Narrabri Gas

The Narrabri Gas Project risks precious water sources, including the Great Australian BasinÂ--AustraliaÂ'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 areasÂ--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 RiverÂ--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 waterÂ--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 Â`biodiversity hotspotsÂ' 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 pipelinesÂ--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 nationÂ'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 Â`dark sky parkÂ'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 PilligaÂ'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.

I object on the grounds of continuing global climate change. We must stop making the world difficult to live in immediately. This project is not sustainable, nor required now that renewable energy is available.
I also object on the grounds if increased risk of species extinction.

As extracting energy from coal has already drained Thirlmere Lakes, despite assurances we did not have to worry about that, caused mine subsidence although we were told that could all be lived with, I do not believe the assurances in the EIS and approval process that our environment will only suffer recoverable harm.
No approval should be granted.

Please don't allow csg mining in the Pilliga.
Our water resources are too valuable to risk degradation or contamination from fracking activities.
The great artesian basin and Murray Darling systems are under great stress and maybe reaching a tipping point.
Please listen to the community who will be affected, avoid another fiasco like the forced council amalgamations why not consider developing the use of renewables to produce hydrogen as an alternative energy source which will have a much longer future use.

I wish to lodge a protest against exploration for fossil fuel resources in the Pilliga Forest. The first reason is that drilling is likely to compromise the Great Artesian Basin which has its highest recharge rates almost entirely contained within the Pilliga East forest. This would affect the farming community for many decades into the future.
The second reason is the potential destruction of a unique forest environment which has both environmental and cultural importance. Gamilaraay people have told Santos they do not want their country sacrificed for a coal seam gas field. Their wishes shoudl be respected.
The third reason is the need to move away from fossil fuels, which are fast becoming stranded investments. Why pour money into somethign with only a very short-term future when that money could be spent on much more worthwhile ventures that will not compromise our environment, culture or long-term survival on this planet. There is no Planet B for us to relocate to.

Under no circumstances should CSG activity be permitted in the Pilliga. Our groundwater is threatened with pollution from Santos's drilling for gas. We depend upon that water table for drinking water and most importantly for Agriculture. I have visited the drilling sites in the Pilliga, and methane gas is already escaping Into the atmosphere from these sites. Any further drilling will only add more gas to pollute our atmosphere.
CSG mining is an utterly irresponsible activity and must be halted IMMEDIATELY!

I think this project should not go ahead for the following reasons. It risks water resources, The Gamilaraay, local farmers and community are opposed. The Pilliga is a natural sanctuary and many of the wildlife will be impacted. Then there's the issue of dust and gas flares affecting the Sliding Springs observatory. I could go on but having recently visited the area I think it too precious to be polluted with methane and salt, wells, roads, and all the stuff which goes with this kind of project. Yours sincerely John Bowden

Dear Sir,
1. The Narrabri Gas Project definitely risks precious water sources, including the Great Australian Basin--Australia's largest groundwater aquifer

The Narrabri gas field poses an absolute 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 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 hot spots' 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 gas field 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 gas fields 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 50 m 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 meaningful 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 50 m high would be running day and night, even on total fire ban days. The Pilliga is prone to severe bush fires. The project would increase ignition sources as well as extracting, transporting and storing a highly flammable gas right within this extremely fire-prone forest.

Yours sincerely,
Kim Zegenhagen

What's the point of endangering precious water supplies and local flora and fauna for short term gain? The reports of devastated communities in the US and elsewhere whose towns and lands have been poisoned by CSG mining should be enough to put any reasonable person pursuing this in NSW and Australia.

When CSG has been allowed locally, as at Narrabri, there's been a series of big and small toxic leaks, many of which the mining company Santos has attempted to keep from the public.

The current proposals run against the wishes of most of the local farming community and threaten traditional indigenous cultural sites.

Apart from health concerns and the threat to the Pilliga forest,the potential leakage of methane is another concern given its devastating effect as a greenhouse gas.

1. Gamilaraay traditional custodians are against the project.
2. Local communities are against the project.
3. Creeks from the pilliga, run into the noami river, which flows into the murray-darling basin, the potential for contamination is not worth the risk.
4. Santos has already contaminated the freshwater aquifer in the pilliga with toxic chemicals.
I object to this project commencing.

thankyou glen philpott

To endanger the Great Artesian Basin is environmental vandalism. This on one of the driest continents, to risk the supply of clean water to surrounding farmland is to deny the heritage to further generations. What are our politicians doing to the environment, destroying a non renewable resource.

There are parts of NSW that uniquely make up what is the physical essence of this State and the Pilliga is one such place. Like many of the people of this State born in the countryside mid last century we have witnessed the negative accumulative impact of inappropriate land use and have been truly refreshed to hear of late, farmers taking a stand against unsubstantial and potentially dangerous practices. Thus I stand with the farmers of the Pilliga who oppose Santo fracking gas well projects and as a citizen of NSW I submit that my government should also stand with these farmers and environmental scientists who have petitioned about the dangers of fracking. Learning to live with the land is increasingly been understood as the most mutually satisfying way to feed people and that being greedy with land use is unprofitable in the future, be it repairing damage from pollution and/or replacing (for example via imported fertilisers) over extracted elements. Coal seam gas extraction only profits those who seize ownership of something that has been safely locked away by nature and is an example of unnecessarily dangerous over use of the land. To allow the drilling and potentially fracking of 850 gas wells throughout the Great Artesian Basin would be a reckless short term indulgence of an already over rich corporation and is demonstrably not in the public interest. To affect the Great Artesian Basin is to affect surrounding water used by people and animals alike. Santos' proposed intervention into the Great Artesian Basin contains risks that would damage this vital water and would create unforeseeable long term impacts upon the physical environment and all who have to live in it and provide for others from it. Also history has told us that there are some environmental damage (pollution if you like) that cannot be remedied and that those who create the pollution rarely if ever have to help fix it up.

I object to this development for the following reasons.

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.

There are hundreds of cultural sites as well as songlines and stories connecting the Gamilaraay people 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.

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.

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.

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.

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. thus this project will contribute to global warming and climate change.

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.


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.

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.

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.

The Narrabri Gas project has a long history of spills and leaks of toxic coal seam water and coal seam gas fuels dangerous climate change due to methane being a large component of natural gas. Also a range of hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds can be released into the air from coal seam gas operations causing health problems for humans, flora and fauna.

regards
John Philpott.

The project presents a real threat to both surface and ground water.
The vast majority of local farmers and community oppose the project because of its threat to their livelihood, health and wellbeing.
The traditional custodians are strongly opposed.
There has been a long history of serious toxic spills.
Environmental concerns are real and serious.
The gas is a fossil fuel that adds to the our compromised climate when burnt.
Salt waste as a result of fracking is a by product and its disposal has no solution.

After much investigation I feel CSG development is intrusive and just down right dangerous ! Most advanced countries throthe world have banned it due to its dangers it poses to humans animals and the environment ! I strongly oppose CSG in my state of New South Wales and my beloved country Australia !

It is indeed ironic that Santos want to extract yet more gas when the Federal government is busy trying to control the export of cheap gas. Is there no end to the greed of these companies in wishing to extract as much of our natural wealth in the shortest possible time?

In addition, the evidence is overwhelmingly against CSG, and the arguments have been presented endlessly:
- that aquifers are damaged by extraction techniques;
- that the damage to farmland and bush caused by gas leakage following the fracturing of sedimentary layers, is also conclusive; - that the traditional owners in the Pilliga do not agree to providing access to Santos;
- that the company has a poor record for meeting any terms placed upon it;
I could go on....

I register my strongest objections to this and other CSG projects.

The Pillaga is a unique environment which needs our protection. As a resident of northern NSW, I have seen the adverse side effects of gas wells.
Think of how we will be judged by future generations if we fail to protect that which is really important, namely clean water, clean food, clean air.
Santos has a poor reputation for environmental responsibility so why even consider letting them loose on an area of national significance?
Please put Australia ahead of Santos and the other mining companies.

How can you possibly think of trusting Santos with their appalling ecological damage track record?
How can you ignore the traditional owners?
How can you be so careless with precious water?

To the Department Of Planning NSW'

I object to the development of a gas field within or near by the Pilliga Forest.

I am a resident of Warumbungle Shire and together with my wife, own 647 acres within the Pilliga Forest.
I am very concerned about a great many of the things associated with developing a gas field anywhere in NSW and in particular within the Pilliga itself as it is a sandstone filtered recharge zone for the Great Artesian Basin.

I have a bore on my property and I have had to complete a full CSG test on my water so I have my own Base Line Data just in case the development is approved. I have recommended my neighbours do the same. This level of testing is very expensive but will prove invaluable should in the highly likely event contamination of our aquifers should occur. As it turns out, my bore samples are considered some of the cleanest water in the world. My mothers bore on her property located 5km to the south, returned very similar results. This on its own merit should engage the water trigger and prevent this development however, there are many more reasons why it should not go ahead.

My property value will go down as we have seen in QLD, no insurance company will offer me any protection against the negative impacts of the industry on my property, such as bore contamination or dewatering the aquifer my bore is associated with, or surface contamination.

The Pilliga Forest is also a highly fire prone area. Santos must construct flaring facilities within the forest which will of course increase potential ignition and risk of bush fires.
A bush fire within the Pilliga can be devastating enough without the possibility of it burning thru 850 gas well pads and all the associated infrastructure. Further more, our RFS are not trained to fight fires within or even near a gas field and as volunteers should not be expected to. This will further compound my risk as a property owner within a gas field as the RFS will not be able to come to my aid, my neighbours aid and not even my mothers aid. This fact may also render much of if not all my property infrastructure uninsureable.

The Pilliga is also the last fragment of a much greater woodland in western NSW and as such is a haven for flora and fauna, many of them being rare or endangered. Infact there are still new species being discovered such as the skink worm and a new species of Tea tree discovered by David Paull, our local ecologist and neighbour, only this year. Only 2 weeks ago, a Little Bittern was recorded on a Santos site that hasn't been recorded here for 17 years.

This forest must be preserved as part of out natural heritage and should be considered a haven and breeding ground in order to reverse the catastrophic species decline we have seen in NSW and Australia of our flora and fauna.

Santos has a history of poor practice not only within the Pilliga with aquifer contamination, pond spills and radioactive waste. But also in QLD they still have no way of disposing of toxic salts but to bury them, they have destroyed farmers bores and contaminated their land and dump poorly treated water into waterways. Then if we take a look at what Santos was responsible for in Java they should be prosecuted and held accountable. If that is what they refer to as "Best Practice" then our local community and the whole of NSW should be very concerned indeed.

The David Suzuki Foundation and St. Francis Xavier University recently completed the first on-the-ground measurement of methane emissions from oil and gas sites in northeastern B.C., more than 80 per cent of which use fracking. We found that emissions are at least 2.5 times higher than the government claims.

Methane is a greenhouse gas 84 times as potent as carbon dioxide, making this a serious problem.

CSG is potentially far worse for the environment than even coal. It is renewable resources that this country needs to move forward and combat climate change, not fossil fuels. Methane could easily be extracted from methane digestors if the infrastructure is set up on our sewerage treatment plants, Feedlots, Abattoirs and refuse sites all over NSW. This is potentially the greatest source of renewable methane that is otherwise wasted and contributing to green house gas emissions further compounding an already massive problem.

Drilling gas wells in Australia will do nothing to combat climate change. The integrity of CSG wells is poor at best, many of which fail within the first 10 years and the vast majority will fail within 50 years. Steel bore casings rust within a saline environment and the concrete shroud will be subject to concrete cancer in this environment. Santos has not made clear how this will be mitigated within their EIS. How the integrity of these wells will be managed in the long term and who will be responsible for the long term management is of great concern, not only for me, my community, but our children, grandchildren and the future generations that live, work and farm these lands.

One of the largest employers within our shire is the AAO, Australian Anglo Observatory. This multi million dollar facility requires a dark sky to operate. CSG flaring, 50 m tall towers with 30 m high flame on top will be a massive source of light pollution. Already mining operations on the Liverpool plains create an obnoxious source of light pollution. These flaring facilities could potentially lead to the closure of the AAO affecting local employment, tourism and our local economy. It will also deter international investment in these facilities and the money that would otherwise be spent in NSW may go to WA or worse overseas.

There are also massive health risks for people living within or near a gas field as has been identified in QLD. Local air quality and the rain water will be affected. This is not only an unmanageable risk to the local population but will have a roll on effect upon the local ecology. Our endemic Flora and Fauna will not be immune to the negative impacts of this and will further stress an already declining population.

There are many more reasons why this project should not go ahead, I have listed only a few. Overall though, as Australians we have a right to clean air and clean water, as do our children and grandchildren. This project presents far to many risks that haven't been identified or suitably addressed.

As a local resident I have never been approached by Santos asking whether I approve of what they are doing. They have made no attempt to address my concerns and they have made very little attempt to consult the wider community. How they claim to have any sort of social licence is pure propaganda. In fact I don't know anyone within my community that supports it at all.

Many thanks for considering my submission and I hope you take the above mentioned points as seriously as I do.

Kind regards

Sam Bragg

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 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.