I object to the expansion of this coal mine as there is more than enough dirty coal mines in NSW to last a lifetime and beyond
The damage this extension will do to the local villages, wildlife and environment is just not acceptable any more especially when we are trying to move to cleaner energy sources.
Even nuclear power would be lot better option than more and more coal mines and coal fired power stations.
Lets draw the line on this extension.
Thank you

There can be no justification for ruining the lives of others for the sake of profits. Coalmining in the 21 century should be coming to an end - not expanding.

I wish to ask some questions about the proposed extensions to the coal mine at Wollar. I expect you will be able to answer them all without difficulty.

1. How do you plan to deal with local waterways so that they will be totally safe? What about existing surface water, and groundwater?
2. What plans do you have for protecting threatened ecological communities and local species?
3. I assume you have consulted the local Aboriginal people? No doubt their heritage and cultural concerns are at the top of your list of things to consider with great care and compassion.
4. In December 2015 new standards of air quality were adopted. How have you addressed these standards?
5. How are you planning to measure and deal with noise? And how will you keep on measuring it and reducing it?
6. How do you propose to deal with the expected 20m tonnes of greenhouse gases that you will send into the atmosphere?
7. Is the coal you intend to extract in this ares of top quality? If not, there is no good reason to extract it.

I submit my queries with the expectation that they will be carefully answered.

Yours sincerely,

Ruth Colman

I am disappointed to hear that coal company Peabody is planning to expand its Wilpinjong mine closer to the village of Wollar. I object to this proposal.

This mine will produce an additional 20 million tons of greenhouse gases a year and what for? Coal is in decline and there is plenty to supply its customers in the existing mine.

This extension will make the village of Wollar unliveable due to dust and noise - as is happening to villages and homes throughout the Hunter Valley. It will also remove over 300 hectares of native vegetation and impact over 20 threatened species and ecological communities. Will the biodiversity offsets be enough to compensate? I think not.

Sooner or later this government has to understand that the damage being caused by mining low quality coal while doing irreversible environmental damage can no longer be justified.
David Palmer
Ingleside

Please, stop this coalmine that is going to adversely affect the little town of Wollar.
No more coal mines, please.
Let us think about the people and the environment, for once.
It is time.

The Nature Conservation Council makes these points in relation to the project:

(1) The extension of Wilpinjong Mine will make the village of Wollar unlivable.
(2) The cumulative social impact of loss of population through mining projects from Ulan to Bylong has not been considered.
(3) The noise assessment, monitoring and mitigation measures are totally inadequate.
(4) Air quality has not been assessed against the new standards adopted in December 2015.
(5) 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.
(6) The cumulative impacts on biodiversity, Aboriginal cultural heritage, water sources, greenhouse gas emissions, community and rural industry have not been rigorously assessed.
(7) 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.
(8) The area has significant Aboriginal cultural heritage values that have not been assessed in a regional context.
(9) The extension removes existing buffer zones for the Munghorn Gap Nature Reserve.
(10) The extension will leave three final voids that will permanently scar the landscape and harm waterways for hundreds of years.
(11) The ongoing impacts on groundwater and surface water systems will be greater than predicted.
(12) The predicted job numbers are overstated compared, with the current workforce extracting the same volume of coal.
(13) Peabody Energy is in deep financial distress and may not be fit to meet all its obligations.
(14) The contract to supply AGL's Bayswater Power Station can be met by the current approval.
(15) The proposal to continue extracting low quality coal while causing irreversible environmental and social damage cannot be justified.

If only a few of these are accurate then it would be a travesty for the mine expansion to proceed. It must be evident by now to everyone that we cannot afford to permit new coal mines in a time of global warming. But my favourite of the 15 reasons for objecting is probably the first: how can we sacrifice a village for more coal mining?

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 am concerned about many aspects to the application for the the extension of the mine. It seems obvious that there will be a huge social impact on the village of Woller. Th e noise assessment is unrealistic. The air quality will suffer. The native vegetation and species are under threat. The cultural heritage has been ignored. The coal is low grade and the job numbers are inflated. What could possibly be the benefit to our society?
I make the application that the submission for the mine extension to be refused.

*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.

It seems obvious to me that coal energy is incompatible with human survival and should be phased out.
Every effort and expense needs to be directed to establish solar and wind as energy sources.
The financial interests of the coal industry and its backers must be ignored, if we are serious about our future.

The decision in favour of green energy is critical for humanity at this time. This will become obvious soon enough but then it may be too late to salvage the planet's life.