Narrabri Gas

I am really sick to death of the damage done to my Country by those who are motivated by $$$$'s and greed.

In this Modern age this type of fracking is outdated and unnecessary and the damage to the Piliga Countryside & water catchments will take several lifetimes if ever to be restored.
The damage done is far too high for any gains
Why can't this Government face the facts that this type of drilling & mining in this & any part of Australia is far too big, not popular or wanted by Australians who care for their Country.

I do not support Coal Seam Gas in sacred aboriginal land.

I fully support the Gamilaraay people in their objection to any kind of gas exploration &/or drilling, in order to protect their tribal lands & the Piliga Forest.

I oppose this project for 3 main reasons, though there are many other serious reasons why it should not be allowed to proceed.

1. The Great Artesian Basin lies below the Pilliga East forest. The project requires large amounts of water to be removed. This extraction has real potential to adversely affect springs and bores across the whole Great Artesian Basin. Creeks in the Pilliga run into the Namoi River, which is part of the Murray Darling Basin. Drilling fluid spills and the salty treated water produced from the proposed 850 wells will contaminate the river. Santos has a history of bad environmental management in its existing mining activities in the Pilliga and can not be trusted with the public's valuable natural resources.

2. 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. I have assisted in citizen science biodiversity surveys in the Pilliga and therefore have first-hand knowledge of it.

3. The local farming community, traditional owners and others in surrounding communities have clearly declared their opposition to this project. I believe they should be respected. They have a long term interest in the health of the Pilliga. Santos just wants to make a profit and then leave the resulting mess behind for others to deal with.

I object to it. CSG is too high risk with too many detrimental outcomes to us all, food supply, water, environment.

This affects many people negatively, it affects our land negatively, it messes with the Great Artesian Basin negatively for what, yet more finite resources!
Put the money to renewable energy, there is a new style of wind turbine out, look into that. More solar power.

I object to this application.
I am a 67-year-old Australian citizen and I am appalled at the risk to our nation that this dreadful project would pose if it were to go ahead.
It is hard to choose the worst risk of this project, but the potential to destroy the Great Artesian Basin has to be very high on the list. This huge aquifer is the life-blood of rural Australia and as such, vital for our food supply. Threatening the water and food supply to a nation amounts to treason against that nation, and politicians who support this project should be held to account. The Pilliga sits on the most important recharge zone of the Great Artesian Basin. Drilling in this region poses an unacceptable risk of contaminating the Basin. As well, the amount of water proposed to be extracted by the project could cause the pressure in bores and springs to reduce to the point where they were no longer operative. The Murray-Darling river system is also at risk from pollution via creeks running into the Namoi River. 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 barium. In addition, there have been over 20 reported spills and leaks of toxic CSG water from storage ponds, pipes and well heads. Hundreds of thousands of tonnes of salt would be produced by the proposed project (up to 42,000 per year, which piled up would reach the height of a 20-storey building) for which Santos has no solution for disposal.
As an area of largely undisturbed bushland, the Pilliga contains cultural sites & songlines vital to the the traditional owners, the Gamilaraay people. The Pilliga is a nationally listed biodiversity hotspot and vital to the survival of threatened species such as 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 project would be a source of climate-changing greenhouse gases which Australia, as a signatory to the Paris Agreement, cannot afford to release.The major component of coal seam gas is methane, a greenhouse gas 72 times more powerful than C02. CSG fields contribute to climate change through the leakage of methane during the production, transport, processing and use of coal seam gas.
Other dangers of the project include threatening the viability of the Siding Springs Observatory through light and dust pollution, a massive increase in bushfire risk and documented adverse effects on human health. It should not proceed.

I am part of a community which is totally AGAINST coal seam gas exploration and mining. The scientific evidence has NOT been produced to assure us that these activities are NOT damaging or harmful to our country's natural resources. Recently I personslly changed energy providers so as not to support a company that engages in these activities. It is extraordinarily important that the people are listened to in their concerns. Rectifcation of damage or harm ( if possible) is leaving it TOO LATE. We Care. Please attend to these appeals.

To Whome it May Concern,
The following is a submission to your department in order to voice my strong opposition to the Narrabri Gas Project.
I would appreciated if the following points could be addressed to satisfy my concern regarding the Narrabri Gas Project:
1) Damage to Agriculture
Damage to the immediate surrounding agricultural industry is well documented, however down-stream impacts are less so.
Especially concerning is the discharge of desalinated yet still contaminated wastewater into the Bohena Creek, a tributary of the Namoi. According to the EIS and Department of Planning & Environment, millions of litres of water that has been removed from the coal seam and been processed through a Reverse Osmosis system, will be pumped directly into the creek. Whilst RO is an effective desalination process, it is not suitable to remove the various heavy metals and radioactive elements present in the coal seam water. Monitoring of water quality will be conducted "in house" and down stream, rather than at point of injection, and whilst it can measure water quality against its specifically set contamination levels, it can do nothing if they are exceeded.
At peak production the Project will produce 115t of contaminated salt that, according to the EIS, is to be disposed of in landfill sites locally. This is 40,000t of salt a year, and all with the potential to be flushed into the Namoi river system in the occasion of a significant flood event.
The presence of either pollutants or salt in the Namoi river, in the quantity that the Project has the potential to produce, will not only effect local irrigators, but all townships and landholders reliant on the Namoi for hundreds of kilometers downstream.

The potential risk posed to the Great Artesian Basin by the project is also well documented, however the extent of this risk is not so well known either. Similar experience in the Shale Oil fields of Wisconsin, USA, has seen pollutants from the extraction process, in particular Hydraulic Fracturing, report to wells and aquifers 100 miles away.
Whilst our GAB is uniquely different from anywhere else in the world, it is also an irreplaceable resource that will be directly and irreversibly impacted by this project.
"But Santos says it wont Frack?"
True, for what that is worth, however it will perforate the GAB and a number of sub-artesian aquifers over 850 times. With the possible introduction of sulphide reducing bacteria, these wells will inevitably leak and provide conduits for inter-aquifer contamination. Add to this the fact that previous CSG production in QLD has resulted in reduced bore pressure over large areas and the impacts of this industry are show-stopping even without fracking!

2) It is not Economically Required
"Australia has a Gas shortage, electricity prices are suffering and NSW needs energy security."
This is the line that we have been fed for the past 3 years and one that has provided the stepping stone of the CSG industry into our state. Recently, however, a number of articles have begun to circulate that in reality, the Gas crisis has been manufactured by three main issues:

- Increased reliance on inconsistent renewable energy (Solar and Wind) has led to an increased demand in quick response base load systems. As our traditional Coal Fired power plants can take hours to respond to fluctuations in energy demand and supply, they have been supplanted by far quicker gas turbine systems. Whilst fast at responding to supply fluctuations, they are typically more expensive per kWh, and result in a greater domestic demand for gas.
- The Gladstone Gas terminal was completed recently, exposing our domestic gas production to the international market. A win for domestic gas producers, but without government intervention, this means we now pay market parity. The QLD CSG fields were earmarked to supply a significant portion of the international gas contracts that the likes of AGL and Santos entered into pending the Gladstone terminals completion, however with poor well performance in most CSG fields, the shortfall has had to be met from our own domestic market. Thus somehow we still pay more for our own domestically produced gas than consumers in Japan.

https://www.michaelwest.com.au/gas-the-crisis-of-guile-and-greed/

- Finally, all our gas is currently produced by 7 companies. Better than one or two, but still a concern if they have all agreed to stymie production in the light of a global gas glut. That's right, the rest of the world is in a gas glut, but Australia, set to be the largest exporter of gas in the world, is apparently in a crisis and must develop its CSG reserves in order to stay afloat.

3) The Narrabri Gas Project will not Provide Energy Security to NSW
The fact that Santos has toted the NGP as having the potential to provide 50% of NSW's gas requirements is at best a useful comparison, at worst completely misleading. The NGP will be connected to the Gladstone Terminal by the proposed Western Slopes Pipeline, and the Australian Energy Security Taskforce of 2014 determined that no market intervention is necessary to ensure domestic security. This means that all gas produced by the NGP will be available to the International market, thus theoretically it will have no greater impact on domestic gas prices than a new gas plant in Siberia.

Your irresponsible push to put people and the environments future at risk is appalling. This state does not need more flawed energy proposals. Leave the pilliga the way it is above and below! We need more companies like yours to pursue more intelligent energy resource's like solar and wind and leave the earth as it is and not play ignorant to the potential negatives of what you are proposing.

I think that mining should not be allowed in the Pilliga. This area should remain mine free for us and future generations to enjoy. Not a short term mining venture that will leave later generations to try to clean up the pollution that will be left when the miners leave. This venture is short sighted and not good for the long term quality of the country.

In support of the Gamilaraay people and the people of Australia, I ask that Santos' proposed development of the Pilliga Forest not be approved. The desecration of Australia's natural environment is not okay! Once this environment is desecrated there is no recovery. Coal seam gas is not a sustainable form of energy production and poisons water, land, animals and human beings.
I ask that the sovereignty of the Gamilaraay people is given due recognition and respect so that the Pilliga Forest will stand for future generations and continue to provide habitat for the plants, animals and birds. The Pilliga Forest must remain as is for the tradition and culture of the Gamilaraay people to be sustained.

The Narrabri Gas Project is a step backwards in the progress of becoming an environmentally conservative race. The Pilliga is the largest intact woodland in eastern Australia. The area is also a vital recharge area for the Great Artesian Basin. The CSG will seriously threaten the livelihoods of local farmers and the environment. The risk of leaks could completely ruin this beautiful area for future generations. The project should be scrapped and the time, effort and money involved with The Narrabri Gas Project should be put towards renewable energy solutions that do not have such drastic negative effects on the environment.

I object to the pipeline, it should not be forced onto peoples properties. We live in a free country but this is not allowing us the choice as to what goes onto our land, we should be allowed to say no.

Having spent many years in the USA I have witnessed first hand the destruction of land and people perpetrated by the coal seam gas "industry".
Please do not follow in America's footsteps and allow these companies to continue to do the same to this beautiful land and it's beautiful people.
The coal seam gas "industry" has proven time and time again to be woefully inept in keeping it's promises regarding environmental protection and the rights of the people who live in and around their "fields".
Scientifically, economically and morally I believe there is absolutely no reason to allow this industry to continue.

Attn: Executive Director, Resource Assessments
Department of Planning and Environment
GPO Box 39
Sydney NSW 2001

This is a submission to the Narrabri Gas Project EIS.

I object to this project and believe it should be rejected.

This project, if approved, would:
1. Extract over 35 billion litres of salt laden groundwater, much of it in the first five years. This water will be treated and will generate almost 500,000 tonnes of salt waste, for which there is no safe disposal plan.
2. Clear close to 1,000 hectares of the Pilliga Forest, fragmenting the largest temperate woodland in New South Wales, home to unique wildlife.
3. Drill through a recharge aquifer of the Great Artesian Basin and draw water down from a water resource relied upon by rural communities across western NSW.
4. Lead to large deliberate and emissions of methane from venting and leakage, adding to climate change.

The project will also 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.

The project is not justified: SantosÂ' 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.

I urge the Government to reject this project and make the Great Artesian Basin recharge off-limits to gas mining.

Signed,
Sarah Dudin

I am completely opposed to Santos' Narrabri Gas Project in the Pilliga. This is an area of national significance for the environment, and the many threatened species residing there. Also there is overwhelming evidence in other countries that the process of fracking to extract coal seam gas is known to cause major damage to earth, rock structures, and water tables, which is not able to be rehabilitated. I say no to a future where trucks would have to bring water to towns because of irretrievable contamination from fracking. Please protect the environment, and livelihoods of local residents, and all future generations. No gasfields in the Pilliga!

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The final push for the Pilliga



Now is a critical moment in the campaign to protect the Pilliga forest. We need you to lodge a submission against Santos' Narrabri Gas Project to help end CSG in NSW once and for all.

Santos has filed its Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) with the NSW Government and we now have just 60 days to voice our opposition. This is the last remaining CSG proposal in NSW, and it's essential we make our powerful opposition clear.

The local community of the Pilliga has spearheaded the campaign against this project for years--now is the time for all Australians to stand with them in the final push for the Pilliga.

Anyone can make a submission and every submission will be counted. We have until 22 May to lodge as many submissions as possible.

How to write a submission
Lodge your objection to Santos' Narrabri Gas Project in the Pilliga.

Please note, this is not another petition. When you click the link below, you will go the NSW Government webpage and will be submitting a formal objection to the project. The government has established this process to hear from the public, so please use the opportunity!
Go to the Narrabri Gas Project page on the NSW Department of Planning website.
Choose `I object to it' in the dropdown menu and fill in your personal details.
Add your comment against the project. We have suggested some key points to be included in your submission below. Please consider using these points as a basis and expressing opposition in your own words--your own voice is more powerful.
Choose 'no' to Q4 regarding political donations, unless you or your associate has made political donations adding up to or exceeding $1,000 (in cash or in kind) in the past two years.
SHARE this video to multiply your impact!
Suggested points for your submission

1. The Narrabri Gas Project risks precious water sources, including the Great Artesian 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.
- See more at: https://www.wilderness.org.au/final-push-pilliga#sthash.pyo2cZ0M.dpuf

We have destroyed too much of our environment already. Please invest in solar and other renewable energy sources.

No to any development in the pilliga. This is a natural area that is enjoyed by all Australians. Protect the wildlife and vegetation for future generations