re: invincible colliery southern extension modification ... · burning of coal is a significant...

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MsLynelleBriggsChairPlanningAssessmentCommissionLevel3,201ElizabethStreetSydneyNSW2000pac@pac.nsw.gov.au28November,2017

Re:InvincibleCollierySouthernExtensionModification(07_0127MOD5)

TheNatureConservationCouncilofNSW(NCC)isthepeakenvironmentorganisationforNewSouthWales, representing 150member organisations across the state. Together we arecommitted toprotecting and conserving thewildlife, landscapes andnatural resourcesofNSW.

NCCobjectstothe InvincibleCollierySouthernExtensionModificationduetotheadverseenvironmentalimpactstheprojectwillhave.

Introduction

NCCnotesthataccordingtothePACreportdated17thOctober2014,anInvincibleCollieryModificationProject,withadifferentproponent(Coalpac)butwithaverysimilarcoalminingproposalcausingsimilarenvironmentalimpactstothecurrentproposal,wasrejectedbythePACin2014.ApreviousproposalforopencutandhighwallminingareasintheBenBullenStateForestwasalsorejectedbythePACin2012.

Forthereasonsthatthesepreviousproposalshavebeenrejected,werequestthePACrejectthiscurrentproposal.

EnvironmentalImpacts

NCCstronglyobjectstotheproposaltodestroypartoftheBenBullenStateForestfortheproject.TheNSWCrownholdsStateForestlandintrustforthecitizensofNSW.NCCbelievesthatStateForestlandshouldbeusedforpurposesthatareconsistentwithconservation.WemaintainthatnofairandobjectiveassessmentcoulddecidethatanopencutcoalmineisahighestandbestuseofthisCrownLand.

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The Ben Bullen State Forest contains what the Colong Foundation for Wilderness hasdescribedas“anirreplaceableandinternationallysignificantpagodalandscapeuniquetoBenBullen”.MinerelateddamagetothepagodalandscapewasoneofthereasonswhythePACrejectedtheminingproposalin2014.NCChasnoconfidencethatconditionalapprovalwillprotect thepagoda landscape fromblasting impacts. Theonlyway toprotect thepagodalandscapeistodowhattwopreviousPACshavedoneandrefusetheprojectfromthestart.

ClimateChangeImpacts

The Invincible Colliery Modification is being considered in the shadow of the historicagreementattheUNConferenceoftheParties(theParisAgreement)on12December2015,signedby195countries.Theagreementcommitsallnations,includingAustralia,tokeepingglobalaveragetemperaturestobelow2degreesCelsius.TheClimateCouncilofAustraliahasstatedwhatthistargetmeansforAustraliancoalmining:“ForAustraliatoplayitsroleinpreventinga2degreeCriseintemperaturerequiresover90%ofAustralia’scoalreservestobeleftintheground,unburned”1International researchers from the University College of London, following extensivemodelling,havecometoasimilarconclusion.Theysuggestthattohaveatleasta50%chanceofkeepingglobalwarmingbelow2degreesCthroughoutthetwenty firstcentury,globallyathirdofoilreserves,halfofgasreservesandover80%ofcurrentworldcoalreservesshouldremain unused. Even if carbon capture and storage becomes technologically andeconomicallyavailable,thereportindicatesthatover90%ofAustralasiancoalreserveswouldhavetoremainunburntbefore2050tomeetthe2degreesCwarmingceiling2.NCCmaintainsthatitisfundamentallyirresponsiblefortheNSWGovernmenttocontinuetoapprovenewormodifiedcoalmineprojectsatatimeAustralia’sgreenhousegasemissiontrajectory is moving in the opposite direction to that required for Australia to meet itsinternationalemissionreductioncommitments.Inlightoftheunequivocalevidencethattheburningofcoal isasignificantcontributor toclimatechange,wedonotconsider that theapprovaloftheInvincibleCollieryModificationProjectisinthepublicinterest,eitherattheStateorNationallevel.

1C mateCounc ofAustra a(2015):“UnburnableCarbon:WhyWeNeedtoLeaveFossilFuelsintheGround”,ppiii–iv,www.c matecounc .org.au2C.McG ade&PEk ns:Thegeographicaldistributionoffossilfuelsunusedwhenlimitingglobalwarmingto2degreesC,Nature,V.157,8thJanuary2015,pp187-190

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ThreatenedSpeciesImpacts

EIS Section 6.4.2.3 indicates that themodification, if approved,would have the followingimpactsonthreatenedspeciesunderStateorCommonwealthlegislation:

• 24 Capertee stringybarks, a threatened species under NSW legislation, would bedestroyedbytheproject.

• ThesugargliderisathreatenedmammalspeciesunderNSWlegislation.Thereportindicatesthatabout48haofhighqualitysugargliderhabitatwouldbedestroyed.

• Thebroad headedsnake,listedasvulnerableunderCommonwealthEPBClegislation,isknowntooccurintheareaandwouldhaveitshabitatadverselyimpactedbythedevelopment.

MattersofNationalSignificance(MNS)–Broad-headedsnake.

NCCwasunabletofindevidenceofanEPBCActreferraltotheCommonwealthEnvironmentMinister.Thereasonforthisbecameapparentonreadingpage131oftheEISwhichstatedthatnoreferralofthepotentialimpactsonthebroad headedsnakewasmade.Therationalegiven in the EIS was that the previous CoalpacModification Project was referred to theCommonwealthMinister in2014 (referral2014/147).TheMinisterdeclared itnot tobeacontrolledactionundertheEPBCAct.Theproponent’sreportthenstatesthat:

‘’ApprovalundertheEPBCActwasthereforenotrequired”.

ItisnotfortheproponenttodecidewhetherornottoreferamatterofnationalsignificancetotheCommonwealthMinister.The2017modificationhadadifferentproponentandtothe2014proposalandcouldhaveelicitedadifferentresponseindicatingthatitwasacontrolledaction.TheMNSrelatingtoanimpactonthebroad headedsnakeshouldhavebeensenttothe Commonwealth Environment Minister for assessment. NCC requests that the PACrequirestheproponenttoreferthematter.

RegardlessofwhetherornottheproposedactionwasacontrolledoneundertheEPBCAct,the response in the NSW Planning Report on the Invincible Colliery Modification (datedNovember 2017) is inadequate. The proposed modification required threatened speciescreditsof388fortheimpactonthebroad headedsnake(DoPreport,p20).Theproponentwasnotable to identifyanysuitableproperties tooffset thesecredits.However theNSWDepartmentofPlanningandOfficeofEnvironmentandHeritage(OEH)weresatisfiedthat:

“CastlereaghCoalhasusedall reasonableendeavours to locateoffsetsandconsiders thatsupplementarymeasuresmaybeusedtooffsetthecreditshortfall”(DoPreport,p22).

OEHandtheDepartmentofPlanninghaveagreedthatthefundingforthecreditshortfallshould be based on $500 per credit. This will provide $194,000 towards supplementarymeasures. Supplementary measures have been discredited as an appropriate offset andhencewerequestthatthePACrequirestheproponenttofindeithera‘likeforlike’offsetornotbegrantedapproval.

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PublicInterest

ThepublicinterestisabroadconceptthatisoneofthecompulsorymattersforconsiderationbyaconsentauthoritysuchasthePACindeterminingadevelopmentapplication.Inits2014reportrejectingtheCoalpacmodification,thePACnotedthatDPEreceived748submissions,around 75% of them objecting to the proposal. Considering this high level of publicopposition,wemaintain that an approval of the 2017 projectwith similar environmentalimpactstothe2014projectcouldnotbesaidtobeinthepublicinterest.

NCCwouldliketothankthePACforthisopportunitytosubmitourconcernswiththisproject.Wecanbecontactedat or shouldtheCommissionersrequireanyadditionalinformation.

Yourssincerely,

DaisyBarhamCampaignsDirectorNatureConservationCouncilofNSW