Wilpinjong Coal Mine Extension

The atmosphere now has more than 400ppm CO2. The polar sea ice is melting. When will you stop approving new coal mining? How can sacrificing Wollar be in the public's interest?

Not only will this expansion bring misery (and maybe elimination) to a whole community, it is from a climate perspective completely unacceptable. This week we reached the milestone of an average 2degree increase in temperature. This is the upper limit of what scientists say is a safe climate. We are reaching that point decades before our current emissions are measured. Approving a new coal mine in these circumstances is a crime against humanity. The fact that the effects of our decisions today aren't felt for decades does not change that.

I opposed this development.

*The extension of Wilpinjong Mine will make the village of Wollar unlivable.
*The cumulative social impact of loss of population through mining projects from Ulan to Bylong has not been considered.
*The noise assessment, monitoring and mitigation measures are totally inadequate.
* Air quality has not been assessed against the new standards adopted in December 2015.
*The extension will remove 354 hectares of remnant native vegetation and have an impact on 24 threatened species and ecological communities - more than the current approval. The biodiversity offsets will not provide sufficient habitat for the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater.
*The cumulative impacts on biodiversity, Aboriginal cultural heritage, water sources, greenhouse gas emissions, community and rural industry have not been rigorously assessed.
*The mine will produce an additional 20 million tonnes of greenhouse gasses a year, exacerbating the impacts of climate change. This is at odds with Australia's commitments under the Paris Accord.
*The area has significant Aboriginal cultural heritage values that have not been assessed in a regional context.
*The extension removes existing buffer zones for the Munghorn Gap Nature Reserve.
*The extension will leave three final voids that will permanently scar the landscape and harm waterways for hundreds of years.
*The ongoing impacts on groundwater and surface water systems will be greater than predicted.
*The predicted job numbers are overstated compared, with the current workforce extracting the same volume of coal.
*Peabody Energy is in deep financial distress and may not be fit to meet all its obligations.
*The contract to supply AGL's Bayswater Power Station can be met by the current approval.
*The proposal to continue extracting low quality coal while causing irreversible environmental and social damage cannot be justified

I object to the extension of Wilpinjong Mine because it will make the village of Wollar unlivable.
The cumulative social impact of loss of population through mining projects from Ulan to Bylong has not been considered.
The noise assessment, monitoring and mitigation measures are totally inadequate.
Air quality has not been assessed against the new standards adopted in December 2015.
The extension will remove 354 hectares of remnant native vegetation and have an impact on 24 threatened species and ecological communities - more than the current approval. The biodiversity offsets will not provide sufficient habitat for the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater.
The cumulative impacts on biodiversity, Aboriginal cultural heritage, water sources, greenhouse gas emissions, community and rural industry have not been rigorously assessed.
The mine will produce an additional 20 million tonnes of greenhouse gasses a year, exacerbating the impacts of climate change. This is at odds with Australia's commitments under the Paris Accord.
The area has significant Aboriginal cultural heritage values that have not been assessed in a regional context.
The extension removes existing buffer zones for the Munghorn Gap Nature Reserve.
The extension will leave three final voids that will permanently scar the landscape and harm waterways for hundreds of years.
The ongoing impacts on groundwater and surface water systems will be greater than predicted.
The predicted job numbers are overstated compared, with the current workforce extracting the same volume of coal.
Peabody Energy is in deep financial distress and may not be fit to meet all its obligations.
The contract to supply AGL's Bayswater Power Station can be met by the current approval.
The proposal to continue extracting low quality coal while causing irreversible environmental and social damage cannot be justified.

I object to the extension of the mine at Wollar NSW because:
it will destroy the community of Wollar
it will increase the already unacceptable levels of noise and air pollution
it will remove 354 hectares of native vegetation
the detrimental effects it will have on biodiversity, Aboriginal cultural heritage,water sources and air quality will be with us forever
The time to continue supporting mining of coal, particularly low quality coal is well and truly over
To continue supporting a company that is already in financial straits doesn't make economic or political sense
For goodness sake wake up and start supporting development of sustainable energy resources instead of continuing on this path of social and environmental destruction.

The extension of Wilpinjong Mine will make the village of Wollar unlivable.

The mine will produce an additional 20 million tonnes of greenhouse gasses a year, exacerbating the impacts of climate change. This is at odds with Australia's commitments under the Paris Accord.

Peabody Energy is in deep financial distress and may not be fit to meet all its obligations.

I have live in the local area all my life until the year 2000 when I had to move away to be able to work in my chosen field as a heavy diesel mechanic in 2006 with the opening of Wilpinjong gave me the opportunity to move back to the local area and have worked at Wilpinjong for the past 9 years
this has provided my family with a new home in the local area which has also supported local building trades in the process
mining in the local area supports my whole family directly and indirectly the extension of Wilpinjong mining life plays a huge role in the lives of the majority of the people in the local area
I support the Wilpinjong Extension Project

I most strongly object to the Wilpinjong Extension Project for the following reasons
1. Peabody Energy is in deep financial distress and may not be able to fulfill its obligations
2. The coal is of low quality and the destructive impact on the community and environment cannot justify its ongoing extraction.
3. The coal will produce 20 million tonnes of greenhouse gases which will make it even more difficult for Australia to meets its commitments made in the Paris Accord.
4. The impact on ground water and surface water will be made worse than currently experienced.
5. The noise and dust impact of the mine has not been fully assessed.
6. The cumulative effects on rural industry, Aboriginal cultural heritage and biodiversity has not been fully assessed.
In short, this mine expansion should not go ahead. How can the approval for this be justified when the Peabody Energy is a failing company, the economic benefit is continuing to be diminished and the product, coal,is not wanted in the world?

To Whom It May Concern,

Expanding the Wilpinjong coalmine makes no sense econonically or environmentally and will have devastating health and social impacts not only on the people of the town of Wollar but also on every man, woman and child living in the greater Hunter region.

The mine produces low quality "dirty" coal and is already producing enough of it under its current approval to supply the Bayswater Power Station without destroying an additional 354 hectares of native vegetation and threatening 24 local species - including the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater - in the process.

The air quality in Wollar and surrounding regions will significantly decrease if this expansion is approved, as will the damage caused to groundwater and surface water systems that will endure not for years but for decades to come. The impacts of additional noise and coal dust entering the atmosphere have not been properly studied and, as per usual in NSW, the question of preserving whatever precious indigenous cultural heritage the area may contain has not even been considered.

Even more disturbingly, Peabody Energy is in serious financial trouble and may be unable to meet its obligations or respond appropriately in the case of any major accident or disaster occurring on the site. What logical reason could there be for allowing such a company to expand its coal mining operations, causing irreparable damage not only to the present and future environment but also to the lives of the people of Wollar, many of whom will probably have to relocate to escape its devastating effects, completely destroying the area's social structure and economy in the process? Mike Baird was the Head of Institutional Banking at HSBC before he entered politics. Surely he must see that it makes no sense to do this given what a bad financial risk Peabody Energy is?

This plan reveals the true extent of the NSW Government's collusion with big mining and its shameless intention to plunder our state and ruin our lives for the sake of gaining short-term profits in what the whole world recognises is a moribund industry. I implore you, as a concerned citizen who's tired of watching corporate greed destroy our fragile ecosystems and compromise our kids' futures while politicians and their cronies grow richer on the profits, to say "NO!" to this deeply-flawed, unsustainable and dangerous proposal. Coal mining is not a sustainable industry and must be replaced with cleaner, safer alternatives.

Finally, ask yourselves this - would our ex-banker Premier be considering expanding the Wilpinjong coal were it located in his Federal seat of Manly? I think you know the answer. Please do the right thing and give the people of Wollar and NSW the protection the clean safe futures they deserve.

Yours sincerely,
BR

No more coal!!! It is far more destructive than beneficial. Greed is its only sustainability. But it doesn't help the land or community.

Peabody has stated that the expansion of its Wilpinjong coal mine will destroy the community of Wollar. It will change the groundwater and waterways permanently and threaten the habitat of 24 endangered species.

There seems to be little of benefit to Australia by allowing this shaky US company to destroy this community. The predicted job numbers are overstated compared with the current workforce extracting the same volume of coal.

Peabody Energy is in deep financial stress: Its share price has dropped from $90 in March 2015 to $4.43 today. Blomberg Business is speculating that Peabody will be the next US Coal producer to file for bankruptcy amid plummeting coal prices due to oversupply (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-21/the-coal-miner-on-everybody-s-list-as-next-bankruptcy-victim)

The ongoing coal extraction will produce an additional 20 million tonnes of greenhouse gas per year, which will exacerbate the impacts of climate change, and is at odds with Australia's commitments under the Paris Accord.

I oppose any further development of this coal mine. It would be detrimental to the residents, and to the state of health of the planet.

I firmly believe we need to move towards a low carbon future and stop progressing with these projects now.

No more mining please

Since I have lived in the Hunter Valley I have experience the slow destruction of what was once a beautiful agriculture area. The dairy farmers and vineyards have been driven away, the water ways have been degraded and the dust and air pollution an increasing worry. Not one mine site has been successfully rehabilitated and returned to productive land. Why are we ruining the lives of country people for something that is clearly disastrous for the future of our planet?

I am disgusted at an elected government making life so miserable for needless coal-mining. There's no reason for it, and it's obviously caused by blatant bribery, such as the NSW Libs' "Carnival of Coal".

Please, have a heart and disallow coal-mining near Wilpinjong.

Thank you

I oppose the the expansion of this coal mine.
The town is already suffering from pollution such as coal dust and debris dust.
Personal health of the residents are under threat.

Thank you.

Mining expansions always seem to encroach on the rights, lifestyle and health of locals. Once they get their foot in the door it is impossible to hold them to account for breaches of their conditions of operation, and the NSW government has in many cases failed to make them keep their promises. Coal burning is damaging our planet, and coal should be avoided on that principle as well.

The extension of Wilpinjong Mine will make the village of Wollar unlivable.
The cumulative social impact of loss of population through mining projects from Ulan to Bylong has not been considered.
The noise assessment, monitoring and mitigation measures are totally inadequate.
Air quality has not been assessed against the new standards adopted in December 2015.
The extension will remove 354 hectares of remnant native vegetation and have an impact on 24 threatened species and ecological communities - more than the current approval. The biodiversity offsets will not provide sufficient habitat for the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater.
The cumulative impacts on biodiversity, Aboriginal cultural heritage, water sources, greenhouse gas emissions, community and rural industry have not been rigorously assessed.
The mine will produce an additional 20 million tonnes of greenhouse gasses a year, exacerbating the impacts of climate change. This is at odds with Australia's commitments under the Paris Accord.
The area has significant Aboriginal cultural heritage values that have not been assessed in a regional context.
The extension removes existing buffer zones for the Munghorn Gap Nature Reserve.
The extension will leave three final voids that will permanently scar the landscape and harm waterways for hundreds of years.
The ongoing impacts on groundwater and surface water systems will be greater than predicted.
The predicted job numbers are overstated compared, with the current workforce extracting the same volume of coal.
Peabody Energy is in deep financial distress and may not be fit to meet all its obligations.
The contract to supply AGL's Bayswater Power Station can be met by the current approval.
The proposal to continue extracting low quality coal while causing irreversible environmental and social damage cannot be justified.

In this era of global warming, there are accelerating, adverse and probably irreversible short and long term impacts from coal extraction and coal burning on our planet earth, humankind and earth's flora and fauna. The New South Wales Government's prioritising of coal extraction projects over human health and welfare is a very short-sighted policy that, in the bleaker future, will be condemned as criminal.

In a more enlightened assessment of the current coal extraction proposal far greater weight should be placed on adverse impacts, including on our health and welfare, both short and long term, both local and global.

In a more enlightened assessment, significant weight should certainly be placed on the damage to and dislocation of those unfortunate victims of the local and regional impacts from the development. The victims' lives will be endangered or seriously adversely affected.

The present State Government has already racked up an unfortunate track record of ignoring human suffering and dislocation in the pursuit of short term political gains.

Humans must be considered a long way in front of short-sighted approvals for projects with extremely long-term environmental (and hence human) impacts both regional and global. Leave the coal in the ground.