I and my family have lived in the Rye Park area for 20 years, I attended school in Boorowa and now own a business in Boorowa. I also have a wife and two small children.
The plan to build 109 wind turbines in the countryside to the south-east my home fills me with dread, especially as I will also be impacted by the Bango Wind Farm development south-west of my home, and the proposed Rugby Wind Farm to the east, north and south of my home. The visual and sound impact of so many wind turbines surrounding us will make the place unlivable.
The community of Rye Park has, over the years, been a close community and the secret intrusion of Epuron, followed by Trustpower, has divided the community and created a feeling of sadness for those who have been here all their lives. The common argument that wind turbines will `droughproof' individual people's farms is a ridiculous statement, and perhaps is only a statement that can be used by those who cannot run their businesses efficiently. If I ran my business at a utilisation rate of 34% I wouldn't last long, and this is what Trustpower are claiming is the best they can do on average (Appendix K, page 7). If my employees were sitting around motionless for 66% of the day I would fire them, not give them thousands of dollars every year in incentives to do nothing!
Many of the hosts, at least those who actually live in the Rye Park area, have inherited their land and I find it hard to understand that their fathers and grandfathers retained the vegetation and habitats that now house a considerable number of endangered species and ecosystems, and they are now willing to destroy this purely for money. The Rye Park area has been widely recognised as one of the most unique areas in Australia due to this concentration of endangered species and habitats, some of which have not even been studied sufficiently to accurately gauge the impacts this development will have. For the proponent, in the Response to Submissions document, to be only just recognising the Southern Pygmy Perch and the Yellow Spotted Bell Frog after 6 years of research and study makes me wonder what else has been missed, and what else we will lose.
Thousands of dollars and man hours have been spent by Governments, Landcare, Greening Australia, local farmers etc to save and increase the habitat for the Superb Parrot. This will all have been in vain if the Rye Park Wind Farm is allowed to be built. The parrots will not know that they are only supposed to fly in a certain direction and between certain wind turbines! They will arrive in the spring as usual, fly the same way they usually do, and attempt to nest in the same area as they were born. How does anyone know if the Superb Parrots will still attempt to do what they have always done if they arrive in the spring of 2018 and find hundreds of very large predatory birds (wind turbines) in their nesting area. Surely it is better not to take that risk.
Until the information day held by Trustpower in September 2015 our home was not even considered to exist, and it was only that my mother told Michael Head on that day. Even so, and despite the fact that in the document Summary, page 109, it is stated that `the Proponent has expanded the direct consultation effort to all residences located within 5 km of a turbine' we have not yet been contacted. The figure in Table 7-3 states that there are 57 residences 4km to 5km from the proposed development but I have to question the accuracy of this figure when they haven't even found us all yet, and there are very few residences marked on their maps outside the 2km area. My business in Boorowa has just been approached during the exhibition period, and I as the owner was not spoken to, so any reference to the majority of businesses in Boorowa supporting the project can be disregarded due to the inadequacy of capturing accurate information from all businesses in Boorowa.
The future of the village of Rye Park is at risk. The value of our property, along with those of all residences in the area, is of concern. The ongoing biodiversity of the surrounding landscape and environment is in danger. The community of Rye Park is divided. For these reasons I trust you will not approve the Rye Park Wind Farm proposal in any form. Trustpower have had 6 years to prove the adequacy of this proposal and have still not done so. Turning our landscape into something that resembles a `Mad Max' film is not saving the environment!
Shane Apps

Having run my own home on solar and wind power since 1991, I have come to the realisation that alternative power for a home, large establishment or state, requires the use of two natural sources: wind and solar.
While we have solar, it is not available at night. But wind is a 24 hour resource and should be used more extensively. To maintain the power of the wind, we need to have as many wind turbines as possible to ensure continuity of supply. The Rye Park farm will provide that consistency. And with the farms being in close proximity to Canberra and many of our Defence facilities, we need to ensure that we have an alternative source of power, should the traditional coal fired systems fail through a terrorist or military operation.

I am concerned to hear of the above proposal as I regularly visit family in the village of Rye Park.
I believe the industrialisation of rural communities is a very real issue that cannot be ignored. Our food and fibre industries are already under attack from coal seam gas, coal mines and low commodity prices. Our food security is not assured due to destruction of our food markets from countries with cheaper labour. The only thing that keeps some of us in country areas is the trade-off of living in a serene rural landscape, and to destroy this would be the last straw for many of the Rye Park farmers, just so a handful of them can `droughtproof' their farms.
Great for those remaining who could snap up the cheap land due to the lowering of land values, but not so great for the many endangered species of birds, animals, plants and ecological systems that have been so carefully preserved over many generations.
I trust you will listen to the majority of residents of Rye Park and the surrounding farmers who do not want this development to go ahead.
Andy Barrett

I am the landholder to 14 wind towers within the Capital Wind Farm near Bungendore which have been operating for 7 years, and have lived within close surroundings to them. My experience has been very positive. Good access roads have been constructed through rough boulder-strewn country allowing easy access for farm management and for fire trail purposes. Very few trees have needed to be removed, with replanting provided for 10 trees for each one removed. Livestock are totally untroubled, indeed sheep and cattle tend to rest around the towers for preference. Noise is of little if any consequence, and minimal compared to that of wind in the trees.

My family have been in the Rye Park/Boorowa area for a very long time and many of them are still there, including my father.
I am concerned about the Rye Park Wind farm proposal due to the impact it is currently having on the community. There has been a great deal of stress placed on the residents, my father included, knowing that there are members of their community who are willing to destroy the unique landscape, vegetation and wildlife that has been thoughtfully preserved by their forefathers under the pretence of `saving the environment'.
I currently live in a rural community and know the impact such a proposal would have.
I will one day inherit my father's property `Hazeldene', with the possibility of moving back there in my retirement, but this will not be an option for me if the village is surrounded by wind turbines, which it will be if the proposed Bango Wind Farm also goes ahead. I also have grave concerns about the declining value of the property and the very real possibility that I would not be able to live there and would not be able to sell it either.

Yours faithfully
Edwina Barrett

I am a regular visitor to Rye Park and am distressed to hear of the proposal to build a wind generated power station along the beautiful hills surrounding the village.
The visual impact of 109 157 meter high wind turbines along the eastern boundary of the village would be awful, and to put that together with the proposal known as the Bango Wind Farm along the western boundary of Rye Park would be a situation that not even the supporters would be accurately able to imagine until the damage is done.
I live in an industrialised landscape, and for that reason have been interested in buying country in the Rye Park area to escape. The proposed industrialisation of the Rye Park countryside has prompted me to start looking elsewhere.
I realise the land values in the Rye Park area have dropped since talk of the wind farms, and I would probably pick up a bargain at the moment, but it would not be worth it to have to see wind turbines, and to put up with the noise.
From a disappointed Rye Park visitor,
Lisa Hanson and Family.

I have lived at Rye Park for the majority of my life and my family have been in the Boorowa/Rye Park area for several generations, many of them are still here.
My ancestors were amongst the original settlers in this area and loved the land, and the landscape, as I do and would be horrified to see what this proposal will do to. The visual pollution this will create on the countryside is not hard to imagine, and life in the Village of Rye Park will never be the same again. The application paraphernalia suggests that putting wind turbines on the top of the ridges minimises the visual disturbance to residents. What a ridiculous comment. Putting 157m tall monstrosities on the tops of the hills, on top of the Great Dividing Range, can only make them more visible to more people!
I write this letter today on a lovely winter morning with light cloud on the hills, a slight breeze and the noises of a country village waking up for the day. The breeze would be enough to turn wind turbines, and the noise of 109 turbines winding away along the Rye Park valley would be horrendous. There is no denying wind turbines make noise, and if they weren't a problem there would not be the need for the extensive sound monitoring Trustpower have needed to do.
The proposal has already caused division in our close-knit community and this division will be very hard to mend.
I am a member of the Rye Park Rural Fire Service as a volunteer and have concerns about the possibility that aerial support for fire fighting in and around the village will not be possible, especially if the Bango WF also goes ahead and the village will be literally surrounded by turbines. It would be a brave pilot to enter into a 2000+hectare zone with zero visibility due to smoke to save the residents of a small village.
I also wonder about the actual planning of this proposal and doubt if a development of this size can be built to the rules when their application is not even accurate, and things such as permissions to access properties has not even been sought or given.
For example, there is a map in Appendix E showing the intersection of Boorowa Road and Yass Street. This is the main entry point to the village from Boorowa where most of the traffic will be arriving. It is also the corner of my property `Hazeldene". The map shows the travel of trucks around the corner, and how they will need to cut the corner to get around it. The ridiculousness of this photo is that the corner will need to be cut going north, the power pole on that corner will be wiped out along with the Telstra hut that provides vital communication to the village and surrounding areas (as there is no mobile phone service in the village). But what is most concerning is that I have not been approached, and have not given permission for the intrusion into my land. How many more instances like this are in the proposal? If Epuron/Trustpower have been in the Rye Park area for the last 6 years and still cannot get permissions, and the names of roads, right then what hope do they have of putting wind turbines, roads and power lines in the right place. How can they be trusted?
Wind power is an inefficient form of power generation. They admit themselves (Appendix K, page 7) that the operation will only have a 34% utilization rate. If I ran my farm at 34% efficiency I would soon be out of business. Maybe that is why the hosts of these things need the money, they think running their farms at 34% efficiency is all they can do too, and will go out of business if they don't have turbines! Solar power is the answer and with the money these people will be subsidised for wind power we could all be given solar panels and have the same affect without the need for destroying our environment.
I am an avid bird lover, and there is nothing better than the sight of a wedge tail eagle souring over the hills of Rye Park. In America it is well known that a lot of giant condors have been wiped out to the point of near extinction by turbines so how can a rare and endangered species such as the wedge-tailed eagle be allowed to suffer the same fate.
I urge you not to allow this development to be approved. I have grave concerns about the value of my land on a dollar per hectare basis, the future of our community and the inadequacy of the proposal put forward by Trustpower. The Response to submissions has not been able to convince me any more than the Environmental Impact Statement from Epuron in 2014. This proposed development has been like Bathurst Burrs, you think you have got them beaten after being sprayed and they sprout up again when not expecting it to return. We want these weeds to be gone for good.
Edwin (Bay) Kelly

Regarding the Rye Park Wind Farm Project:
The wind farm will power a massive 130,000 homes with clean energy, deliver $5 million every year to the local community through payments to landholders, staff, councils and the community, and make the local farming economy more resilient with drought-proof income.

A number of modifications have been made to the project design to reduce the impact on local flora and fauna and I'm satisfied the community engagement is being done well.

The last time this project went to public comment, the process was swamped by opponents. This time, we want to turn this around.

I am in support of the construction of the Rye Park Wind Farm.

I have lived and worked in the Rye Park area all my life. I own a Grazing Property neighbouring the project and parts of the present farm have been owned and operated for the previous 3 generations by my family, with my children being the 4th generation on this farm and the 6th generation in the district.

The Rye Park district has been financially reliant upon wool production with secondary industries being beef, and sheep meat. In recent years this has been supplemented by off farm income by working in Canberra, Yass and other towns. This Wind Farm will bring another income source to the district. This will improve diversity and resilience in the economy of the district. A very important thing when at present the area relies upon primary industries greatly influenced by seasonal conditions.

The employment opportunities this Project will bring to the area for locals are great too. Jobs like: Fencing, Truck driving, Catering, Accommodation, Earthmoving, Mechanics, Engineers, Electricians, Builders, etc.

Wider benefits to the Community will be enhanced by the Community Funding program. This will improve infrastructure like community halls, parks, libraries, etc. New jobs will possibly mean new students for local schools. This may well mean the difference between the likes of Rye Park Public School remaining open in the future and it closing.

Global warming is impacting on local farming as well as on a global level, the Rye Park community has an opportunity as well as a responsibility to do something to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Rye Park Windfarm is a way we can do this. If the Rye Park community want to be environmentally responsible there is no greater way of being so than to support and encourage this Project.

Having a large scale Project in our area has the potential to improve the infrastructure in the area. At the moment mobile phone and internet services are poor and in some places nonexistent. If done correctly this Project could enhance communications as part of its development.

With increased populations, road conditions will improve due to the demands and needs of that population.

Land prices will increase due to the job creation and more money being in the local economy. Perhaps this is not a positive thing for those of us who use land to create our income and as council rates are based on land values!

The financial resilience that this Project will bring to the area will create a much more robust community that is not so highly reliant on seasonal conditions and commodity prices for wool and meat.

The Rye Park Windfarm is an opportunity we do not want to pass up due to some in the community fearing change and the fear of some short term inconvenience during the construction phase.

I am happy to discuss these things in person if requested. There are people I know in the community who are not game to publicly say what they think due to intimidation by "anti windfarm and pro nothing" groups and individuals in the area.

Sincerely, Andrew & Michelle Southwell.

I am a Goulburn resident and I support the construction and commissioning of the Rye Park Wind Farm Project (1) because I am thoroughly in favor of clean, sustainable, renewable energy, in place of energy from polluting fossil fuels, and (2) because the project will promote new jobs and economic activity in a region that tends to flounder and be overlooked in these respects.