"Global warming: The burning of an additional 70Mt of coal a year will add 174.2Mt of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. This is equal to 30% of Australia's total annual GHG emissions. The International Energy Agency predicts that to limit global warming to under 2 degrees Celsius, global coal demand must peak in 2016, at least a year before PWCS indicates T4's will begin operation.
The Hunter Estuary supports 112 species of waterbirds and nationally and internationally listed threatened species, including the Australasian bittern (Botaurus poiciloptilus), listed as endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).

Deep and Swan Ponds: The Project will wipe out 80% of Deep Pond, which supports at least 11 species of migratory recorded and above the threshold of 0.1 per cent of the Australian flyway population for three migratory shorebird species, and will develop part of Swan Pond which supports three species in numbers that exceed the threshold of 0.1 per cent of the Australian flyway population.

Misuse of public conservation lands: Swan Pond is public land, owned and managed by the National Parks Service under Part 11 of the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Act. It is part of a highly successful long-term restoration project, the Kooragang Wetland Rehabilitation Project (KWRP) and has been the site of significant hours of volunteer labour by the local bird watching club.

Air quality: Newcastle and the Hunter Valley communities are
impacted by dust from the mining, transport and stockpiling of coal. An additional 70Mt of coal exported will mean about an additional 7000 trips of 80 wagon trains between the Hunter mines and the port and back again per year, the capacity to export coal from an additional 8 to 10 mega mines and four new 1.5km coal stockpiles will substantially add to PM10 emissions in Newcastle and the Hunter Valley.

Air quality modelling flaws: PWCS's air quality modelling continues to use 2010 as a base year. NSW Health has suggested that PWCS should have included "a justification for assuming the PM10 levels in 2010 would be a realistic baseline for modelling future particulate levels or alternatively use, as a baseline, average levels over a longer period of time". This recommendation is ignored in the PPR.
Particle pollution from rail transport: The PPR does not address air quality issues from rail transport returning to the Upper Hunter Valley. PWCS continues to focus on air quality impacts within 20m of the rail corridor, but there are almost 30,000 people living within 500m of the rail corridor and 23,000 students attend 16 schools in that vicinity. The submission to the EA by NSW Health noted that the contribution of coal dust from coal trains beyond 20m from the rail corridor needs to be carefully considered, but this recommendation is ignored.

Justification for the project: There is no justification for the project. PWCS does not commit to building T4 and only suggests an indicative build date of 2015 with operation maybe in 2017. During a major downturn in global coal demand, Newcastle's approved coal export port capacity of 211Mt seems optimistic. Last year only 141Mt of coal was exported meaning 60Mt or 42 per cent of capacity was uninstalled.

Employment: The 120 Mt facility proposed in the EA identified no additional employment would result from its operation. The revised T4 project of 70Mt million of the RT/PPR is identified as employing 80 additional people. How is this possible? This dubious additional employment is not explained.

Economics: PWCS's claimed economic benefits to the region are based on a type of economic modelling the Australian Bureau of Statistics calls "biased" and the Productivity Commission says is regularly "abused", usually to overstate the economic importance of specific projects. The original economic assessment of the T4 project suggests its annual operating costs will only be between $45-50 million a year. Since that assessment was made, the size of the project has "almost halved", so the amount of money it will "inject" into the economy has presumably declined considerably. For the terminal to achieve its economic potential, a lot more coal has to be dug up and exported. This means that a lot more bush and agricultural land needs to be turned into coal mines. A lot more coal trains need to pass through Newcastle's suburbs. At the site of the proposal, a significant wetland would have to be destroyed. And, of course, the extra coal being burned would contribute to climate change. None of these costs are considered in the economic assessment commissioned by PWCS."

I wish to state my opposition to the T4 coal loader in Newcastle. The huge increased capacity generated by T4 is only required if many more large coal mines are created in the Hunter Valley and the Liverpool Plains. Unfortunately, many Hunter people have not ventured further west and are not aware that the Liverpool Plains with its rich deep black soil is some of the worlds best farming land. They think only of the impact of T4 on the city of Newcastle. Already a lot of the highly productive land of the Liverpool Plains has been purchased by large coal companies from countries such as China. If T4 is allowed to proceed this will give these companies an "open gate" to destroy our valuable and irreplaceable farm land on the Liverpool plains, destroy a remaining remnant of amazing biodiversity at Maules Creek and give a licence to reduce and inevitably contaminate the water table and waterways in this area. By destroying farmland it is inevitable that the, until recently, thriving rural communities such as Gunnedah will also be severely impacted. Already their social structure and cohesion is breaking down due to the impact of coal mines currently operating in the area and their boom/bust economies. Once a farm is sold the immense expertise and knowledge held by farming families is lost and will not be passed on to the next generation. Australia cannot afford the great losses that the T4 represents. If this is approved we really can call ourselves nothing else but the "stupid" country.

"One would think that now the world is recognising the damage mankind is doing to our beautiful planet our politicians would turn their power into keeping the valuable natural places and wildlife instead of ever plotting more money making projects. And this project isn't dire for mankind, it was about making more money ultimately for some big foreign owned company (that's usually the way). But now that goal isn't attainable so PLEASE turn your thinking around and do what your constituents want - to value our natural assets, stop selling us off to the rest of the world and treasure all these places and creatures that existed before we were here.
I'm NOT a greenie but most of us can see that this plan was always made by the big boys for the big boys so they could make more money. When will the politicians learn that money isn't everything and Australia is going pretty well anyway. Maybe they need to watch more nature documentaries on TV. They'd have to be blind not to get the message."

"I am opposed to the T4 project for the following reasons:
1. The residents in my suburb (mayfield east) are exposed to a lot of pollution from the current coal terminals and the trucks that are travelling to the Port as well as close-by industry. These effects are cumulative. Already, my house, my garden and presumably my lungs are coated with coal dust - due to the stockpiles of coal at the end of my street - and yet regardless of this, you wish to add to this damage with a further terminal. We do not need more coal terminals in this city we need less.

2. The T4 will destroy the habitat of birds which migrate from Siberia to Deep Pond. This is a miraculous example of how our whole world is connected in the most unlikely of ways. Yet you will destroy this link. It is an environmental crime - the consequences of which are only going to be felt when it is too late to undo the damage.

3. The pollution from dust, coal, and train noise - is already unacceptable - yet you plan to more than double it.

4. Increasing global warming means that governments will be so consumed with damage bills (typhooons, floods, bush fires, cyclones) - that there will be less and less money for government services such as health, education, welfare. The gap between the rich and the poor will increase. Resources will become scarcer. The result will be a lot of suffering. For this, I hold you who are making this decision which promotes global warming rather than prevents it - as personally accountable."

"I would like to share my concerns about the installation of a 4th coal terminal on Kooragang.

As a resident of Stockton, and a health professional, I have severe concerns about the impact coal dust is having on local residents. It is imperative that the residents of communities such as Stockton and Mayfield are consulted on an individual basis to find out whether upper respiratory conditions and allergies have worsened along with the increasing amounts of coal that are passing through the area. Not all of these health issues will be reported because they are low grade, chronic conditions. These may not be weighing down our health system now, however they will be having an impact on general productivity and emotional well-being, and are likely to lead to more serious health conditions in the future.

Extra coal in the area also means extra ships passing through our waters. There are already serious concerns about foreign algae and marine life damaging our own river Eco-system, and this danger is only going to increase with more traffic. I am aware that there are procedures in place for bilge water to be emptied before ships enter Hunter waters, however I am also aware that these are not heavily policed - information that has been shared with me by people who are working with the loaders and the ships.

Besides my many concerns about the environment and the health of my community, I also believe that a 4th terminal is simply a waste of money. Coal is a finite resource, and the time is going to come in the not too distant future, where the demand is going to decrease, and money spent on roads and infrastructure, as well as the loader itself, could be utilised for many, many, more productive services for this region."

Due to ongoing eye problems I cannot read the new report but another coal Loader in Newcastle should not be built. The people of Newcastle should not be subject to more coal piles with added pollution in our city. Coal in the future will be a thing of the past and Newcastle and our once pristine Hunter Valley will be destroyed along with the industries that have supported us over many generations. We need food, fresh air and clean water to sustain future generations in this now hungry for money world. But this NSW government like all their predecessors only think of the money and what can do for Sydney. Lets look for alternatives before it is too late for my grandchildren and great grandchildren. I care about mine, do you care about yours?

"I object to this project and believe that the community health, environmental and socioeconomic impacts will have far outweigh any short term benefits it is claimed it will deliver. These include:

Global warming: The burning of an additional 70Mt of coal a year will add 174.2Mt of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. This is equal to 30% of Australia's total annual GHG emissions. The International Energy Agency predicts that to limit global warming to under 2 degrees Celsius, global coal demand must peak in 2016, at least a year before PWCS indicates T4's will begin operation.
The Hunter Estuary supports 112 species of waterbirds and nationally and internationally listed threatened species, including the Australasian bittern (Botaurus poiciloptilus), listed as endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).
Deep and Swan Ponds: The Project will wipe out 80% of Deep Pond, which supports at least 11 species of migratory recorded and above the threshold of 0.1 per cent of the Australian flyway population for three migratory shorebird species, and will develop part of Swan Pond which supports three species in numbers that exceed the threshold of 0.1 per cent of the Australian flyway population.
Misuse of public conservation lands: Swan Pond is public land, owned and managed by the National Parks Service under Part 11 of the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Act. It is part of a highly successful long-term restoration project, the Kooragang Wetland Rehabilitation Project (KWRP) and has been the site of significant hours of volunteer labour by the local bird watching club.
Air quality: Newcastle and the Hunter Valley communities are impacted by dust from the mining, transport and stockpiling of coal. An additional 70Mt of coal exported will mean about an additional 7000 trips of 80 wagon trains between the Hunter mines and the port and back again per year, the capacity to export coal from an additional 8 to 10 mega mines and four new 1.5km coal stockpiles will substantially add to PM10 emissions in Newcastle and the Hunter Valley.
Air quality modelling flaws: PWCS's air quality modelling continues to use 2010 as a base year. NSW Health has suggested that PWCS should have included "a justification for assuming the PM10 levels in 2010 would be a realistic baseline for modelling future particulate levels or alternatively use, as a baseline, average levels over a longer period of time". This recommendation is ignored in the PPR.
Particle pollution from rail transport: The PPR does not address air quality issues from rail transport returning to the Upper Hunter Valley. PWCS continues to focus on air quality impacts within 20m of the rail corridor, but there are almost 30,000 people living within 500m of the rail corridor and 23,000 students attend 16 schools in that vicinity. The submission to the EA by NSW Health noted that the contribution of coal dust from coal trains beyond 20m from the rail corridor needs to be carefully considered, but this recommendation is ignored.
Justification for the project: There is no justification for the project. PWCS does not commit to building T4 and only suggests an indicative build date of 2015 with operation maybe in 2017. During a major downturn in global coal demand, Newcastle's approved coal export port capacity of 211Mt seems optimistic. Last year only 141Mt of coal was exported meaning 60Mt or 42 per cent of capacity was uninstalled.
Employment: The 120 Mt facility proposed in the EA identified no additional employment would result from its operation. The revised T4 project of 70Mt million of the RT/PPR is identified as employing 80 additional people. How is this possible? This dubious additional employment is not explained.
Economics: PWCS's claimed economic benefits to the region are based on a type of economic modelling the Australian Bureau of Statistics calls "biased" and the Productivity Commission says is regularly "abused", usually to overstate the economic importance of specific projects. The original economic assessment of the T4 project suggests its annual operating costs will only be between $45-50 million a year. Since that assessment was made, the size of the project has "almost halved", so the amount of money it will "inject" into the economy has presumably declined considerably. For the terminal to achieve its economic potential, a lot more coal has to be dug up and exported. This means that a lot more bush and agricultural land needs to be turned into coal mines. A lot more coal trains need to pass through Newcastle's suburbs. At the site of the proposal, a significant wetland would have to be destroyed. And, of course, the extra coal being burned would contribute to climate change. None of these costs are considered in the economic assessment commissioned by PWCS. (Read Rod Campbell's economic analysis here.)"

"I object to this project and believe that the community health, environmental and socioeconomic impacts will have far outweigh any short term benefits it is claimed it will deliver. These include:

The burning of an additional 70Mt of coal a year will add 174.2Mt of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. This is equal to 30% of Australia's total annual GHG emissions. The International Energy Agency predicts that to limit global warming to under 2 degrees Celsius, global coal demand must peak in 2016, at least a year before PWCS indicates T4's will begin operation.

The Hunter Estuary supports 112 species of waterbirds and nationally and internationally listed threatened species, including the Australasian bittern (Botaurus poiciloptilus), listed as endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).

The Project will wipe out 80% of Deep Pond, which supports at least 11 species of migratory recorded and above the threshold of 0.1 per cent of the Australian flyway population for three migratory shorebird species, and will develop part of Swan Pond which supports three species in numbers that exceed the threshold of 0.1 per cent of the Australian flyway population.

Swan Pond is public land, owned and managed by the National Parks Service under Part 11 of the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Act. It is part of a highly successful long-term restoration project, the Kooragang Wetland Rehabilitation Project (KWRP) and has been the site of significant hours of volunteer labour by the local bird watching club.

Newcastle and the Hunter Valley communities are impacted by dust from the mining, transport and stockpiling of coal. An additional 70Mt of coal exported will mean about an additional 7000 trips of 80 wagon trains between the Hunter mines and the port and back again per year, the capacity to export coal from an additional 8 to 10 mega mines and four new 1.5km coal stockpiles will substantially add to PM10 emissions in Newcastle and the Hunter Valley.

The PPR does not address air quality issues from rail transport returning to the Upper Hunter Valley. PWCS continues to focus on air quality impacts within 20m of the rail corridor, but there are almost 30,000 people living within 500m of the rail corridor and 23,000 students attend 16 schools in that vicinity. The submission to the EA by NSW Health noted that the contribution of coal dust from coal trains beyond 20m from the rail corridor needs to be carefully considered, but this recommendation is ignored.

PWCS's claimed economic benefits to the region are based on a type of economic modelling the Australian Bureau of Statistics calls "biased" and the Productivity Commission says is regularly "abused", usually to overstate the economic importance of specific projects. The original economic assessment of the T4 project suggests its annual operating costs will only be between $45-50 million a year. Since that assessment was made, the size of the project has "almost halved", so the amount of money it will "inject" into the economy has presumably declined considerably. For the terminal to achieve its economic potential, a lot more coal has to be dug up and exported. This means that a lot more bush and agricultural land needs to be turned into coal mines. A lot more coal trains need to pass through Newcastle's suburbs. At the site of the proposal, a significant wetland would have to be destroyed. And, of course, the extra coal being burned would contribute to climate change. None of these costs are considered in the economic assessment commissioned by PWCS. (Read Rod Campbell's economic analysis here.)"

"I am writing to object to the proposed T4 coal terminal.

Port Waratah Coal Services have stated that there is no need for another coal terminal as the ports currently available are not operating any where near capacity. Creating another port and the infrastructure required to deliver goods too and from the port would cause a great deal of damage to the land. Land of particular importance includes 'The Hunter Wetlands' which is supposed to be managed for conservation and is a vital area for many bird species. Also vital to migratory bird species are 'Swan Pond' and 'Deep Pond', all of which would be lost if T4 goes ahead.

Damage to the land from mining coal mean chemicals and heavy metals will litter the landscape and damage healthy farmland and waterways, it will also have a bad effect on the water table.

The air will also be affected as dust from the mining and transportation of coal will have an impact on the health of those living near the coals route. Furthermore the coal itself will have a great environmental impact. This is at a time when the scientific community have agreed that they are as certain on the affects of burning fossil fuels as they are of smoking causing cancer.

China and the rest of the world are getting serious on reducing carbon dioxide emissions and are finding ways to reduce the need to burn fossil fuels. Digging up more coal while the rest of the world begin to reduce their need only goes to show that a new coal terminal is not needed.

Please do not go ahead with T4."

"I object to this proposed project because I do not believe that it will bring any long term benefits, if it brings any benefits at all. We must stop going for the quick dollar and think of the health of our environment. In the long term, a healthy environment will promote a healthier population. People's health should be of paramount concern.

Proposed projects such as this are a grave concern to many, many people. Deep Pond is needed by many species of migratory birds. The Project would destroy 80% of Deep Pond. This is an astounding proportion to be put at risk. There are 112 species of birds that the Hunter Estuary supports. Some of these birds are listed as endangered and are protected by law.

Another big concern is that Swan Pond is public land, owned and managed by the National Parks Service under Part 11 of the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Act. It is public land!!! Why is this land being offered for development at all? The public has volunteered long and hard to restore part of this area to its natural state. This work should be respected and preserved and encouraged; not destroyed.

The government should show concern for the long suffering residents of Newcastle and the Hunter Valley. Living with the dust from the mining, transport and stockpiling of coal is causing numerous health problems. These are serious issues and cannot be glossed over by people who only financial gain in their sights.

The jobs promised by this Project have not been fully explained. 'More jobs' is a common excuse to get projects like this approved. However, they rarely live up to their promise with the profits going far from the mining sites. And, when the mining is over, what will be left? Not much. I've seen what mining did to West Virginia and the Appalachian Mountains regions. These areas were stripped and abandoned when the profits over and are now depressed places.

This type of environmental recklessness must stop. Climate change is teaching us some harsh lessons. Fires, storms and sea surges are becoming frighteningly too common. Let's use our common sense and preserve what is left of natural environment."