Narrabri Gas

I object to the Santos' Narrabri Gas Project in NSW.
Instead of further CSG development, we should be preserving our food production and natural water resources.

Protect NSW against Santos damaging our land and ripping Australians off.

I am a nature lover and astronomer. The Warrumbungle-Pilliga-Kaputar area is special and must be protected. As a swing voter this is a top issue for me.

i object

Hi,
Please no coal seam gas. there is now wind and water as an alternative.
it wrecks valuable farm land.
Keep Australia in good condition for our children.
Thanks,
Shaun Gorman

I am very strongly opposed to Santos push to drill new gas wells in the Pilliga or for that matter anywhere in Australia! Santos made a catastrophic business mistake building gas export plant, which they now have to 'feed' to recover their costs, at a time of falling world prices. The mining of coal seam gas uses huge amounts of water as well as dangerous chemicals that seep through the soil and water into our environment. Politicians need to stop listening to the gas and mining industry lobbyists and start listening to the general population - no more CSG mines!

This area of the Pilliga is not meant for mining. These mining processes are a risk to the Great Artesian Basin. No matter how small the risk (and I dont believe it is small), it is an unacceptable risk as this is the safety of our underground water supply to enormous areas of Australia. There is no reversing damage done.

Please do not allow this mining to proceed.

Shari Elle

I do not want fracking or Coal Seam gas exploration above the Great Artesian Basin.
Once this aquifer is polluted it will affect too many people and animals who rely on the springs from this aquifer for life.
People need to use less resources and understand that we cannot drink the money made from selling these resources.

I strongly object to this submission. The negative impact of this proposal on the environment and consequently everything connected to it is too significant and not justifiable.

I oppose the granting of licenses for any more fossil fuel extraction industries based on my view that climate change is real and that by extracting and selling fossil fuels Australia is complicit in the potential destruction of the planet. I think it is time we stood up as a nation and said no to any further oil, coal or gas mines.
I am especially opposed to coal seam gas extraction due to the risks associated with fracking. Despite the best environmental studies our current level of technology and knowledge are unable to predict where ground water will travel so there is a definite and probable risk of fracking polluting ground water reservoirs. Once the damage us done it cannot be reversed.
Lets take a long term view about how we want Australia and the world to look in 100 years time rather than worrying about the next dividend or election.
It is time Australia stood up and said no this kind a of development.

My family, the Betts family, were custodians of a 7500 acre lease from the NSW Govt. for land now known as the 'Airlands' Precinct. This precinct is right in the middle of the Pilliga State Forest halfway between Coonabarabran and Narrabri. The land supported a low intensity cattle farming venture that took place there for over 30 years.

The forest area surrounding this small landholding is pristine, the land these days has reverted to State Forest management. The land in these areas is only suited to agriculture and tourism.

It is my personal opinion that CSG exploration should be banned in all areas. Our state and national government should be focused on renewable energy projects such as wind and solar.

For some years I worked in Sydney for a large global engineering firm with its global head office in Sydney. I know firsthand from conversations with experienced engineers and reports that I have read that gas fracking causes irreparable damage to the environment's sensitive ecosystems.

Santos and such other destructive gas companies would employ only a relative small number of employees for both construction and operation phases. The same job numbers would at least be equaled by the renewable industry.

Very few land owners that accommodate gas actually benefit financially. The super profits generated are simply not shared with the wider community. Any profits in my opinion are unethical.

For a country that claims to look towards 'innovation", fracking is very backward looking with respect to the current and future social movement. I will vote for a government that supports the environment and push for renewables, I will also protest against any approval. We as custodians of this land must preserve it for future generations. We have the opportunity to be world leaders in our thinking with respect to renewables.

I again reiterate my view that I do not support the Narrabri, or any other gas exploration project.

Regards

Greg Betts

APPLICATION FOR GAS DRILLING
This is totally unacceptable for the future of Australia.
Short-term profiteering always leads to distasters.

Please deny this application
H.G.Blake

I do not think that risking the little water Australia has access to, is worth the natural gas.

In general I object to new gas extraction projects. This is because in the short term they cause irreversible environmental damage. It is also because strategically, developing renewable energy projects as opposed to gas, coal and oil projects, is essential for the economic survival of this country and the actual survival of the human species.

This project is more problematic than most, as it is a coal seam gas project. This unconventional extraction process carries a strong risk of accidents that will poison aquifers that are essential to the survival of crops and wildlife in the Narrabri area. There is a strong risk of accidental releases of methane which will hasten global warming. It is an expected outcome, wthout accidents, that 35 billion litres of toxic groundwater will be extracted in the first 5 years of operation. Clean water will be removed from an aquifer that feeds into the Great Artesian Basin.

The specific location of this proposed gas project is highly unsuitable for a destructive, polluting project of this type. The Piliga Forest is a great ecological asset, belonging to the people of New South Wales, which will be fragmented. Long term, local agriculture and residences will become unviable. Local farmers have already expressed their concern that their access to clean water will be greatly reduced by the high water use and expected water pollution resulting from this project.

This land is also precious to traditional owners who have a strong, irreplacable connection to this land which will be devastated. The nearby world class observatory as Siding Spring will also be affected long term by light pollution resulting from this proposed gas project.

Please consider the major negative impacts of this proposal. These impacts will not be shortlived. These impacts affect many people and many parts of the economy. There may be some short term financial reward for Santos. However, the current state of investment around the world shows clearly that energy companies must transition quickly to renewable energy, to remain viable. It will harm the asset base of NSW and do Santos little good, to approve this outdated, unbalanced project.

This is not going to happen!! I want my grandchildren to see this area. This MUST be stopped!

I am totally against csg being extracted in the Pilliga - as it is part of the great artesian basin and the fact that the contamination from these workings is basically irreversible.

How many more ecosystems, native habitats and land will our Government allow to be DESTROYED...? You forget that you are chosen by the people for the people... Money is not the issue here. Open your eyes and see the damage already done and do the proper thing and reject the Santos / Narrabri Gas Project and show the Australian people that you do actually give a damn...
Leave the Pilliga be...

I do not agree with Santos' massive Narrabri Gas Project in the Pilliga and this industry risking our Great Artesian Basin, our threatened species and our largest inland forest in eastern Australia. Santos has mapped a total of seven huge gasfields across this region--and once the CSG industry gains a foothold, it's very difficult to stop. We've seen this happen in Queensland.
There are sustainable energy alternatives that respect the environment and native species, provide a growth industry of employment opportunities. Ethical considerations and planning must acknowledge that gas projects do nothing to respect, sustain or repair the environment, landscape, native fauna and animal species. I say 'No" to this project choose wisely, choose sustainable options for energy in Australia.

We have always enjoyed our trips through the pillage. Like most tourists who love our country, we do not want to see Santos create this eyesore in pristine farming land.
Those who approve the project are playing God with our land, the impact may take many years to have an environmental impact but it will happen.
Kerry and Margaret Wilsmore.

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.z7NBqQOd.dpuf

I am really concerned about the proposed Narabri Gas Project for a number of reasons
The main concern I have is that the Narabri gasfield threatens our water resources. Santos doesn't have a good reputation for protecting our water - numerous spills have lead to contaminated water. Not only is it undrinkable - it is spreading water that is poisonous with uranium, lead, aluminium and arsenic. The Great Artesian Basin and the Murry Darling Basin are invaluable. We cannot risk these waterways.
We are struggling with climate change - we haven't managed our Great Barrier Reef, look what has happened! Millions of dollars lost and 70,00 jobs lost because we do not act. CSG fields contribute to climate change - it leaks methane and thats much worse than carbon dioxide!
We do not need 17,000 - 42,000 tonnes of salt waste
We are at risk of fires in Australia. It is very scary. The methane flare stacks continue even on total fire ban days - we can't put these in an area that is extremely fire prone.
Thank you for attending to my submission
Veronica Kroon