Gunnedah Basin HIA Proposal March 2014 · 2018. 8. 4. · SEPTEMBER 2014 Caroona District...

GunnedahBasinHIAProposalDraft 1

GUNNEDAHBASIN

HEALTHIMPACTASSESSMENT

PROPOSAL

SEPTEMBER2014

CaroonaDistrictoverlookingtheLiverpoolPlainstotheLiverpoolRange

Contact:PhilLaird(Chairperson) NickyChirlian(Secretary)0428712622 [email protected] [email protected]


CONTENTS

1.Purposeofthisdocument..............................................................................................3

2.GoalsofGunnedahBasinHealthImpactAssessment(GB-HIA).....................................3

3.PotentialUsesofGunnedahBasinHealthImpactAssessment......................................4

4.Projectmanagementandsupervision............................................................................5

5.Timeframe......................................................................................................................5

6.JustificationforGunnedahBasinHealthImpactAssessment........................................7

7.GunnedahBasinLocationandDescription....................................................................8

APPENDIX1–GB-HIADraftTermsofReference23/10/12.............................................11

APPENDIX2–GB-HIAKeyquestionsfortheproject.......................................................17

APPENDIX3-Notesrelevanttopotentialmethodologies..............................................19First Component of Project - Identification of baseline levels .................................................................. 19

APPENDIX4–IndicativeWaterQualityBenchmarks.......................................................22Draft Data Management Guidelines - Forensic Groundwater Monitoring Program .............................. 22

Groundwater Test and Analyte Suite ......................................................................................................... 23APPENDIX5–IndicativeCSGAirQualityBenchmarks.....................................................24

References........................................................................................................................26


1.PurposeofthisdocumentTheGunnedahBasinHealthImpactSteeringCommittee,constitutedofcommunitygroupsandorganisationsintheGunnedahBasin,hasbeenchargedwithcommissioningastudyofthehealthandwelfarerisksofminingandgasextractioninthatbasin.RefertoAppendix1forDraftTermsofReference.Thisdocumentisintendedto:1. presenttheobjectivesandtheneedfortheGunnedahBasinHealthImpact

Assessmenttofundingbodies;andto

2. providebackgroundinformationforacallforExpressionsofInterestfortheGunnedahBasinHealthImpactAssessment.

2.GoalsofGunnedahBasinHealthImpactAssessment(GB-HIA)ThepurposeofthisproposedstudyistoanalysethehealthandwelfarerisksassociatedwithvariousminingandgasextractionscenariosfortheGunnedahBasin,andtoconsiderpotentialstrategiesfortheavoidance,minimisationandmanagementoftheserisks.Thestudyshould:1. Assessriskstophysical,mental,social/communityandenvironmental

wellbeing,potentiallyreflectingscenariosalignedtoNamoiCatchmentWaterStudy,broadenedtoincludedevelopmentscenariosacrosstheGunnedahBasin.

2. Establishbaselinelevelsofwaterquality,airqualityandnoiseintheregion,subjecttodefinedbenchmarks.(SeeAppendix3forindicativebenchmarks).

3. Identifycauseandeffect(orcausalpathways)ofarangeofidentifiedhealth

andwelfareissues.4. Considershort,mediumandlongtermincludingimpactonfuture

generations.Asaguide,shorttermwouldincludeplanningandrampup(1-2years);mediumtermwouldincludeconstruction,productionandextraction(2-5years)andlongtermwouldinclude(5yearsuntilaftermine/gaswellclosure);and,

5. IdentifyandconsidercumulativeimpactsTherisksuponwhichthestudywillfocusareintwocategories:1. Healthandwelfareeffectsofthedirectimpactsofminingandgasextraction,

notablyuponwater,airqualityandnoise;and


2. Risksassociatedwithdiverse‘secondorder’effectsofminingandgasextractionactivitiesincluding(forexample)impactsuponvulnerablepeopleorindustries,ofworkforcechanges,impactsuponhealthorwelfareservices,andimpactsofchangestothedemandforservicessuchashousing.

Broadly,theprojectwill:

§ covertheresidentsofGunnedahBasinandworkers(includingfly/drivein,fly/driveout),andidentifyvulnerablegroups,forexample,children,andagedpersons;

§ assessdifferentimpactsondifferentgroups;

§ determineifbenefits/costsmaybeexperiencedtoagreaterextentbyonegroupandnotothers,

§ identifywhatactionsmightbetakentomaximisepositiveandmitigatenegativehealthimpacts..

ArangeofpotentialrisksrelatingtohealthandwelfarearelistedinAppendix2.Itisexpectedthatthesuccessfultendererwillspecifyintheirproposalsthefollowingmatters

1. whichspecifichealthandwelfareriskstheywillevaluate,drawingonboththeinformationprovidedandtheirownknowledgeoftheissues;

2. thesourcesofdata(bothprimaryandsecondary)thattheyproposetouseandthesourcesofthisdata,foreachoftheriskstheyproposetoinvestigate;

3. themodellingorothermethodsthattheyproposetousefortheanalysisofthedataforeachtypeofrisk;

4. Theformoftheoutputsthatwillbedelivered,andinparticularthewaysinwhichthesewillbedeliveredandpresentedsoastomeetthepotentialusesoftheHIAasspecifiedbelow.

Thestudyshouldidentifythespecificriskstohealthandwelfare,theregionalandplanningimplicationsofthoserisks,theimplicationsfortheapprovalofminingandgasextractionprojects,andtheimplicationsforresourcingofhealthandwelfareintheregion.

3.PotentialUsesofGunnedahBasinHealthImpactAssessment1. Toprovidethecommunitywithclearandwell-researcheddataandanalysisto

informtheirdecisions,includingdecisionstowillinglyhost(ornot)miningactivities.

2. Toprovidethegovernmentwithspecificrecommendationsaboutsafeguardsandpolicysettingsthatarelikelytomaximisecommunityhealthandwelfareandtominimiserisks.

3. Toprovideminingcompanies,localgovernmentandotherkeystakeholders:

§ withspecificinformationaboutriskandriskmitigationoptions,


§ withpotentialopportunitiesthatmightarise;

§ recommendationsforstrategiestomaximisecommunityhealthandwelfare.

§ withproposedsolutionoravoidanceissueswhereissuesarise,

§ whereopportunitiesmightarise,exactlyhowthesemightbesecured.

4. Toprovideaframeworkforongoingtransparentdealingwithhealthandwelfareissuesincludinginterventionsthatmaybeneededtooptimisehealthandwelfareoutcomesforhostcommunitiesformining.

5. Toidentifycontingencies(positiveandnegative)andtospecifythesortsofconditionsandarrangementsthatoughttobeputinplaceupfront.Thisincludesaccountabilityforactionsandforcostsandproposalsforinvestmentsthatareneeded/desirable,andcompensationandriskaccountability.Identifywhatarrangementscanbeputinplacetoensurethatproposedaccountabilitiesandcontingencymeasurescanbemadebindingandeffective(notemptypromisesorassurances).Thisincludescostsharingandactionstoensurethatminingdoesleadtohealthinvestmentbenefitstothecommunity.

ItistheresponsibilityofthetenderertoensurethatthedataandanalysisareconductedanddeliveredinsuchawayastoensuretheutilityoftheHIAtomeettheseneeds.Withinthisrequirement,itisexpectedthatthetendererwilladdressarrangementstoensurethatthedataandanalysisremainreadilyaccessibleforthevarioususers,andinformsthatarecompatiblewiththeirdecision-makingrequirements.Tenderersareexpectedtoaddressissuesofongoingdataandinformationaccessintheirproposals,includinghighlightingandcostsofongoingprovisionoraccessthatarenotincludedinthecosting.

4.ProjectmanagementandsupervisionItisintendedthatthisprojectbesubjecttooversightbyTheGunnedahBasinHealthImpactSteeringCommittee.Fundingwillbeheldbyanindependentorganisation,suchastheNationalRuralHealthAlliance.TheCommitteeshallhavethefollowingauthority.

1. Toapprove(ornot)thefinalprojectplanpriortoanybindingcontractsandimplementationplans

2. Toapprove(ornot)acceptanceofanyprojectmilestonesincludingreports,relativetothecontractrequirements.

5.TimeframeTheprojectdeliverygoalis18months,withacompletiondateofJune2014.ItisexpectedthatmanyminingproposalswillbesubmittedtotheDepartmentofPlanningatthistime.Theproposedtimeframeforthecallingandlettingofatendertoconductthisprojectissetoutbelow.


“GunnedahHealthForum”(publicinformationmeeting)4August2012

ResolvedtoinitiateGunnedahBasinHIA

CallsforEOIsformembersofScopingCommitteeAugust2012

ScopingCommitteedevelopeddraftTermsofReferenceSeptember-October2012

SteeringCommitteeformedtorefineHIAStudy&ProcessesNovember2012

CurrentDate-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ApproachestoFundingBodiesforFunding

CallforEOIstoprepareTenderDocuments

EOIssubmittedbyindividuals/organisationstoprepareTenderDocumentsandRequestforTender

TenderDocumentsPrepared,RequestforTenderAdvertised

Tenderssubmittedbyindividuals/organisationstoconductpart,orall,oftheGunnedahBasinHealthImpactAssessment


6.JustificationforGunnedahBasinHealthImpactAssessmentTheneedforaGunnedahBasinHealthImpactAssessmentisbasedonthefollowing:1. CurrentNSWGovernmentPlanningprocessesarebasedonincrementalproject

approvals.Theseapprovalprocessesdonotaccountforcumulativeimpactsofdevelopments.Therearemajorconcernsincommunitiesregardingincreasedhealthproblems(forexampleBreretonetal,2008),resultingfromtheinterrelatedsystemsofhuman,socialandenvironment,includingwater,soil,floraandfauna.Theseconcernsarebasedonbothscientificandanecdotalevidenceofserioushealthandsocialharmsassociatedwithcoalminingandcoal-firedpowerstationsforpeoplelivinginsurroundingcommunities(Colagiurietal2012,p.iii).Thesehealthproblemsincludehigherrisksofcardiopulmonarydisease,chroniclungdisease,hypertensionandkidneydisease(Hendryx&Ahern,2008,citedbyDeloitteAccessEconomics,2012)

Despitethesepotentialdangerstohealth,therehavebeennosignificantformalepidemiologicalstudiesconductedanywhereinAustralia,onthehealthimpactsofmining(DeloitteAccessEconomics,2012p41).ThesignificantcostsandpolicyimplicationsoftheseriskshasnotbeenrecognizedbyAustralianGovernmentstodate.TheHealthImpactAssessmentwillassistinidentifyingcosts,enablepolicychanges,andinformplanningdecisions.

2. CommunitiesareconcernedthattheNSWGovernmentdoesnotconsiderthetruecostsandbenefitsofdevelopments.Whiletheyvalue,ineconomicterms,theprospectiveroyaltyincomefromcoalandcoalseamgascompanies,environmentalandsocialimpactsreceivelessattention.Thecostsofhealthimpactsonpopulationsdonotappeartobeconsideredeitherinthedevelopmentapprovalprocessesorinhealthserviceplanning.

3. TheNSW’sDepartmentofPlanningreportImpactsofUndergroundCoalMiningonNaturalFeaturesintheSouthernCoalfieldStrategicReview(2008)recommendstheapplicationofPrecautionaryPrinciple,which“requiresrisksassociatedwithotheroptionsandsocio-economicfactstobetakenintoaccount”(p107).Todate,thereappearstobelittleapplicationbygovernmentsoftheprecautionaryprinciple,regardingarangeofimpacts,includinghealth.TheHealthImpactAssessmentwillworktowardsredressingthis.

4. TheGunnedahBasincommunityiscommittedtopursuingatriplebottomline(TBL)assessmentofimpactspriortodevelopmentsbeingapproved.TheseTBLstudiesmusttransparentlyandobjectivelyidentifyandvaluethetruelong-termcumulativeeconomic,environmentalandsocialbenefitsandcostsofcoalandCSGextraction,ascomparedwithcurrentlandusesandpotentialalternativebusinessdevelopment.HealthisamajorcomponentofthesocialaspectsofTBLdecisionmaking,withinterrelatedimpactsontheeconomicaspectsduetocosts.TheHealthImpactAssessmentwillidentifytheseimpactsandimprovedecision-making.


ThehazardousnatureofchemicalsusedinCoalSeamGasextractionisdocumented(Lloyd-SmithandImmig,2011;Witteretal,2008).However,thereappearstohavebeenlittleworkdoneinAustralia.Thehealthriskstocommunitiesareunknown,andbasedonworkconductedoverseas,seemtobesubstantial.Thesesubstantialrisksequatetosignificanthumancosts,aswellassignificantfinancialcoststogovernments.TheHealthImpactAssessmentwillassistinidentifyingandvaluingpotentialhealthissuesrelatedtocoalseamgasextraction.

7.GunnedahBasinLocationandDescriptionThefocusoftheGB-HIAisthecoalfieldsandgasfieldsexistingwithinandadjoiningtheGunnedahBasin.TheGunnedahBasinisageologicalregioninNorthWestNSWcovering15,000squarekilometers(seemap1).ItjoinstheSydneyBasininthesouthandtheSuratBasininthenorth.Itsboundariesdonotcompletelycoincidewithcatchmentorlocalgovernmentboundaries.TheareaofinterestincludestheNamoiCatchmentportionoftheBasin(seemap2).

Theregionanditspopulationarefacinglarge-scaleexplorationdevelopmentsofcoalminesandcoalseamgas,andassociatedinfrastructure.MajortownsareQuirindi,Gunnedah,Narrabri,Coonamble,WalgettandMoree.Tamworthistheregion’sbiggesturbancentre,andalthoughcoalandcoalseamgasdevelopmentsliemorethan60kmtothewestofthecity,Tamworthislikelytobeimpactedbysocio-economicfactors,includingincreaseddemandforhealthservices.

TheGeographicBoundariesofthestudycanbelooselydescribedas;

NorthernExtent–theQueenslandBorder

SouthernExtent–theMurrurundiRange

EasternExtent-theMookiThrust

WesternExtent–thewesternedgeoftheCSGgasfieldswestofCoonamble


©StateofNewSouthWalesthroughDepartmentofTradeandInvestment,RegionalInfrastructureandServices

Map1:NSWcoalfields(NSWGovernmentTradeandInvestment,2012),showinglocationoftheGunnedahBasin.


Map2:CatchmentBoundaries,withNamoiCatchmentidentifiedinpink(CottonCRC,2011)


APPENDIX1–GB-HIADraftTermsofReference23/10/12

Item Comments/examples

Projecttitle GunnedahBasinHealthImpactAssessment

Background/Context

GunnedahBasinpopulationisfacinglarge-scaledevelopmentsofcoalminesandcoalseamgasdevelopment.CurrentStateGovernmentPlanningprocessesarebasedonincrementalprojectapprovals-notcumulative.

Thereismajorconcerninthecommunityregardingincreasedhealthissuesforenvironmentalsystems-humans,domesticanimals,flora,fauna,andwater.

CommunitiesareconcernedthattheNSWGovernmentmaynothavebalancedcostbenefitsofprospectiveroyaltiesvscostofhealthimpactstopopulation,orhaveconsideredpossiblehealthimpactsinitsHealthServicePlanning.

Thecommunityhasexpressedinterestinatriplebottomlineapproach:toconsiderhuman,social,environmentalfactorsonhealthimpacts.

Purpose Toassessthepotentialcumulativeimpactsofcurrentandpotentialcoalandcoalseamgasexploration,andotherextractiveindustriesanddevelopmentonthehealthofthepeoplelivingandworkingintheGunnedahBasin.

ObjectivesoftheProject

1. Toassesscurrentandpotentialdevelopmentsagainstscopedareasofimpact

2. Toidentifypotentialpositiveandnegativehealthimpactsresultingfromcurrentandpotentialcoal,CSGandotherextractiveindustriesintheGunnedahBasin.

3. To develop recommendations to facilitate theconsiderationandcostsofhealthimpactswithin:

a. Planningprocessesb. HealthServicesplanningc. Legislationd. Governmentpolicy

4. To informand influencekeydecisionmakerswithin thoseareas.

5. Tobuildcapacitytoundertakehealthimpactassessments.6. To link the HIA to relevant existing studies such as the

Namoi Catchment Water Study in order to develop an


integrated approach to protecting and promoting healthwithinnaturalresourcemanagement.

Projectscope Areasofimpact

• Assesspositiveandnegativeimpactsonphysical,mental,social/communityandenvironmentalwellbeing,usingsevenscenariosalignedtoNamoiCatchmentWaterStudy.

• Toidentifycauseandeffect(orcausalpathways)ofarangeofidentifiedhealthissues.

• Populationgroups:

• TheworkersandresidentsofGunnedahBasin• Theprojectwillassessdifferentimpactsondifferent

groupsanddetermineifbenefits/costsmaybeexperiencedtoagreaterextentbyonegroupandnotothers,andwhatactionsmightbetakentomaximisepositiveandmitigatenegativehealthimpacts.Vulnerablegroupsegchildren,agedpersonswillbeidentified.

• Afocuswillbegiventoassessingwhetherdifferentialimpactsareunfairandavoidable

Geographicalarea

• GunnedahBasin• WithintheHIAspecificgeographicalareasoffocusmaybe

definedTimeframeofimpacts

• Short,mediumandlongtermincludingimpactonfuturegenerations

• Cumulativeimpacts• IffeasiblethetimeframewillbealignedwiththeNamoi

WaterStudytoensurecomparabilityandintegrationPrioritisationofImpacts

• Impactswillbeprioritisedaccordingtolikelihoodofoccurrence.

Values Health: Therewasa consensus thathealth isa verybroad termandwe need to consider issues relating to equity and access tohealthservicesaspartofhealthandtheHIAprocess. Therewasagreementthatthereisawiderangeofsocial,physicalandmentaldeterminants that impact on people and affect their quality ofhealth at an individual and community level. The project willutiliseasocialorwellnessmodelofhealth,whichincorporatesthe


socialdeterminantsofhealthandequity.

Equity: Theproject adopts theprinciple of equitable distributionof health outcomes and reducing the differences in populationhealthstatusandmortalityrates.

Evidence:ThegroupdiscussedsomeofthetypesofevidencethatcouldberelevanttotheHIA.Differenttypesofevidencewillneedtobegatheredincludingbothqualitativeandquantitativeevidence.Thegroupidentifiedthattherewillneedtobefurtherdiscussionabouthowdifferenttypesofevidencewillbevaluedandhowtoaddressconflictingsourcesofevidence.

Participation:TherewasagreementthattheHIAshouldincorporateaparticipatoryprocessthatwillbeopentotheinvolvementofallrelevantstakeholders.

Theprecautionaryprincipletobeadopted.

TypeofHIA Communityled.

DepthofHIA Comprehensive.

Governance INCORPORATION:GunnedahBasinHIAAssociationInc.

adopttheModelconstitution,comprisedof:

• 5members.Toholdthecontractsforfunding.• CommitteemembersfromScopingCommittee

Committeemembership

• +Referencegroup(=Scopingcommittee–shortterm,2meetings)

• +Steering/managementcommittee(6–10members),

• Widergroup=stakeholdersTermsofreferencerequired.

• UniversityTechnicalexpert• Projectmanager• Independentconsultanttowritereport

Roleofcommittee

SteeringCommitteeisGovernanceCommittee,withresponsibilityforcarriageofprocess.Termsofreferencerequired.

Rolesandresponsibilitiesofcommitteemembers

• .Termsofreferencerequired.

Decision Quorum


making Consensusdecisionmaking,bymajorityvote.

Howtodealwithconflictandtheinabilityto

achieveconsensus

Peerreview Thereportwillbeindependentlypeerreviewed.

ChangestoTOR (howchangestothetermsofreferencewillbe

handledshouldtheyneedtobemade)

• ChangestotermsofreferencebelegitimizedbyquorumdecisionatStakeholdermeetings

• SmallerprocesschangescouldbemadebySteeringCommittee

• GrievanceprocesstobedevelopedIntellectualproperty

Report:TheHIAreportwillbecommunityledandthereforetheGunnedahBasinHIAIncwillownthereportanditwillbepublicallyavailable.

Budgetandsourcesoffunding

Tobedetermined.

Projectplan Timeframe:ItwasagreedthattheprojectTermsofReferenceandprojectplanshouldbecompletebytheendof2012.TheBusinessPlanshouldbecompletebytheendof2012toincludecostingoftheactivitiesbelow.CosttobedeterminedbyinvestigationofsimilarprojectswithSingletonCouncilAsacomprehensiveassessmenttheremayalsobesomeshorterterm/intermediateoutputsfromtheHIAtoinformcurrentdecision-makingprocesses.TherewassuggestionthattheHIAprocessmaytakeapproximately18months.

Activities:

• Profile–(ieoverviewofcurrentdataofdemographics,readilyavailable).Therewassupportfordevelopingacommunityprofilethatcouldbeusedasastandaloneproductandformthebasisformonitoringofimpacts.Thiswouldincludedemographicandhealthdata.HNEHealthwillprovidesupportfortheprovisionofhealthservicedata.Inaddition,therewassomediscussionbutnodecisionaboutgatheringadditionalprimarydatathrough,forexample,lungfunctiontestsandsurveys,currentbaselinedataonairqualityandnoise.Wherepossibledatawillbedisaggregatedtoidentifydifferencesbetweenpopulationgroups.

• Literaturereviews–therearesomealreadyexisting


literaturereviewsofhealthimpactsrelatedtoCoalandCSGmining.Thesewillneedtobeassessedforqualityandsuitability.Inaddition,literaturereviewsmayneedtobecommissionedusingstandardisedmethodsofreview,similartoaCochranereview.Upcomingcoalliteraturereviewtobeused.

• Localknowledge-therewasagreementthatevidenceshouldbegatheredfromthelocalcommunityandotherrelevantstakeholders.Thiswouldincludeidentifyinglocalconcernsandanxieties,impactsonlivingconditionsandhowpeoplelivetheirlives,contextualinformation,andunanticipatedimpacts.

• Modellingofhealthimpacts–someofthepotentialpriorityimpactsrelatetothephysicalenvironment(airqualityandnoise).TherewasbroadagreementthattheHIAshouldincludeaquantitativeriskassessment(modelling)thesepotentialhealthimpactsaccordingtoscenariosthatwillbedevelopedaspartoftheHIA.Thiswillrequirecommissioningexpertstocarryoutthiswork.

Potentialimpactsofcoalminingandcoalseamgasextractionidentifiedinscopingmeeting:

Alistofpotentialimpacts/determinantsidentifiedintheWHIASUGuidetoassessingthehealthandwellbeingimpactsofopencastminingiwasusedasastartingpointfordiscussion.SurveysofdamagedcommunitiesrequestedbySteveRobinsonegdisabilityadjustedlifeyears,morbidityandmortality.ThescopinggroupagreedthattheseareallapplicabletotheGunnedaharea.Additionalimpacts(inbold)wereidentifiedbycommitteemembers.Thelistincludesbutisnotlimitedtothefollowingdeterminantsandoutcomes:

• Airquality(Particulatematter,Nitrogendioxide,Dust)• Noise• Visualimpact• Lightpollution• Vibration• Lossofamenity

• Solastalgia• Severanceandsocialcapital

• Lackofvolunteers• Mentalhealthwellbeing

• Anxiety,stress,lossofcontrol,uncertainty• Housing

• AffordableHousing• Lackofinfrastructure


• AgriculturalLanddevaluation• Services

• AccesstoGPs• AccesstoHospitals• AccesstoCommunityHealth• Localinfrastructure

• Employment• employmentthroughmining• lackoffarmworkers

• Transport• Increasedtraffic• Increasedtrafficaccidents• Decreasedairquality

• Safety• Crime• Domesticviolence

• Lifestyle• Alcoholconsumption• Sexuallytransmitteddisease• Physicalactivity

• Groundwater• Drinkingwaterquality

Inadditionthescopinggroupidentifiedarangeofpotentialhealthoutcomes:

• RespiratoryDisease(measuringlungfunctioncurrentlyandpredictingtothefuture)

• Cardiovasculardisease• Cancer• Autism• ADHD• Neurologicaldisorders(specific)• Sexuallytransmitteddisease• Headaches• Nosebleeds• Depression• Suicide• Anxietydisorders• SleepdisordersusingthePittsburghSleepQualityIndex.

Otherpotentialoutcomesasidentifiedthroughliteraturereview


APPENDIX2–GB-HIAKeyquestionsfortheproject

WhatistheimpactofcoalandcoalseamgasdevelopmentsoncommunityhealthandwellbeingintheGunnedahBasin?Thesequestionsinclude,butnotlimitedtothefollowing:

LIVINGCONDITIONS&WORKINGCONDITIONS

WORKENVIRONMENT UNEMPLOYMENT

EDUCATION WATERANDSANITATION

• DrinkingwaterqualityAGRICULTUREANDFOODPRODUCTION HEALTHCARESERVICES

• AccesstoGPs• AccesstoHospitals• AccesstoCommunity

Health/AlliedHealth HOUSING

• AffordableHousing• Lackofinfrastructure• AgriculturalLanddevaluation

HEALTHOUTCOMES

• RespiratoryDisease• Cardiovasculardisease• Cancer• Autism• ADHD• Neurologicaldisorders(specific)• Sexuallytransmitteddisease• Headaches• Nosebleeds• Depression• Suicide• Anxietydisorders

PHYSICALOUTCOMES:

• Airquality• Waterquality• Waterquantity.• Increasedtraffic• Increasedtrafficaccidents

MEASURABLESSOCIO:

• Domesticviolence• Solastalgia• Lossofamenity

QUALITATIVE/ANECDOTAL

• CommunityDivision• Equity


• Increasedcrime• Lackofvolunteers

• Whatarethecurrentbaselinelevelsfor:groundandsurfacewaterquality,includingorganic,inorganicandmicrobiallevels?

• Whatarethecurrentbaselinelevelsforairqualityincludingparticulatematter,nitrousoxides,methaneandothergas?

• WhatarethecurrentbaselinelevelsforillnessanddisabilityintheGunnedahBasin?

• Whatarethepredictedincidenceincreaseandcostsof“miningrelatedillness”(e.g.Asthma,cardiovascularillness)andaccidentsoverthenext30years(accordingtopredictedminelife)intheGunnedahBasin.

• WhatisthepredictedcostofsocialdisruptionintheGunnedahBasinoverthepredictedminelife.

• WhatwillbetherequiredincreaseinserviceinfrastructureandcostofsamewithintheGunnedahBasinoverthepredictedminelife?

• WhatimpacttotheDALY’sdotheNamoiWaterStudyscenarioshave?• Whatcontingencyplansarerequiredforanyincreasedhealthcost?• WhatbindingobligationsareheldbytheDepartmentofPlanningtosupport

anyadditionalcosts?Theinformationtobepresentedasa30yearitemisedcostanalysis,mappingofhighriskareasas“nogo”zones.


APPENDIX3-Notesrelevanttopotentialmethodologies

TheProjectmaybeconductedintwocomponents,witheachofthesecomponentsbeingfurtherdividedintospecificparts,asdescribedbelow.

FirstComponentofProject-Identificationofbaselinelevels

a) airandnoisequality,

b) waterquality,

c) existinghealthlevelsinthepopulation.Thefollowingprocessisproposed:

§ Specificbaselineparameterrequirements,andthresholds,willbedeterminedbasedoncurrentknowledge.Thiswillincludeinvestigationofnumberofdatapointsandmeasurementtimeframestoenablestatisticalsignificantresults.

§ Itislikelythatwithfurtherresearchintocoalandcoalseamgas

hazards,thatmoreparameterswillberequiredinthefuture.Independentmonitoringandtrendanalysiswillusedtodeterminebaselineslevels.Followingbaselinedatacollection,monitoringandtrendanalysiswillcontinue,toenableidentificationoffuturechangesandtrends.

§ WaterQualityManagementandBaselineAirQualityandNoise

ManagementProjectTeamswilloversightthework.§ Therewillbethreethemesasdetailedbelow:

o WaterQuality–monitoringstationswillbesetuptomonitorsurfaceandgroundwater,basedonexpertrecommendations.DraftDataManagementGuidelines,andarecommendedGroundWaterAnalyteSuiteappearinAppendix4.Similarguidelinesandrecommendedtestingregimewillbedeterminedforsurfacewater.

o AirQualityandNoise-monitoringstationswillbesetup

inlocationsrecommendedbyexperts.DraftrecommendationforairtoxinsincoalseamgasfieldsthatwillbemonitoredarelistedinAppendix5.Informationregardingrelevanttoxinstobemonitoredincoalfieldswillbesourced,andinformedbyDepartmentofEnvironment


ClimateChangeandWater(2011).Noisemonitoringwillbeimplementedontheadviceofexperts.

o Existinghealthlevelsinthepopulation–baseleveldata

fromNSWHealthandotherorganisationswillbecollated.Thiswillfocusonhealthissueslikelytobeimpactedbycoalandcoalseamgasextraction,basedonresearchandanecdotalevidencefromothernationalandinternationalcoalandcoalseamgasregions.SomeoftheseissuesarelistedinAppendix2.

SecondComponent–identificationofimpacts,modelingandassessmentrisksofbasedonfuturedevelopmentscenarios,andriskassessment,asdetailedbelow:

a) Identificationofimpactstophysical,mental,socialandenvironmental

healthfromcoalandcoalseamgasexplorationandextraction,includingexisting,proposedandpotentialdevelopments;

b) modelingofimpactsbasedondevelopmentscenariosusedinNamoi

CatchmentWaterStudyc) riskassessmentandmappingofmodeledimpactsd) recommendationsofstrategiesthatwillminimisethenegative

impactsandcapitaliseonthebenefits.

PotentialMethodologies

ThereareanumberofmethodologiesandsystemsthatmaybeusedtoguideandconducttheHIA.Thesewillneedtobeassessedintermsofrelevance,andabilitytointegratewitheachother.Examplesofsystems,guidelinesandtoolsareasfollows:

§ HealthImpactAssessment:aPracticalGuide(Harrisetal,2007)willprovidethebroadguidelinesofthestudy.

§ ItisanticipatedthatanymodellingfortheHIAwillusethecoalandcoalseam

gasdevelopmentscenariosthatformedthebasefortheNamoiCatchmentWaterStudy(Schlumberger,2012)modelling.Thiswillprovideconsistencyandwillenablemappingoflevelsofrisk,similartomapspresentedintheNamoiCatchmentWaterStudy.


§ ThesuitabilityandpotentialforusingthecumulativeriskframeworkdevelopedforNamoiCatchmentManagementAuthoritybyEcologicalAustraliaPtyLtd(2011)forNRMassetswillbeinvestigated.

§ TheresilienceapproachanduseofthresholdsaspertheNamoiCatchment

ManagementAuthority’sCatchmentActionPlan(thismayassistwithappropriatethresholdidentificationforbaselinedatamonitoring.)

§ CostBenefitAnalysisislikelytoprovideausefulandobjectivetooltoidentify

costsofhealthimpacts.Thelatestthinkingandrecommendationsforimpactswhicharedifficulttomeasureinapurelyeconomicsensewillneedtobeinvestigated,forexampleDeloitteAccessEconomics(2012,p11)

§ Asystemsandadaptivemanagementapproachtocumulativeimpact

identificationandmonitoring.ForexampleFranksetal(2010),“CumulativeImpacts-AGoodPracticeGuidefortheAustralianCoalMiningIndustry.”


APPENDIX4–IndicativeWaterQualityBenchmarks

DraftDataManagementGuidelines-ForensicGroundwaterMonitoringProgram


GroundwaterTestandAnalyteSuite


APPENDIX5–IndicativeCSGAirQualityBenchmarksCoalSeamGas-Compoundstobemonitored

InformationprovidedbyJohnPolglase,Geochemist

Gases listed in the groundwater benchmark (Appendix 3) plus the following medium to high molecular weight Volatile Organic compounds (VOCs) are some 'suspects' that have been gas field tested elsewhere, and ought to be considered for inclusion in an evolving benchmark used by whoever / wherever emissions assessments are done: Gp 1 Butane Butane, 2-methyl- Pentane Pentane, 3-methyl- Hexane Hexane, 3-methyl- Cyclohexane Methylcyclohexane Heptane Heptane, 2,2,4,6,6-pentamethyl- Hexadecane Heptadecane Gp 2 Benzene 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene Toluene m/p-Xylene o-Xylene Phenol Ethylbenzene Naphthalene alpha-Pinene Gp 3 Phenylmaleic anhydride Benzothiazole 1-Hexanol, 2-ethyl- Ethyl acetate background and 'up-wind' levels of organic and inorganic gases naturally emitted from coal seam bearing sedimentary basins must also be monitored.


CoalSeamGas–AirToxicstobemonitored

InformationprovidedbyDrMariannLloyd-SmithPhD(Law)SeniorAdvisor,IPEN-InternationalPOPsEliminationNetwork

SeniorAdvisor,NationalToxicsNetworkInc.

list of relevant air toxics :

Butane Butane, 2-methyl- Pentane Pentane, 3-methyl- Hexane Hexane, 3-methyl- Cyclohexane Methylcyclohexane Heptane Heptane, 2,2,4,6,6-pentamethyl- Hexadecane Heptadecane Benzene 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene Toluene m/p-Xylene o-Xylene Phenol Ethylbenzene Naphthalene alpha-Pinene

Phenylmaleic anhydride Benzothiazole 1-Hexanol, 2-ethyl- Ethyl acetate

I would also add the CFCs, Dichlorodifluoromethane & Trichlorofluoromethane and methylene chloride/dichloromethane as well as they are turning up. The National Measurement Institute does a volatile screen that includes all of these and then reports on the top 10 detected, or more depending on costs.

References


Brereton,D,Moran,C,McIlwain,G,McIntosh,J,Parkinson,K2008,‘Assessingthecumulativeimpactsofminingonregionalcommunities:anexploratorystudyofcoalminingintheMuswellbrookareasofNSW’,CentreforSocialResponsibilityinMining&CentreforWaterintheMineralsIndustry,SustainableMineralsInstitute,TheUniversityofQueensland.

ColagiuriR,CochraneJ,GirgisS,2012,HealthandSocialHarmsofCoalMininginLocalCommunities:SpotlightontheHunterRegion.BeyondZeroEmissions,Melbourne,October2012.ISBN:978-1-74210-292-4

CottonCatchmentCommunitiesCRC,2011,NamoiCatchment,downloadedfrom: http://www.cottoncrc.org.au/catchments/My_Catchments/Namoi_CatchmentDeloitteAccessEconomics,2012,EconomicandsocialimpactsoftheWarkworthExtensionProject,SingletonCouncil.

DepartmentofEnvironmentClimateChangeandWater(2011),CompendiumofUpperHunterAmbientAirQualityMonitoringData,15February2011

EcologicalAustraliaPtyLtd,2011,ProposedFrameworkforAssessingtheCumulativeRiskofMiningonNaturalResourceAssetsintheNamoiCatchment,Project11COFNRM-006preparedfortheNamoiCMA,September2011.

Franks,D,Fidler,C,Brereton,D,Vanclay,FandP,Clark,2009,LeadingPracticeStrategiesforAddressingtheSocialImpactsofResourceDevelopmentsCentreforSocialResponsibilityinMining,SustainableMineralsInstitute,TheUniversityofQueensland.BriefingpaperfortheDepartmentofEmployment,EconomicDevelopmentandInnovation,QueenslandGovernment,Brisbane.

Franks,DM,Brereton,D,Moran,CJ,Sarker,T,andCohen,T.,2010,CumulativeImpacts-AGoodPracticeGuideForTheAustralianCoalMiningIndustry,CentreforSocialResponsibilityinMining&CentreforWaterintheMineralsIndustry,SustainableMineralsInstitute,TheUniversityofQueensland.AustralianCoalAssociationResearchProgram,Brisbane,downloadedfrom

http://www.csrm.uq.edu.au/docs/CSRM%20SMI%20Good%20Practice%20Guide%20document%20LR.PDFHarris,P.,Harris-Roxas,B.,Harris,E.,andKemp,L.,2007,HealthImpactAssessment:aPracticalGuide,Sydney,CentreforHealthEquityTraining,ResearchandEvaluation(CHETRE),PartoftheUNSWResearchCentreforPrimaryHealthCareandEquity,UNSW.


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NamoiCatchmentManagementAuthority,2012,NamoiCatchmentActionPlan2010-2020,downloadedfrom

http://www.namoi.cma.nsw.gov.au/931351.html?5NSWGovernmentTradeandInvestment:ResourcesandEnergy(2012)MapofNSWCoalfields,downloadedfrom:

http://www.resources.nsw.gov.au/resources/coal/coalfieldsNSWDepartmentofPlanning,2008,ImpactsofUndergroundCoalMiningonNaturalFeaturesintheSouthernCoalfieldStrategicReview,Sydney.

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Witter,R.,Stinson,K.,Sackett,H.,Putter,S.,Kinney,G.,Teitelbaum,D.,andNewman,L.,2008,PotentialExposure-RelatedHumanHealthEffectsofOilandGasDevelopment:ALiteratureReview(2003-2008),ColoradoSchoolofPublicHealth,UniversityofColoradoDenver.

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