Wilpinjong Coal Mine Extension

The extension project will provide future jobs and investment for Mudgee and surrounding regions

The Extension Project will provide more jobs, opportunity and investment for Mudgee and surrounding regions.

If this application does not go ahead I believe it will be detrimental to the community and surrounding suburbs. Wilpinjong provides great employment opportunities, training and support to local community.

I'm in favour of this extension because I believe it can provide more job security, more opportunity for people to become tradesmen and put money back into the community in which we live.

I support the extenstion

I object to the development application to extend the Wilpinjong mine - located in the Ulan road and Ulan Wollar road area. I lived in this area during the 1980's and have walked throughout the Munghorn Gap Nature Reserve and Goulbourn River National park (GRNP). I have had close associations with the local community. This community has already been devastated by the mines. I lost a very dear friend who was completely broken by the prospect of coal mining in this area. The mines have already damaged the community of Wollar - this mine expansion will destroy it. Wollar will become completely unlivable. My dear friend is buried in this valley and I hope that as this mine expands it will not also displace the Wollar cemetery.
Expanding the existing mine(s) in this area will cause irreparable damage to the whole environment throughout the Wollar Valley. It will foul the Wollar Creek and effect water run off in the area. It will also lessen the buffer zone around Munghorn Gap reserve. This reserve has been a favourite area for bird watchers and sightings of the Regents Honey Eater have been well documented. This bird has also been sighted within the Wollar Valley and GRNP.

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.
Wollar Creek was once home to a thriving Platypus population. I can't see how these creatures can survive.
It is devastating to all Australians that we continue open cut coal mining. We are fast destroying our greatest natural resource - our unique biodiversity. Each new and expanded open cut mine spells death - death for a vast range of flora and fauna and no efforts to re-mediate the land after open cut mining can bring that diversity back. Future generations will look back at us with despair and disgust for the damage we have caused. I urge you to not approve the expansion of this mine. The people of Wollar and NSW have already payed a high enough price for the damage caused by open cut coal mines in the upper Hunter catchment.

The further development of the Wilpinjong Coal mine via the Wilpinjong Extension Project will see continued support of the Mid Western Regional Council community and its environment which otherwise would simply not occur.

Wilpinjong coal mine's commitment to the environment, its immediate surrounds and the rehabilitation of the mined land was clearly demonstrated at the end of 2015 when they were successfully able to place grazing cattle onto their rehabilitated(previously mined) areas.

Since the commencement of operations at the Wilpinjong coal mine it has supported the local community in a number of ways;
*A project to save the endangered Regent Honeyeater and improve the Red Hill Environmental Education Centre.
*The annual Watershed Landcare's Green day environmental expo
*Improvements to local nursing homes including the creation of a secret garden for residents to enjoy
*The purchase of new medical equipment for the Mudgee District hospital,
*Assistance and support with fundraising for the successful relocation of the local disability service Lifeskills to a more suitable facility.
*Subsidised community store for the residents of Wollar
*Support and completion of projects for the Wollar public school
*Support of Ulan public school fundraising drives
*Sponsorship of local tourist events including Rylstone Street Feast, Black Nugget Cup, Mudgee Angus Breeders sale, Rotary conference, Gulgong Gold Nugget Business Awards
*Sponsorship of community activities such as Relay for Life, Community Christmas Carols, Fun runs, Mudgee Mens Shed, CWA Kandos Garden Fair
*Sponsorship of local community sporting clubs including Mudgee Rugby League, Mudgee Rugby Union, PCYC, NSW Mixed Triples Darts Championships,
*Sponsorship of the Cudgegong Learning Community (CLC) student leadership forum.
*A major contributor to the Ulan Road Strategy that is resulting in significant upgrades to Ulan Road and improving safety for all road users.

If the Wilpinjong Expansion project was not approved similar events and opportunities to the above unfortunately would not be able to occur or provide the success that they have thankfully been able to.

The Wilpinjong coal mine also provides employment opportunities for families of essential community services such as police officers, medical specialists, school teachers, fire and rescue services etc which would otherwise see these areas suffer as a direct result of these professions seeking alternative communities to work in if not for the employment opportunities created by the Wilpinjong mine.

These are just a few examples of what the Wilpinjong coal mine has assisted/provided the people of the Mid Western Regional Council community and its environment with during its operation.

If the Wilpinjong extension project was unsuccessful it would have a detrimental effect on the continued future development of the Mid Western Regional Council community and its environment.

Having seen first hand the benefits that mining has provided to my community through it's involvement, by enabling growth and development, the Wilpinjong Extension Project at the Wilpinjong Coal Mine will be a sustainable pillar for the future of the Mid Western Regional Council community and its environment.

I wish to object in the strongest terms against the proposed expansion of Wilpinjong Coal Mine. My ancestors were among the earliest settlers who went up over the mountains from Sydney in the 1860's and settled in Wollar. They farmed and bred seep, cattle and horses and were instrumental in Wollar being officially recognised as a village in 1880. They carved out a living under difficult circumstances and I am proud of them. I have 4 generations of my family buried in the Wollar Cemetery. Two of my uncles and my father served in the armed forces and are listed on the Honour Roll located in the Wollar Community Hall. My ties to the area have always been strong as I regularly visited my Grandmother who lived there until 1990. I have attended public meetings held regarding the original expansion of Wilpinjong mine and was told by a company representative that Peabody would purchase properties in Wollar to renovate them and use them as accommodation for mining personnel. This has not happened - it appears I was lied to. Not one of the properties purchased has been renovated or improved. In fact all of the purchased properties have either been condemned or demolished. In addition, I asked what would happen to the Cemetery as there are many pioneers of the area buried there along with my ancestors. The spokesperson was unable to give me a definitive answer other than that they would treat all areas of historical significance with due respect. It seems quite clear to me that Peabody Mining is a Company with deep financial issues (see attachment), yet it continues to have the support of the NSW Government in its applications to expand a coal mine that is probably already not going to produce any profit despite what the company forecasts. I also take issue with the matter of providing jobs to the area; "The mine employs 550 people. Approving the extension would increase jobs to more than 620 at a peak in 2024. Refusing the mine would reduce jobs to 497 by 2017, declining to 150 by 2026 when production would cease, Peabody said". (Source SMH Feb 2, 2016) How can Government accept that only 70 more jobs would be created over the next 8 years, and this is from the Company's own figures. Is 9 extra jobs a year worth the destruction and decimation of a village that is of significant historical value to the area? If the mine extension is approved, what steps has the Government taken to ensure that Peabody makes reasonable effort at restoration of the land? I see or hear nothing about this from Peabody in their submissions or statements. In closing I implore you to refuse the application on the simple grounds that coal is not a sustainable fuel even in todays environment and it may well be the case that in 1, 2 or 5 years time, the price for export coal will be so low as to ensure bankruptcy of the companies behind this quick fix expansion application. Please take into consideration how much history will be lost and ongoing grief to not only the residents of Wollar but the surrounding farmers who rely on the village remaining a viable community centre. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss my submission should you wish to clarify any of the points I have made. Yours sincerely, Darrell Hair

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uploaded submission

My submission is attached

Please see submission letter attached.