Narrabri Gas

I am against the land being used for coal seam gas exploration. Use the land for ordinary farming.

The lack of detail: Santos' EIS is very short on detail. It does not provide maps indicating
where these 850 wells and the lines and infrastructure that run between and around them
will go. Santos is seeking a blank cheque consent for this gas-field on the promise that it will
decide where the wells will go afterward using a "Field Development Protocol." No project
has ever been assessed this way before in NSW and the constraints Santos propose are
weak and subject to change later on. This is not an appropriate way to assess the largest
development project ever undertaken under the Environmental Planning and Assessment
Act and the Government must insist that Santos release details to the public about the
placement of its wells, pipelines and some other infrastructure.
There's no justification: The significant harm on the social, environmental and economic
values of the Narrabri Shire and New South Wales that this project will inflict needs to be
weighed against the economic justification for the project, but there is no such economic
justification. Santos is one of several large gas companies that threw the east coast gas
market and the industries that rely on it into turmoil by opening up CSG fields in Queensland
and contracting to sell more gas than those fields can produce to overseas customers. They
drove up the price of gas and are plundering supplies previously available to manufacturers
and power stations.
The gas produced at Narrabri might be as little as 4.9% of the volume contracted for sale out
of Gladstone. It's not going to bring down prices. In fact, it will force prices up, because
unconventional gas like CSG is so expensive to produce and yields are so low. Research
undertaken by gas company AGL shows that gas from the Pilliga would be the most
expensive gas of anywhere in the current east coast gas market. The number of jobs the
project will support once the construction is over is just 145. Weighed against damage to
the land, and the Great Artesian Basin, this makes no sense. We need sustainable jobs, not
plunder for profit.
Groundwater and the Great Artesian Basin: Santos' project is expected to remove 37.5GL
of groundwater over the life of the gasfield, mostly in the early years. The coal seam needs
to be dewatered to release the gas, but this aquifer lies beneath the Pilliga Sandstone, part
of the Great Artesian Basin recharge. Santos' EIS admits that the project will result in a loss
of water from the GAB recharge aquifer over time. CSG in Queensland has drawn down GAB
aquifers already. We can't afford to risk this crucial resource.
Salt: The water removed from the ground by Santos will be treated, but this creates another
problem: what to do with the salt? Peak salt production at Narrabri CSG will be 115 tonnes
per day, or two and a half B-double truckloads per day. In the peak year, this would mean
the creation of 41,900 tonnes of salt for disposal, which Santos says will take place in
landfill.
Cultural heritage and the Pilliga: The Pilliga is a spiritual, cultural and social icon for
Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people. Fragmentation and industrialization cuts people off from their
heritage and connection to country.
Biodiversity and the Pilliga: The Pilliga is also the largest temperate woodland in New South
Wales. Santos propose clearing nearly 1,000ha of the Pilliga, including habitat for critically
endangered Regent honeyeater and for koalas, which are already in decline in the Pilliga.
Spread across the whole forest, this clearing will fragment much larger areas of habitat. The
gasfield will clear breeding habitat for Pilliga Mouse, which lives nowhere else, and breeding
habitat for other wildlife. It will fragment and degrade the forest. Without specific
information about where the wells and lines will be located, a proper ecological impact
assessment can't be completed. Regardless, the Pilliga is a cherished natural and cultural
icon and must be protected from becoming an industrial gasfield.
Social and health impacts: Santos' social impact assessment is three years old and utterly
inadequate. The compendium of health studies produced by the Concerned Health
Professionals of New York shows mounting evidence for health damage by unconventional
gas operations, including water contamination and respiratory illness. The Government
must insist that Santos conduct a proper health impact assessment including modelling
exposure pathways, reviewing literature and engagement with the Narrabri community. In
Narrabri, this project will have negative impacts on cost-of-living, the labour and housing
markets. The latter is cited in as a benefit of the project but it will not benefit low-income
renters. The effect of the project on cost-of-living in the Shire needs to be modelled,
assessed and considered, as do the labour dynamics of the project. The project entirely
surrounds Yarrie Lake, and Santos propose that wells might come as close as 200m from the
Lake.
Air quality: The air quality assessment fails to include health-damaging fine particulate
pollution with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less (known as PM2.5). With diesel generators at
each well pad and at the water treatment and gas compression plants, there will be
significant PM2.5 emissions. The air quality assessment and greenhouse section also fail to
model the likely substantial escape of fugitive methane emissions.
Dark sky: light pollution from flares, compressor stations and the water treatment plant will
ruin the dark sky needed by the internationally renowned Siding Spring Observatory.
Climate change: recent research by the Melbourne Energy Institute shows that Australia
may be dramatically under-estimating the fugitive methane emissions from unconventional
gas, including coal seam gas. It's not needed or useful as a source of energy: we have the
technology we need to replace gas with renewable energy sources.

There should be a complete ban on Fracking in NSW and Australia.
We, the Australian commonwealth receive very little from gas which is being sucked out of our country and sent overseas, with very little gas being left for the domestic market.
These companies have very little regard for the future of our country, we are just another bump along the way to their corporate greed.
I particularly am concerned with the method of Fracking. Pumping toxic chemicals into the ground to hydraulic
Ly fracture the strata, so that gas can be scape. The also has implications for agriculture and ground water. Then there is the problem of th salt water that has to be disposed of, all in all the future of our nation has to be protected. So not allow Fracking.
Some Key Issues:

It will extract over 35 billion litres of toxic groundwater, much of it in the first five years. This water will be treated and in the early years will generate tens of thousands of tonnes of salt, for which there is no safe disposal plan.
It will clear close to 1,000 hectares of the Pilliga Forest, fragmenting the largest temperate woodland in New South Wales, home to unique wildlife.
It will cause significant diversion of water from a recharge aquifer of the Great Artesian Basin, which is a water resource relied upon by rural communities across western NSW.
It will lead to large deliberate and fugitive emissions of methane, adding to climate change.
It will cause more trauma to the regional Aboriginal community because the area of impact is crucially important to the spiritual, cultural and social life of Gamilaraay people.
It is not justified: Santos' own Coal Seam Gas export activities in Queensland have caused gas prices to rise and supply to become unpredictable. NSW should respond to this by investing in more reliable and ultimately cheaper renewable energy, not by letting Santos inflict more environmental, social and economic harm.
It will cause economic upheaval in Narrabri and put agricultural industries at risk, as well as causing light pollution that will ruin the dark night sky needed by the internationally renowned Siding Spring Observatory.
Coal Seam Gas is harmful to health. Neither the NSW Government nor Santos have investigated or dealt with the serious health effects of coal seam gas now appearing in peer-reviewed research in the United States.

This CSG project is located within the Great Artesian Basin, a water resource far more valuable than gas. We will continue without gas, but without the water we stand to lose, we lose valuable food production, livelihoods and unique environments. Don't mess with water, and don't risk the contamination with CSG. So far CSG projects around the world have caused massive destruction of water resources. We don't want that here.

It will extract over 35 billion litres of toxic groundwater, much of it in the first five years. This water will be treated and in the early years will generate tens of thousands of tonnes of salt, for which there is no safe disposal plan.
It will clear close to 1,000 hectares of the Pilliga Forest, fragmenting the largest temperate woodland in New South Wales, home to unique wildlife.
It will cause significant diversion of water from a recharge aquifer of the Great Artesian Basin, which is a water resource relied upon by rural communities across western NSW.
It will lead to large deliberate and fugitive emissions of methane, adding to climate change.
It will cause more trauma to the regional Aboriginal community because the area of impact is crucially important to the spiritual, cultural and social life of Gamilaraay people.
It is not justified: Santos' own Coal Seam Gas export activities in Queensland have caused gas prices to rise and supply to become unpredictable. NSW should respond to this by investing in more reliable and ultimately cheaper renewable energy, not by letting Santos inflict more environmental, social and economic harm.
It will cause economic upheaval in Narrabri and put agricultural industries at risk, as well as causing light pollution that will ruin the dark night sky needed by the internationally renowned Siding Spring Observatory.
Coal Seam Gas is harmful to health. Neither the NSW Government nor Santos have investigated or dealt with the serious health effects of coal seam gas now appearing in peer-reviewed research in the United States.

An area of great significance. A delicate balance. The water resources are precious and unreplaceable. Too much risk for very little gain.

Stop fracking now, there is no need we we have a plentiful supply off shore. stop ruining the country side and stop polluting Australias water. The significant harm on the social, environmental and economic
values of the Narrabri Shire and New South Wales that this project will inflict needs to be
weighed against the economic justification for the project, but there is no such economic
justification. Santos is one of several large gas companies that threw the east coast gas
market and the industries that rely on it into turmoil by opening up CSG fields in Queensland contracting to sell more gas than those fields can produce to overseas customers. They
drove up the price of gas and are plundering supplies previously available to manufacturers
and power stations.

I am making a submission on the Narrabri Gas
Project and I OBJECT to it.
This is a relatively short term project (20+yrs) compared to farming and not worth the risk to groundwater and the Great Artesian Basin.
Most of the profits will go abroad and most of the 145 jobs (after construction) will not be for Australians. These Multinational companies always bring in their own people.

CSG is a big mistake. Fracking chemicles poison soil and ground water for a long time after the miners have taken their money and run. It is intergenerational theft to leave our children and grandchildren with a degraded environment. Fugitive emissions (leaks) mean that CSG is far worse that origionally thought for GHG emissions and is little better than coal for generating electricity - regardless of where it is burnt.
The argument that gas companies has spent a lot of money building gas liquification plants at Gladstone and so deserve a return on investment has as much merit as saying that pregnant mothers should keep taking thalidomide because the manufactures spent a lot of money developing it. End CSG everywhere now.

When they ban csg in the US state it was created in, when you can set fire to water, when water is life - you simply don't play corporate games with it. Corporates are notorious for not giving a shit. It is always profit before ......everything, all in the name of shareholders when in fact it's just contempt and bonuses.
The laws are pathetic, the fines laughable, the entrenched practices of drawn out expensive litigation well known and practiced by these global giants of extortion.
They know it, we know it and you know it. Monies will not benefit Australians, tax will be minimised and profit off-shored.

This technology is NEVER SAFE. Before anything happens, you must go at random and without prior anouncements to any existing csg well and see, experience it yourself - not the shiny example they'll show you.
It's dirty, dangerous and toxic to human life.
Ask them what the ingredients are that they pump into our ground water. Not individually, what they all are and how they in combination react.

Do it at your personal residence, with your children and partner, infact all your family. Camp out next to it. Make you family breathe the air from the vents ...... cos if it's good enough for us, it is more than good for you and the corporate executives too.

Open your eyes and act with conscience. There is a tomorrow beyond the corporates profit, just see how they rehabilitate land now.

They will lie. They will quote narrow out of context facts that suit their warped agenda ......... wake up.

The general public are not being told or helped to understand the truth about what is happening to our future or safety. The truth is lacking morality and respect for those people personally affected by this.

I am a descendant of the Campbell clan who came over St Patricks Plains ( now Singleton) to farm the Pilliga region. ... Many of my descendants are buried in Wee Waa. This pristine area should not be allowed to have gas holes punched into the Artesian Basin Greed by big mining companies for more sems to be the given thing these days .What about todays descendants, there will be nothing left for our following generations.....it is not finite. Once all our rescources are gone we will have nothing.Preserve this area. tell Santos Australia does not need to be sucked dry of our gas. The Artesian Basin is already leaking gas into the river at Narrabri, no thinking Government would allow this area to become so polluted like Chinas land that it becomes unproductive.

X

I object for the following reasons;
It will extract over 35 billion litres of toxic groundwater, much of it in the first five years. This water will be treated and in the early years will generate tens of thousands of tonnes of salt, for which there is no safe disposal plan.
It will clear close to 1,000 hectares of the Pilliga Forest, fragmenting the largest temperate woodland in New South Wales, home to unique wildlife.
It will cause significant diversion of water from a recharge aquifer of the Great Artesian Basin, which is a water resource relied upon by rural communities across western NSW.
It will lead to large deliberate and fugitive emissions of methane, adding to climate change.
It will cause more trauma to the regional Aboriginal community because the area of impact is crucially important to the spiritual, cultural and social life of Gamilaraay people.
It is not justified: Santos' own Coal Seam Gas export activities in Queensland have caused gas prices to rise and supply to become unpredictable. NSW should respond to this by investing in more reliable and ultimately cheaper renewable energy, not by letting Santos inflict more environmental, social and economic harm.
It will cause economic upheaval in Narrabri and put agricultural industries at risk, as well as causing light pollution that will ruin the dark night sky needed by the internationally renowned Siding Spring Observatory.
Coal Seam Gas is harmful to health. Neither the NSW Government nor Santos have investigated or dealt with the serious health effects of coal seam gas now appearing in peer-reviewed research in the United States.

Please do not go ahead with the Narrabri Gas Project. Extensive research has revealed this kind of development is very damaging to the environment and to agriculture.

We don't need any new gas , there is enough already if we reduce the amount sold overseas. Renewable energy is the future. Frack off!

It is a highly irresponsible to consider coal seam gas fracking, when it is well known how environmentally destructive this kind of mining is. Renewable energy is a much better option, which appears to be the way Europe and most other countries go these days.

No to coal seam gas

We must protect the underground water supply of our country...Australia is one of the driest countries in the world and we well know the enormous amounts of water that will be need for the fracking process and the amount of contamination it causes.

I support the farmers of Australia, and believe that the risk of contaminating groundwater is far too great.