Narrabri Gas

We should phase out CSG in NSW and Australia.

This project must not go ahead as its impact on the environment and people would be too destructive. Drilling may destroy the recharge area of the Great Artesian Basin which feeds the Darling Murray system. This water is vital not just for the region, but the whole of Australia.
Santos has not addressed the problems of salt either and there would be a large amount of salt released. Santos has a bad record as they have already had a number of toxic spills and caused both environmental and health problems in their preliminary work. Don't take the risk of a major disaster.
This wilderness area is an important area for Aboriginal people and as well as this cultural heritage that would be lost, well over 93% of people in the area are opposed to this project. Farmers are firmly against this.
There is also increased fire risk from gas wells a problem that we can't address in an area like this. Imagine the difficulties of fighting bush fires here.
I understand that the observatory, one of the most significant in the world, would be adversely affected as it would not longer be in a dark sky area.
Finally, this project will increase climate change by releasing more methane into the atmosphere. Climate change is happening as we stsand here now but it will continue to grow like a snowball well into the next 100 years. We won't be here but what about the grandchildren just being born? We must do everything in our power to minimise climate change and its devastating effects.
Please stand firmly against this project and any others like it. .

CSG Wells must not go ahead in the Pilliga Region. CSG is a danger to the planet and must not be mined. for these reasons:-
1. Methane gas leaks out into the atmosphere from around the pipes. It also leaks into the aquifers underground and into the local rivers and creeks and water supply. It causes kids noses to bleed and gives them head-aches, we don;t know the long term effects yet.
.2.It will contribute Methane to the atmosphere which is much worse (27x?) than CO2 and will exacerbate golbal warming and cause catastrophic climate change.
3. The nation is not getting any benefit from this as the gas is being sent overseas.
4.The tankers will destroy the Great Barrier Reef. This is enough reason on it's own, surely!.
5.The wells and associated roads and infrastructure will destroy a beautiful natural environment and the flora and fauna.
6.The only people who benefit are the people with vested interests who do not care about anybody or anythiing else, apart from lining their own pockets.
I can think of no reason why this project should go ahead. This is not acceptable.

I am writing to submit my objections to the proposed Narrabri Coal Seam Gas mining and exploration in the Pilliga. The mining of coal seam gas is controversial all around the world, where its long term effects on the environment and the people who live in them are vulnerable. Evidence is emerging that this type of activity damages people's health and does irreparable damage to underground water sources. In an area like the Pilliga where underground water must be essential to all life it is ridiculous to contemplate such interference in the aquifers. I also object to the lack of consideration for the local Indigenous Communities who are opposed to the plan. We do not need coal seam gas. We are facing a future where we must concentrate on renewable energy and the sooner we start to persue these energy sources the better.

Comprehensive argument against this Narrabri Gas Project has been no doubt intelligently documented in other submissions, so suffice it for me to say I believe Coal Seam Gas is environmental vandalism. The risks associated with CSG are real. They are proven. What is done cannot be undone. Please take the focus off pillaging the natural environment as a matter of urgency.

My group Tobb object to the extraction of gas without sufficient environmental controls .
The water table will no doubt be depleted & the salt extracted will cause irreversible degrading of the plant and wildlife in the forest.
We should be investing in alternative energy sources not the destruction of our precious environment.
History will judge you.

To Neale,

I object to this project on the grounds that the local and wider community is strongly opposed to your companies application to "develop" this area.
Santos is driven by financial goals and has demonstrated a wilful disregard for communities and the environment in the past. The potential contamination to groundwater and the poor strategies proposed for managing waste water are very real threats to this unique region.
If there was a genuine appreciation of the locality and its ecological value, a short term project of this nature with its potential for long term impacts would not be considered viable.
When Santos Ltd is long gone and profits have been made, this land and its people will be recovering for far longer.
In a time when alternatives energy production methods are available and with serious investment they can be made more efficient, it concerns me that as a nation we are still destroying the land with such archaic practices.
We have been talking of sustainability for decades and have witnessed the result of our short sighted decisions in the past yet it is evident that there is an unwillingness to be serious about responsible land management and the application of the precautionary principle.
This project does not address the issues of poor land management or move toward our goals of sustainable energy production. We as a nation are still waiting for the right and responsible decisions to be made to protect our natural assets for the long term. This project is NOT a step in the right direction.
Yours Sincerely
Anthony Jarvis

I strongly object to the Santos proposal. Please see attached documents for more details of my reasons.

I believe that coal seam gas has long term risks that are not acceptable given Australia's present resources that are being exported with little concern for this countries needs. Coal seams have a relatively limited life time but may cause permanent damage.

I'm making this submission on the Narrabri Gas Project and I strongly object to it on the following grounds.
Santos' EIS statement doesn't provide maps indicating where these 850 wells and the lines and infrastructure running between and around them will go.Unacceptable.
Significant harm will be caused to the social, environmental and economic values of the Narrabri Shire and N S W, with no economic justification.
We need sustainable jobs in the state not continued plunder for international companies profit.
Without doubt the Great Artesian Basin will be affected.
Landfill of 115 tonnes of salt from treated water per day will be where. Salinity is a problem already and this will add to it significantly.

We must move away from a carbon based economy. CSG is highly destructive and polluting. Say no to this proposal.
Paul Kinnison

I object because of the risk to groundwater. This is the driest continent and we just can't risk it, the economic costs to the country of destroying the groundwater will go on for years.
I support the majority of farmers that reject this project,
Also, across the world, renewable energy is growing and improving and there is a growing rejection of fossil fuels. destroying the natural world for gas rather than investing in renewables just makes no sense.
In addition, Santos have proved themselves to be dodgy as hell when it comes to environmental protection. They just don't care, for example, Santos 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 barium. In addition, there have been over 20 reported spills and leaks of toxic CSG water from storage ponds, pipes and well heads. If this project goes ahead people will undoubtably be made sick because of contamintion.

Say NO to CSG Mining. Establish a moratorium for a thorough investigation into long term affects on the environment.Until this happens NO CSG mining in the Piliga

Please do not destroy the Pillaga and the precious water below. The animal and plant species and the ecology is more precious than we already know and certainly more than we presently appreciate.
We, me and the ecology, do not need gas. It is still a greenhouse gas, however `clean` you claim it is. The future does not need your legacy.
I, and many others like me, want to live a life of value and a modest life. Please invest only in renewables and save the world for the future.

Dear Sir/Madam, I am appalled at the short-sightedness of this project, which includes known and as yet unknown threats to the earth and every living thing in the vicinity of the works. Please disallow it.

Dear Planning and Assessment Commission

I wish to support the Narrabri Gas Project. As a local farmer having spent most of my 30 years living in Narrabri I would like to see this project proceed. I attended both the local primary school and the high school and was tertiary educated at UNE (the closest university in Armidale). The Narrabri community like most townships (apart from regional centres) west of the great dividing range is unfortunately facing rural decline. This is mostly due to the farming sector improving efficiencies in order to offset declining terms of trade to remain profitable. Improving the efficieceny of the farming sector means that less and less people will be employed as time goes on. The effects of this can already be seen across NSW and is more prominent the further west you go. The Narrabri community is largely friendly and proud with a strong community spirit. This allows young people tthe advantage of growing up with these values and can positively contribute to NSW. I am concerned that Narrabri will slowly decline and as this happens both services and the social fabric of the town go with it. I believe that the Narrabri Gas Project provides an opportunity to offset these inevitable impacts. I trust that with reasonable and appropriate conditions the project will be able to proceed which will boost, strengthen and diversify the Narrabri district.

I support the public outcry against this giant Pilliga coal seam gasfield

Dear decision makers,
I strongly urge you to abandon all plans for the destructive and poisonous practice of coal seam gas mining In the Pilliga.

To allow any such well documented practice to start or continue is a crime against our natural environment in complete ignorance of our children who have to try and live with the poisoned land.

Much cleaner alternatives are available now like re-newable energy, which is good news for everyone, including workers, our children and nature.

Again, I strongly urge you to abandon all CSG mining in the unique Pilliga and in the whole of NSW for that matter.

Irresponsible and destructive decisions like approvals for CSG mining are no longer acceptable.

The Narrabri Gas Project is a bad idea

Here are 6 reasons why this project should never go ahead

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.
6. We need to keep our land as clean as possible, long term this can be NSW's & Australia's greatest asset, when other countries are degrading their land & natural resources, there will be a substantial economic benefit in being a land that is capable of producing from a non toxic environment. Despite assurances to the contrary this project if given the go ahead is highly likely to damage our land in an irreversible manner that will leave future generations wondering why this generation was so lacking in foresight & good sense.

Are companies TRYING to make sure there is no future for the planet or the human race? We should be moving to renewables, not more destructive gas projects that put a vital water supply at grave risk. It is simply idiotic to even consider approving coal seam gas mining in the Pillaga, and to actually do it would be short sighted, negligent, and should be criminal. Stop putting profits before people, the environment and the future. I'm sorry that certain morons at Santos were born with reptilian brains only capable of selfishness, but at least we should seek to deny them. Them and their salt waste, environmental destruction, toxic byproducts and wilful rejection of common sense.