I believe that this project will protect the existing jobs and provide longer term security for those employed in the Coal Mining Operations of Centennial Coal in the Northern Region.
I am satisfied that the proposal addresses all concerns regarding protection of the environment and more than meets the obligations with respect to the community.

I beleive that the Northern Coal Logistics project should be approved. Given the tough market conditions the coal industry is currently facing, it is important that coal companies have the ability to run their businesses as efficiently as possible, which is one of the principle aims of this project.

Hundreds of local workers are reliant on the infrastructure associated with the Northern Coal Services project as multiple mines in the local area feed coal through this infrastructure.

The operator of the site has been operating in the region for a considerable amount of time, and has a good record of minimising impacts to the environment

Despite the downturn in the mining industry, many local business continue to benefit from the flow-on effects of having operating mines in the area. These businesses would suffer dramatically if there was no local mining industry to support them.

I would like to support the Northern Coal Logistics project that has been proposed by Centennial Coal. I recently turned 73 years of age, I have lived in Cessnock all my life and have been around coal mines all my life. My father was a coal miner in the Cessnock area. I have 3 sons, 2 of them work for coal mining companies and my 3rd son has a business that supports the coal mines. They are all in relationships with children, my 7 grandchildren. One son works for Centennial Coal.
I am very worried for my 3 sons. I keep hearing on the TV or seeing in the newspapers about job losses in the coal mines, I can't remember it this bad since my father's days in the 1960's and 70's. I heard a few weeks ago that by refusing a mine called Drayton South that 500 men will be out of work. How can we let this continue?
Centennial Coal has been good to my son by keeping him in employment and I would like to see this project approved so he can keep a job. In fact, I would also like to see coal mining in the Hunter Valley prosper so my 3 sons can keep a job and that they can continue to look after their families and my grandchildren.

My late husband worked in the state government owned coal mines in the lake Macquarie area. My daugther's partner works for in the same coal mines in the Lake Macquarie area that are now owned by Centennial Coal. I am concerned that the state government has been rejecting so many coal mine applications lately. There are many people in the Cessnock area where I live who have lost their jobs in the coal mines. Many of them have young families, a mortgage and no prospects of employment in this area. I don't want to see my daughter's family without an income. I also don't want to see my grandkids having to move away from me and the wonderful community in which they live. I support the approval of the Northern Coal Logistics project.

Submission Re Centennial Coal
17 Nov 2014
I wish to object to this proposal on the grounds that Centennial Coal have failed to adhere to regulations guidelines & conditions of consent on numerous occasions. Many past incidents & breaches have been documented in community correspondences media articles & through prosecutions via the EPA. It is my view also that accurate community complaints & procedures along with proper publicly available record keeping, have been an issue.With questionable ability to operate as required on the part of the proponent.

A further reason for objection is due to ongoing fragmentation of remaining bush land placing our fragile flora & fauna under unsustainable stress. Causing cruelty, illness, harm, death & increasing toll of lost legally protected & threatened species, all this biodiversity is unique to our region. Nb this includes downstream aquatic & marine species eg Seagrass, wetlands, soaks, fish nurseries & migratory life.

Air emissions additionally are already an issue for the City of Lake Macquarie & the greater Hunter region. Publicly available data & real time information regarding health risks are absent in Lake Macquarie. Further saturation of our air quality is currently placing our community health & environment at risk. Any increase is dangerous.

The government has a duty of care to its people. I therefore implore you to act responsibly & ensure that this project does not assume approval, particularly without due diligence. It is long overdue that the input of our Department of Health be mandatory when industries & projects such as this, with all the known risks to people & environments be routinely obtained.

Failed community consultation, historically has been a serious issue with Centennial & the subject of many complaints. Albeit that many of such complaints, fail to appear on the public record. Wider community attitudes can be evidenced by undertaking basic internet searches & comments made via other social platforms. Eg.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92GKlxzYTBw
These voices may feel less intimidated utilizing these mediums. Perhaps being more confident using these means, in that, their concerns will remain unedited or sanitized by Centennial staff, many with opposing agendas. Indeed by witnessing a simple video above, you see promises & assurances made by mine staff to community members, who were horrified to belatedly learn of the devastation caused by the monster haul roads construction. This event alone demonstrates how appalled many community representatives were at learning of the widespread destruction (by stealth), only after it had hastily begun destroying irreplaceable old hollows & understory, gouging through highly fragile valued sensitive bush land (the known habitat of threatened & endangered species). Surely this is unacceptable & unprofessional & not how a Community should become made aware of major projects. Ironically a major project that now seems used to justify further decimation of ecology.
To add further insult to claimed transparency & inclusiveness, I review this above 2009 scenario. A requested meeting by Community was hastily convened with a broad range of community representatives at Centennial offices with Centennial staff & CCC Chair presiding, which including a `limited' convoy & site gate tour. Yet despite all the time & efforts of the people concerned & all the assurances given by staff, at this time, (with even a Centennial meeting record keeper being present) To this day & to my knowledge no record of this meeting has ever been produced or shared by the company.
Why when several representatives from various community & environmental groups, make such effort to be present with paid mine staff & a Ministerial delegate as Chair. Would such a record of a important meeting be omitted & or buried? Is this a form of censorship?
This I note purely to convey a what many feel is a disregard & dismissal approach & indicative as accepted attitude & conduct from this company. It is now seen by many, that Centennial is unwilling to address wider community concerns & worse in my opinion, it has undertaken an effort to distort true community opposition & complaints. In fact in conversation with the locals many were surprised to actually learn of this proposed projects existence & the submission deadline of Nov 17.
Much may be due to confusion from the Northern Logistics title being not something West Lake Macquarie might associate as relevant to their area or perhaps due to recent media releases from the proponent stating closure of Newstan colliery. With the inference being only of skeleton staff remain & that only simple care & maintenance activity is all proposed.

Mine subsidence is a huge and broadening issue within Lake Macquarie, with honeycombing of land & layers of the area is already impacted due major coal extraction having occurred. Our sandstone rocks are visibly collapsing along the very Millers road , the address of the Newstan mine, all in full public view with the any risk of harm seemingly ignored. We have shaft holes vent holes & cracks appearing from old mine workings regularly found , placing the community & environments safety at risk.

The pollution control dam's integrity, it's ability & capacity to contain the toxic black contents from the washery, is worrying to say the least. The approval of these pollution control dams really should have had any potentially increased capacity considered during their initial planning approval & construction phase. What is the position of the NSW dam safety committee over these proposed increases? Has their approval or otherwise even been sought? These pollution control dams (& emplacement areas) sit upstream of a public school & major transport route & more .It is also above a long term residential area & waterway, with plans to increase population for over 55's houing. This is all placing an ill informed wider community at risk should any overflow or extreme weather event to occur. Clearly the 1:100 weather events are no longer the norm.

I wish acknowledged also that we currently have a coal glut. Therefore can there really be any economic justification or indeed any sensible rational gain obtained by approving this project in its current form, especially now? Notwithstanding the desired increased benefit, for the mine company, which is owned by foreign interests.
I see no reasoning or justification for approval at this time. In fact it is contrary to keeping with the government's role & obligation to act on behalf of the best interests & benefit of the people of NSW.

I am also very concerned over extreme bushfire risks & the fact that this industry has created a ready stockpile of fuel, chemicals & volatile materials near a large population.Which includes childcare centres, schools, public transport routes, sport & recreation camps, health services, sporting fields, aged care centres & general residences & major motorway. Not to mention other large state significant industries like the Eraring Power Station with their own added chemical emissions, volatile fuels & cumulative impacts. Such wider implications must be addressed.

The ongoing inability to have remediated so much of the western side of Lake Macquarie which Centennial having occupied for such an extended part of our European history, again draws one to conclude that they are not serious or they are incapable of undertaking genuinely remediation. I also question their genuine capability to contain pollutants & discharges, be they via air water or land.

This again reasonably indicates it unwise to allow such an increase in production until such previous obligations & conditions are properly met. Lt Creek & Stoney Creeks both can no longer be sustain use as indefinite discharge points. These fresh water creeks, once popular swimming club sites & fishing haunts are of only a few of fresh water creeks entering western side of the Lake. They need to be rectified where possible. They must not continually be used as industry sinks & drains.

The nocturnal lighting of the mines operations are also impacting negatively, burning so brightly now that it looks like a constant orange fire in our night sky over Fassifern & Newstan operations. This unnatural overnight operations are now visible from great distances both from land at Toronto Fassifern & Blackalls Park & can also be seen from the Lake .Already this has altered the visible landscape & skyline. I personally have witnessed many locals & tourist alike enquiring as to the source of this excessive lighting as it glows & now distracts eyes & concentration. Including I might add, the attention of some driving & using the more elevated, yet busier, main roads turn offs. eg Main rd 217 turn atop Jindalee st Toronto & Main Rd 217 Macquarie Rd turn from Fennel Bay.

Lake Macquarie has & is a natural waterway, geographically unique to NSW .The desire of many to enjoy our once naturally beautiful tourist attraction is being dramatically altered visibly & environmentally by the mines activities. The inference from the mines proposal is that such further dislocation & altering of our habitat & of the natural patterns of our flora & fauna, community & waterways is somehow acceptable. Well after having resided in the area for several decades, my view is that it is not. We have reached our tipping point we have compromised enough. Fishing nurseries shellfish, water quality & the like have paid a terrible toll for this industry.

The noise & sounds of trains braking & the coal carriages rumbling during the night, has disturbed sleep patterns of many residents already. They may no longer complain to the company directly, feeling little faith in the systems in place. Or worse they fear intimidation or of being labeled trouble makers. This is the genuine reality for many.

Making these coal carriages longer & yet still uncovered, is unreasonable to say the least. It would antagonize stress & be unbearable for some.Particularly the more vulnerable, our children the aged the asthmatics & those with respiratory issues. Diesel carcinogens will also increase via this proposal. Given these carcinogens are now recognized as being so harmful with documented medical science. How can such an increase in coal, rock extraction & diesel transportation be so readily acceptable? It will again add further particulates to our already saturated toxic air sheds mixture. Proposed 24 -7 operations for all this increased activity again in turn are unreasonable for residents and will affect property values negatively.

Finally the climatic conditions, already evident with increased weather extremes & the fact that Coal is scientifically proven to be linked to climate change, surely must be considered as a greater priority. Intergenerational responsibility must be taken seriously not just given lip service nor brushed aside by business as usual models.

I sincerely hope that you do not approve this project & instead take the opportunity to take a closer look at these operators' claims. Instead perhaps assess their ability to adhere to already existing regulation & conditions of consent requirements as such were intended.
I thank you & sincerely hope you consider the issues raised above which are sadly only some of the impacts the areas community & environment already endures.

I write in support of the Northern Coal Logistics Project by Centennial Coal. I work for an organisation that has supported Centennial Coal for the last 20 years. Many of our employees have benefited from the relationship that has been established with Centennial Coal during this time and have worked on their local mines sites at Newstan, Myuna and Mandalong and further a field at Lidsdale and Airly coal mine sites. All employees live locally and in doing so contribute to other local businesses and when travelling to Lidsdale and Airly mine sites also support local businesses in the Lithgow area by using services providing accommodation and meals.

Centennial has a number of mines and associated facilities in the local area which provide coal to the local electricity generation industry. They continue to support a large local multiskilled workforce, in excess of 500 employees and contractors. The approval of the Northern Coal Logistics project will enable Centennial to continue to support this workforce and potentially offer additional employment to other locals.

I would like to express my support for this proposal by Northern Coal Services. This project represents an excellent opportunity for local employment and businesses, something that is sorely needed in the current economic environment. We have been providing water management equipment to Northern Coal Services for many years, and the measures that they take to ensure there is minimal environmental impact is second to none.

The coal industry has employed my husband for over 25 years and as a result has afforded my family and I and many others like us a great lifestyle. Any proposal that would see investment in infrastructure to sustain or even increase employment in this sector must be supported by the government. There is a vocal minority that seem to oppose any development with no real balance in their arguments that affects the rest of us (the silent majority). I am usually one of the silent majority but the state of the local economy and the current employment outlook has inspired me to counter the negativity of the vocal minority and support this project.

Reasons for objections will be provided in supplementary documentation as soon as possible.

Reasons for objections will be provided in supplementary documentation as soon as possible.

Reasons for objections will be provided in supplementary documentation as soon as possible.

See Attached

I have been in the mining Industry for over 25 years with Mandalong being the most environmentally aware site I have worked at. I am currently employed by Centennial Coal at Mandalong where I have been working for the past nine and a half years during this time I have found Mandalong's Management team to be proactive in every aspect of the mining process from exploration to development ,Longwall extraction and coal handling.
Not only has Centennial provided a safe place of employment, supporting my family the community Centennial looks to the future, with plans securing jobs, looking after community concerns and the environment as well as providing a future for our children.
The proposed Northern Coal Logistics Project will separate Centennial's logistics from their mining operations, resulting in Centennial providing improved and flexible coal handling and processing capabilities and capacities for its mines and to its customers. These facilities will help future proof Centennial's mines so they can continue to supply coal to both the domestic and export markets.
This project would secure my job providing peace of mind for my family, the continuation of local schooling for my children and ability to remain living in the area. Mandalong and Centennials proven track record of compliance and consultation should speak for itself to insure continuation of operations with minimal impact to the area suppling coal for local power generation and export.
Thank you for your time.

See attached letter.

Please see attached document