My objection to this `Modification to the existing consent for Coppabella Wind Farm' expanded area of clearing of and Ecological Endangered Community (EEC) " White Box-Yellow Box-Blakely's Red Gum Redbox grassy woodland" community (Modification under Section 96(2), seeking increase in vegetation clearing limit (S3 Cond 19) and that serious consideration is being given to the management of water supply for construction and erosion on a very fragile soil.

Harden Shire Remnant Vegetation Management Plan - 1997 identified that only 2.83% of medium to dense remnant vegetation remain within the shire, to increase the amount of land to be cleared in this EEC area without clearly outlining a plan of how set-aside ratios and offsets are to be managed should be unacceptable to NSW planning? No defined rehabilitation plans?

No serious consideration appears to have been given to where water is to be sourced for the construction of the towers, road building, dust suppression and supporting infrastructure. Please be aware of the Jugiong Creek Community Salinity Ranking project - June, 2009 it noted that the streams monitored in this area where regularly dry over the four years of monitoring, and we would request that no surface water be removed from the existing water course. As landholders on Jugiong Creek we have seen it pumped dry by roadworks programs in the past, the volume of water simply isn't there to support such a large project, water will have to be sourced elsewhere. A large number of landholders down-stream depend on this water system for stock and domestic water supply.

The riparian environment is very fragile due to low water levels and any reduction can only cause difficulties to the riparian populations and river health within the Jugiong Creek catchment and flow on into the Murrumbidgee River at Jugiong.

The soil is a fragile granite base, highly erodible; we would request that very stringent guidelines be put in place to ensure that gully and surface erosion is not the result of the road ways being constructed to bring the towers to the site. Will there be a clause that requires rehabilitation should serious erosion events un-expectly occur?

I hope you will give serious consideration to all the above issues when considering the terms and conditions for this development

I believe the modification proposed for Yass Valley Wind Farm (SSD 6698 MOD 1) is significant and warrants a new Development Application. Over two and a half times increase in vegetation clearing in steep country should require closer scrutiny. As should the increase in tower height and blade length. The effect of these changes on the ecology, the neighbouring residents, and wider community are too significant to be approved without closer scrutiny.
I object to the proposed modification and ask NSW Government to call for a new DA.

I object strongly to Coppabella Wind farms App No SSD6698 MOD1. Such radical modifications should require a complete new DA
I object to increasing the clearing limit
I object to the increase in blade length
I object to any modification to infrastructure

I object to DC SSD - 6698
Increasing the vegetation clearing limit in such a steep and challenging terrain would be hard to mitigate soil erosion
There should be no impact to the white box, yellow box, blakely's red gum community (box gum woodland), listed as an endangered ecological community under NSW and as a critically endangered ecological community. under the Commonwealth legislation.
Who cleans the mess up at the end of the short life of the turbine.
Where does the power come from when there is no wind? Is it worth the negative impact to the environment and community?

I am writing this submission in relation to the Modification Application for the Coppabella Windfarm( formerly the Yass Valley Windfarm) submitted by Goldwind.
I strongly object to the Modification Application for a variety of reasons and will endeavour to highlight the main points of concern.
Firstly this is not a modification, this is and should be treated as a whole new development application.

The increase in the turbine size raises numerous issues in itself.
-The obvious one being the visual effect on the landscape
-the increase in the hardstand area -which I might add the
Goldwind Development Project Manager could not state what
this would be at the first Community Consultation Committee
(CCC) meeting recently
-if a larger hardstand area is required then obviously more
concrete is needed, resulting in more water usage( another
unanswered question at the recent CCC Meeting was the
source of water during the construction phase)
-with the increase in potential output per turbine what effect
would this have on the number of turbines actually built in
regards to the capacity of the powerlines being connected to
- if less larger turbines were built than originally approved
would this then allow more turbines to be built in the future if
there was an upgrade of the power lines.
-also with less turbines the financial benefit (through the
Community Enhancement Fund) to the local communities
would be greatly reduced
-as it stands the towns closest to the development have no
guarantee of receiving any significant amount anyway

The increase in the area of vegetation clearing is appalling in a time when a lot of farmers(myself included) are planting thousands of trees for various enviromental reasons.
-the native vegetation on the Coppabella Hills is part of an
Endangered Ecological Community for a very good reason
-the increase in the loss of wildlife habitat as a result of
clearing more vegetation both living and dead(hollow bearing
trees) is a major concern

-the risk of erosion on the steep terrain is of significant
concern also

There are many more issues with this modification application but these are the main concerns.
This development has been hanging over our heads for nearly ten years now. As a business owner it makes it extremely difficult to make sound decisions regarding certain aspects of a business and the direction it takes with such a significant project hanging in the balance.

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I object to the increased vegetation clearing of the coppabella hills,due to the steepness of the country with erosion a major concern and also the clearing of so many trees

I object to the development of the increased land clearing in the Coppabella hills. I am worried about the environment damage with the clearing of trees and the huge roads that will need to be built.
Also visually they will impact as I conduct "Women's Well-being Workshops' on our property and also the noise of the larger turbines.

I object to the increase in size of turbines.We live2.3 km from turbines and i am concerned about flickering and increased noise.

I am 29 years old and grew up on a farm in close proximity to the proposed wind farm. I am opposed to both the wind farm and the the proposed modifications, for a number of reasons.
Firstly, it would be heartbreaking to see a landscape as beautiful as this one, destroyed in this manor by people with no connection to the land, from offices in Sydney. It does not go unnoticed that these sorts of installations are never proposed on the coast or near major cities (where there is plenty of wind) with higher populations and sensitive electorates. It is more than a little galling to see another rural community, without a strong voice sacrificed in this way, for the sake of those in urban areas who would never have to put up with this sort of treatment.
We have always tried to be responsible land managers; balancing economic viability with a genuine care for our country. My mother and father have spent decades battling erosion, invasive weeds, and other environmental impacts. After seeing my father painstakingly establish numerous tree plantations over the years in an effort to improve the biodiversity and environmental health of his land, it would be extremely upsetting to see a large company casually destroy what so many people have worked so hard to maintain.
Secondly, while I understand there are benefits and incentives to those with turbines proposed for their land, those benefits cease at their boundaries, leaving many of their neighbours and even those further away potentially negatively impacted. My family is one such example. My parents have worked hard on the land their entire lives, in the knowledge that the value of their land will be what makes retirement possible. This is now very much at risk, as land right next to wind turbines, ever growing in size, may well severely decrease in value, with no consideration of this loss from the developers. I do not care how many "case studies" they have paid for and shove under our noses, about areas that differ clearly from our own, unless they are willing to give a guarantee that this will not happen, and back that up financially (which they would of course never do), why on earth would we take them at their word?! My wife and I intend to buy land from my parents and build a house within the next twelve months. The value of the land is essential in allowing us to do this, so it is not only concern for my parents welfare, but also a fear that our future is jeopardised that compels me to speak up. It is hard enough for young people to make a life in the country these days without extra hurdles like this being placed in our path.
Ill feeling and angst has already been caused by this proposal in our community, and the disparity in treatment between those benefiting from the project and their neighbours has received grossly inadequate attention.
While I am aware that this project has great potential to make a good deal of money for people who live far away from our rural community, it also has the potential to damage or destroy the lives of those who actually live in it. I implore you to reject this proposal.

The proposed Coppabella Wind Farm will extend approximately 12 kms west to east and up to 10 kms north along the Coppabella Hills. The highest point being within the Binalong,Bookham and Jugiong triangle which is bounded by Burley Griffin Way in the east ,the Hume Highway in the south and McMahons Reef Rd in the west.With a proposed height of 171 meters per turbine the proposed 129 turbines will have a dramatic and adverse impact on the landscape and they will be visible at points from 4Kms to 15kms.
The siting of these turbines in this location will be intrusive given their high visibility.
The proposed turbines because of their large rotating blades will attract attention and therefore visually have an adverse impact on the local landscape in the same way as other large structures like power grid pylons and large buildings neither of which would be welcomed by the Binalong community if constructed in the same location.
The aesthetic aspect of these particular turbines and the resulting changes to the visual landscape of the Coppabella Hills are significant and therefore should be relocated to another site within the larger proposed Yass Valley Windfarm .
Research indicates that most Local Government authorities are adverse to allowing wind turbines in rural settings.Solar power is considered to be the best choice because it provides a more predictable energy output ,is less conspicuous than wind turbine and is totally silent,stationary and requires less maintenance.
Data indicates that Solar produces 5 times as much electricity as wind turbines . The timing of solar output is more predictable than wind .Solar power comes in the middle of the day in the high part of the daily demand curve.
The proposal for Coppabella Wind Farm requires the clearing of over 160 hectares of natural vegetation . This will have a significant impact on the local flora and fauna,particularly kangaroos already in large numbers ,forcing them on to the surrounding properties to the detriment of grazing and farming land and infra structure.
The total lack of consultation with the wider Binalong Community both in the initial approval and the modification application by the developer,local and state governance is unconscionable.
With the exception of the Coppabella Windfarm Newsletter dated September 2017 there has been no formal correspondence received by residents with the exception of those on whose land the turbines will be sited .
For clarity this includes the period prior to the initial development application,the subsequent approval by the DPE in 2009 and the current variation.
Further when enquiries were made at the Yass Council Office on 14th March 2017 regarding a rumour of a Windfarm development in the Binalong area the response was that the council had no knowledge of any such development.