Supporting Submission for the Russell Vale Underground Expansion Project

Our national, state and local economy relies heavily on coal mining so
coal mining benefits all Australians.

Coal is one of Australia's and NSW's most important and valuable
exports.

Coking coal from coal mines in the southern coalfield, such as Russell
Vale Colliery, has ideal qualities for steel production and it has
fewer impurities, such as sulphur, than coal from other countries. So
the use of our coal is reducing pollution, such as sulphur dioxide, on
a worldwide basis.

The employment of several hundred direct employees in the coal mine is
at stake at Russell Vale Colliery.

The federal government's tables of multiplier effects shows that more
than three times as many indirect jobs are created for every person
employed in a coal mine.
Australia and NSW need to focus on the positive aspects of coal mining
and its many benefits so as not be distracted by ideologically driven
anti-mining activists.
Dozens of longwalls have extracted coal beneath the stored waters of
the catchment areas without any loss of drinking water since the 1974
Stored Waters Inquiry by Justice Reynolds.
There have been at least 17 longwalls extracted by Russell Vale
Colliery (formerly called South Bulli Colliery) beneath the stored
water of Cataract Reservoir without any loss of water. Not one drop of
drinking water was "lost". A plan showing many of those longwalls is
attached from page 337 of Book 2 on the "History of Coal Mining in the
Illawarra" published by the Mineral Heritage Subcommittee of the
Illawarra Branch of the Australasian Institute of Mining and
Metallurgy (AusIMM) in 2016, Editor R A Cairns..

Further, the process of mining under stored water is controlled by the
Dam Safety Committee established in 1978 by the state government for
that purpose.

The people who are scaremongering about the security of our drinking
water have caused a great deal of baseless community concern.
We should all be proud of what coal mining is doing for Australia, NSW
and the Illawarra region.
The report submitted by Russell Vale Colliery demonstrates its
comprehensive coverage of all environmental issues. The benefits from
the continuation of this coal mine are immense.

For all of these reasons I fully support the Russell Vale Underground
Expansion Project.

Preliminary comment attached.

We object to the proposal from Wollongong Coal to mine beneath the
Cataract Dam catchment. Within drinking water catchments nil impacts
on water resources, ecological integrity and catchment functionality
is the only acceptable scenario. The proponent has admitted there will
be serious negative impacts should their proposal proceed and
therefore they should be denied an approval. Our arguements are set
out in the attached PDF.

Please find my submission attached.