Narrabri Gas

Brief but to the point>
Do we Australians REALLY want to degrade our natural landscape, and ruin our environment just so the multinationals can reap and pillage our PILLAGA
Please protect our interests and stop these vandals from their endless attempts to rip off our land in the name of the almighty dollar and nothing more than getting richer at our losses.

I do not support the gas company unless they can provide evidence that they will be responsible for any waste their mines produce. I also do not support them, because I see no evidence that they intend to supply the local market.

Dear Sir,

I oppose the Pilliga CSG project on several grounds:

i) Over 35 billion litres of toxic groundwater will be created and there are no valid waste disposal plans;
ii) Th impact on the Great Artesian Basin may be indirect but it has not been rigorously evaluated;
iii) What is effectively an industrial operation would fragment 90,000 hectares or more of the the Pilliga forest, putting pressure on wildlife and destroying carbon sequestering and storing facilities - ie trees;
iv) Un-monitored fugitive methane emissions from the mining operation will be significant judging by similar activities elsewhere in the world and may be large enough to negate the CO2 advantages of gas over coal. Do we want to risk that with an already weak commitment to the Paris global warming accords in December 2016?

Regards,

John Blair

We have governments predominantly bankrupt of ideas and massively lazy, apart from spending their allowances. If you can't see the value in our land without ripping out the gusts of it, you don't deserve the privilege of serving the people.

I object to this proposal o two main grounds:

1. It adds unnecessaruly to methane emmissions, which are dangerous for climate change

2. It threatens ground water supplies in the area of the Pilliga.

To say I am shocked is an understatement. You are willing to jeopardise our environment and create a toxic wasteland so as a few greedy shareholders can line their pockets.

You need to PROTECT what is irreplaceable. It is your DUTY to protect and conserve our national treasures.

Regards

Veronica

The State Govenment must say no to this project for the sake of the environment, human health and future generations. By saying No, the government will set an ethical example to the rest of Australia and the globe significantly improving Australia's environmental image and record. Investment in renewable energy is the only way forward for the planet. Any other choice shows self interest and greed.

The sickness,terminal diseases, chaos of humans and animals and eco sphere where CSG has been, is proven.
It is time our Politicians learnt.. IT IS FACT and the evidence exists. What good is money and profits when you will be too sick to enjoy it.
No one has the right to damage this country with CSG nor irreversibly poison our Great Artesian Basin and water tables.
To even think to do this is insanity,
How dare you poison the very earth you and your children and grandchildren live on.
Now natural alternative energies and technologies are available, that make CSG ming look like a Dinosaur.
enough is enough,
it is time to care,
Ara and Co

Australia has already reached its limit for fossil fuel extraction to keep warming to u der 2 degrees. We can no extract anymore to our detriment, The amount of methane that leaks from CSG wells is too risky to take even for one well. We must protect the Great Artesian Basin and the air above.

Regards
Amanda Lopez

I oppose the Pilliga SCG Project for the following reasons
The Pilliga is a safehaven for threatened wildlife
Coal seam gas fuels climate change
It puts at risk precious clean water in the Murray - Darling and Great Artesian Basins
The Gamilaraay, traditional custodians are apposed to the Pilliga SCG Project
Fire risk to the Pilliga will be greatly increased by methane flare stacks

To whom it may concern,
As an older resident I despair to see the wholesale sell off of this country to vested interests who certainly don't have any interested other than their profit margins and the bottom line is "money above all else".
They commit to taking, taking and taking some more regardless and tell me who has responsibly upheld their environmental statement conditions of consent.....if their are any requirements imposed by an utterly stupid government.
Please site new AGL plants at Gladstone and the stupidity of contracts signed by stupid politicians which are ripping off the people of Australia and pose a threat to all our futures'.

We need natural, clean land, water and air to survive. We should not have to pay such an impossible environmental price in Australia just so a company can make greedy, unreasonably high profits at our expense. We need to pursue renewable energy alternatives and protect our forrests, land, air and water. This project should not go ahead, not now, not ever.
Lesley Garrett-Jones

The Pilliga forest is the largest intact woodland in eastern Australia, stretching across half a million hectares in north-western New South Wales. It is a unique ecological refuge, home to 25 nationally listed and 48 state-listed threatened species.

The Narrabri Gas Project with its 850 wells wil not only disrupt this unique ecology but also poison the Great Artesian Basin.

In addition this project will contribute to the climate change disasters.

The Narrabri Gas Project should not be allowed to be implemented for these three important reasonsGou

I oppose the Pilliga CSG project because

1. It is safehaven for threatened wildlife

The Pilliga is one of 15 nationally listed `biodiversity hotspots' and is vital to the survival of threatened species like the koala, spotted-tailed quoll, black-striped wallaby, eastern pygmy-possum, pilliga mouse and south-eastern long-eared Bat.

2. Coal seam gas fuels dangerous climate change
Methane is by far the major component of natural gas, and is a greenhouse gas 72 times more powerful than CO². CSG fields contribute to climate change through the leakage of methane during the production, transport, processing and use of coal seam gas.

3. It risks our clean water. The Narrabri gasfield poses a real risk to our two most precious water resources: the Great Artesian Basin and the Murray-Darling Basin. The area of the Great Artesian Basin with the highest recharge rates is almost entirely contained within the Pilliga East forest.

4. The Gamilaraay Traditional Custodians are opposed
There are hundreds of cultural sites as well as songlines and stories connecting the Gamilaraay to the forest and to the groundwater beneath. Gamilaraay people are deeply involved in the battle against CSG, and have told Santos they do not want their country sacrificed for a coal seam gas field.

5. Bushfire risk will rise
Methane flare stacks up to 50m high would be running day and night, even on total fire ban days. The Pilliga is already prone to severe bushfires, this project will increase the risk of ignition.

To whom it may concern,
As an informed and concerned member of the north coast community I have made an effort to observe the emerging CSG industry and from my observations I find it gobsmackingly unbelievable that this rogue industry has any traction in planing for a future in NSW .In Queensland the industry is beset with major environmental problems that will take many years to restore,Internationally fracking is and has made the use of gas (a relitvily clean fuel) an environmentally disastrous alernative. Facking is an obsolete dinosuar of an industry

This is totally OUTRAGES! The federal government which was elected by the people in the belief that they would do the best for ALL Australians, instead they have bowed to the wishes of Big Business and the promise of further funding for elections .Over 90% of people in the NW of NSW are against it. I am sure the same would apply throughout Australia! Please! Please! Please! don`t let our government sell us down the drain, particular for what amounts (in a longtime view) is a Few Dollars. '10 silver pieces'!
Yours Sincerely,
Howard Wills

Please see the points below, which I have gathered through the work of the Wilderness Society and local residents of the Pilliga region who are not in support of the project. My particular interest, personally, is in points 2, 5 and 6, but each of the points below are of great concern to me. I have visited the Mt Kaputar and Pilliga region, and am aware of the great extremes of weather that native species and the humans who live and work in the area have to deal with in order to survive, which is only worsening as climate change deepens. The summer we have just seen, which had record-breaking heat in the region is a frightening indicator of what our descendants will have to endure. To commit to further fossil-fuel expansion in this era is purely and simply WRONG, and in such a vital and iconic part of our Australian Country, again, is WRONG.

1. The Narrabri Gas Project risks precious water sources, including the Great Australian Basin--Australia's largest groundwater aquifer
The Narrabri gasfield poses a real risk to our two most precious water resources: the Great Artesian Basin and the Murray-Darling Basin. The area of the Great Artesian Basin with the highest recharge rates is almost entirely contained within the Pilliga East forest. In a worst-case scenario, the water removed for CSG extraction could reduce water pressure in the recharge areas--potentially stopping the free flow of waters to the surface at springs and bores across the whole Great Artesian Basin.¹

Creeks in the Pilliga run into the Namoi River--a part of the Murray Darling Basin. This system is vulnerable to contamination from drilling fluid spills and the salty treated water produced from the proposed 850 wells.

2. The Gamilaraay Traditional Custodians are opposed
There are hundreds of cultural sites as well as songlines and stories connecting the Gamilaraay to the forest and to the groundwater beneath. Gamilaraay people are deeply involved in the battle against CSG, and have told Santos they do not want their country sacrificed for a coal seam gas field.

3. Farmers and other local community reject the project
Extensive community surveys have shown an average of 96% opposition to CSG. This stretches across a massive 3.2 million hectares of country surrounding the Pilliga forest, including 99 communities. Hundreds of farmers have participated in protest actions unlike any previously seen in the region.

4. The Narrabri Gas Project has a long history of spills and leaks of toxic CSG water--Santos cannot be trusted to manage the project safely
Santos has already contaminated a freshwater aquifer in the Pilliga with uranium at levels 20 times higher than safe drinking water guidelines, as well as lead, aluminium, arsenic and barium². In addition, there have been over 20 reported spills and leaks of toxic CSG water from storage ponds, pipes and well heads. Santos cannot be trusted.

5. The Pilliga is a haven for threatened wildlife
The Pilliga is one of 15 nationally listed `biodiversity hotspots' and is vital to the survival of threatened species like the Koala, Spotted-tailed Quoll, Black-striped Wallaby, Eastern Pygmy-possum, Pilliga Mouse and South-eastern Long-eared Bat. The forest is home to over 200 bird species and is internationally recognised as an Important Bird Area². The Santos gasfield would fragment 95,000 hectares of the Pilliga with well pads, roads, and water and gas pipelines--damaging vital habitat and threatening the survival of endangered species.

6. Coal seam gas fuels dangerous climate change
Methane is by far the major component of natural gas, and is a greenhouse gas 72 times more powerful than CO². CSG fields contribute to climate change through the leakage of methane during the production, transport, processing and use of coal seam gas.

7. Human health is compromised by coal seam gas
A range of hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds can be released into the air from coal seam gas operations, including flaring of gas wells. The effects of volatile organic compounds vary, but can cause eye, nose and airway irritation, headache, nausea, dizziness and loss of coordination⁴. These impacts have been documented in human populations nearby to existing gasfields in Queensland, Sydney and in America.

8. The nation's premier optical astronomical observatory is at risk
The Siding Springs Observatory, situated in the Warrumbungles and adjacent to the Pilliga, is under threat from the Narrabri Gas Project due to light and dust pollution⁵. The area has been internationally recognised as a `dark sky park'⁶ and the 50m high gas flares proposed by Santos threaten the viability of the facility.

9. Thousands of tonnes of salt waste will result from the project
Santos has no solution for disposing of the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of salt that will be produced. Between 17,000 and 42,000 tonnes of salt waste would be produced each year. This industry would leave a toxic legacy in NSW.

10. Risk of fires would increase throughout the Pilliga's tinder-box conditions
Methane flare stacks up to 50m high would be running day and night, even on total fire ban days. The Pilliga is prone to severe bushfires. The project would increase ignition sources as well as extracting, transporting and storing a highly flammable gas right within this extremely fire-prone forest.


¹SoilFutures Consulting 2014, Great Artesian Basin Recharge Systems and Extent of Petroleum and Gas Leases. http://www.gabpg.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/GAB-Report1.pdf
²http://www.smh.com.au/environment/santos-coal-seam-gas-project-contaminates-aquifer-20140307-34csb.html
³BirdLife International (2017) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Pilliga http://www.birdlife.org
⁴Marion Carey Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA), Air pollution from coal seam gas may put public health at risk The Conversation, November 20, 2012
⁵https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/oct/21/siding-spring-observatory-threat-coal-seam-gas-light-pollution
⁶http://darksky.org/first-dark-sky-park-in-australia-designated/
- See more at: https://www.wilderness.org.au/final-push-pilliga#sthash.pLrlAxo9.dpuf

1. The Narrabri Gas Project risks precious water sources, including the Great Australian Basin - Australia's largest groundwater aquifer. The Narrabri gasfield poses a real risk to our two most precious water resources: the Great Artesian Basin and the Murray-Darling Basin. The area of the Great Artesian Basin with the highest recharge rates is almost entirely contained within the Pilliga East forest. In a worst-case scenario, the water removed for CSG extraction could reduce water pressure in the recharge areas--potentially stopping the free flow of waters to the surface at springs and bores across the whole Great Artesian Basin.

Creeks in the Pilliga run into the Namoi River - a part of the Murray-Darling Basin. This system is vulnerable to contamination from drilling fluid spills and the salty treated water produced from the proposed 850 wells.

2. The Gamilaraay Traditional Custodians are opposed.
There are hundreds of cultural sites as well as songlines and stories connecting the Gamilaraay to the forest and to the groundwater beneath. Gamilaraay people are deeply involved in the battle against CSG, and they do not want their country sacrificed for a coal seam gas field.

3. Farmers and other local community reject the project. Extensive community surveys have shown an average of 96% opposition to CSG. This stretches across a massive 3.2 million hectares of country surrounding the Pilliga forest, including 99 communities. Hundreds of farmers have participated in protest actions unlike any previously seen in the region.

4. The Narrabri Gas Project has a long history of spills and leaks of toxic CSG water. Santos cannot be trusted to manage the project safely. Santos has already contaminated a freshwater aquifer in the Pilliga with uranium at levels 20 times higher than safe drinking water guidelines, as well as lead, aluminium, arsenic and barium². In addition, there have been over 20 reported spills and leaks of toxic CSG water from storage ponds, pipes and well heads.

5. The Pilliga is a haven for threatened wildlife. The Pilliga is one of 15 nationally listed `biodiversity hotspots' and is vital to the survival of threatened species like the Koala, Spotted-tailed Quoll, Black-striped Wallaby, Eastern Pygmy-possum, Pilliga Mouse and South-eastern Long-eared Bat. The forest is home to over 200 bird species and is internationally recognised as an Important Bird Area. The Santos gasfield would fragment 95,000 hectares of the Pilliga with well pads, roads, and water and gas pipelines--damaging vital habitat and threatening the survival of endangered species.

6. Coal seam gas fuels dangerous climate change. Methane is by far the major component of natural gas, and is a greenhouse gas 72 times more powerful than CO². CSG fields contribute to climate change through the leakage of methane during the production, transport, processing and use of coal seam gas.

7. Human health is compromised by coal seam gas. A range of hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds can be released into the air from coal seam gas operations, including flaring of gas wells. The effects of volatile organic compounds vary, but can cause eye, nose and airway irritation, headache, nausea, dizziness and loss of coordination. These impacts have been documented in human populations nearby to existing gasfields in Queensland, Sydney and in The USA.

8. The nation's premier optical astronomical observatory is at risk. The Siding Springs Observatory, situated in the Warrumbungles and adjacent to the Pilliga, is under threat from the Narrabri Gas Project due to light and dust pollution. The area has been internationally recognised as a `dark sky park' and the 50m high gas flares proposed by Santos threaten the viability of the facility.

9. Thousands of tonnes of salt waste will result from the project. Santos has no solution for disposing of the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of salt that will be produced. Between 17,000 and 42,000 tonnes of salt waste would be produced each year. This industry would leave a toxic legacy in NSW.

10. The risk of fires would increase throughout the Pilliga's tinder-box conditions. Methane flare stacks up to 50m high would be running day and night, even on total fire ban days. The Pilliga is prone to severe bushfires. The project would increase ignition sources as well as extracting, transporting and storing a highly flammable gas right within this extremely fire-prone forest.

Absolutely object to this proposal for CSG mine.
Stop destroying our planet find a better energy source.

I want to lodge an objection against tho proposal.
Environmental damage has been done by csg extraction in other countries and in Queensland.
The proposal poses threats to wildlife in an area of national significance. The Piliiga is one of 15 such areas in Australia.
Recent land clearing law changes have the potential for native fauna lost. we can't afford to loose more habitat.
CSG contributes to dangerous climate change. I am writing this submission in the hope it will benefit future generations from increase bushfire, floods and extreme weather events by limiting fossil fuel burning.
I note in Queensland that the contaminated water resulting from this activity is causing problems in how to return it safely to the water cycle. What happens to wildlife using this water in the ponds. Is it safe for animals and birds. I don't believe this problem is thoroughly solved acceptably.Our groundwater is liable to be contaminated, including the Artesian Basin.
I understand the Traditional Owners are not happy with the proposal, rightfully so in my view. Have the proponents been responsible in dealing with them or tried to divide the communities as has occurred on other mining proposals.
Having waste gas burn off in this woody area is asking for problems due to human and process failure.
There are alternative supplies of gas e.g. from established field in Queensland.NSW is going to have to pay world price from any source. Why not save NSW the problems of the Piliga proposal and buy from Queensland or elsewhere?
Putting conditions on proposals to protect the environment appears pretty useless as damage is done before the government /public know about it and it seems impossible to quickly take action to minimise/correct damage. Any conditions need to provide for mandatory gaol/heavy fines for Directors /managers
as well as the company.