Narrabri Gas

Please consider the environment as the first priority in the Australian people's' minds. We don't want multinationals making money from our beautiful country at our expense.

I am very much against mining in the Piliga.

It is difficult to understand why an advanced country like Australia still pursues fossil fuels such as coal seam gas when we have the technology for solar & wind power. The negative environmental & health impacts from extracting coal seam gas is many: increased greenhouse effect due to leakage of methane, increased risk of bushfires due to the methane which is catastrophic to local residents & wildlife, the release of volatile organic compounds (documented in people living near gasfields) causes eye, nose and airway irritation, headache, nausea, dizziness and loss of coordination, the thousands of tonnes of salt waste will contaminate the land & water, destruction of land & habitat for roads, wells & pipes threatens the beauty & biodiversity of our country. 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. There have been over 20 reported spills and leaks of toxic CSG water from storage ponds, pipes and well heads. I am not only opposed to the Narrabri Gas Project but all projects for extraction of fossil fuel. To continue to support myopic endeavours such as these is stealing from our future to make a shortcut today.
I understand fossil fuels were used by previous generations as this was the best they could do with available technology. Now we have the technology for low impact renewable energy and yet we still rely on fossil fuels & plan more projects to extract fossil fuel when current & previous projects have demonstrated detrimental impacts on the environment & human health.
Please, I want to be proud of this country for making progress, not a quick buck. I want my children & grandchildren to see the beautiful natural landscapes & wildlife of Australia, not a barren wasteland.

As a tax payer I oppose this

This proposal from Santos' should not be allowed to proceed as it will affect valuable national water resources, create unnecessary pollution,adversely affect a valuable area of vast natural diversity not to mention that at least 93% of people in the North West do not want these CSG wells, which includes the local traditional owners.
The majority of farmers are also opposed due to their concerns
about their ability to continue to farm.
There are far too many Australians who are adversely effected and only one multinational who stands to profit. We only have one Earth.

It's time to end the insanity of allowing big companies to chase profits around Australia regardless of how much damage they wreak on our environment.
The locals don't want this project; the farmers don't want it; the traditional custodians don't want it; perhaps most importantly the Great Artesian Basin simply must not be put at risk by it.
Apart from that, when you then consider the effect on climate change the lunacy of going ahead with this vandalism should be obvious to anybody.

We are sick of our country being decimated by slash and burn depriving us of our native species and natural beauty for the sake of mercenary boy's clubs.

Governments are in place to support those who voted them in and our taxes are meant to pay for all of those amenities that make us a happy, healthy country. Without us citizens the system does not work but without politicians it can. So don't risk the health and safety of our beautiful natural environment for a small few when it will not benefit the rest of the country.

It's time to move past fossil fuels. Stop thinking it's worth the risk - it's not - and there's enough technology in our progressing society to be strong without them. Please look to Europe and see how they've already made the smart shift to renewables. We don't need another disaster like in the Blue Mountains and the destruction of our ever important water tables and systems.

So, for the future, for those who want to see a happy healthy Australia, say no to this project.

To Whom It May Concern.

I have serious concerns regarding the proposed Narrabri Gas Project.

In my opinion, based on evidence from Australia and overseas, this project should not proceed.

The risks, in terms of negative effects on the environment and valuable agricultural lands, far outweigh the benefits.

Thank You

Brendan Gulson

At a time when we are seeking to innovate, why no earth would we risk the largest underground water source we have in our arid country.

Please STOP this nonsense of letting Santos drill in the Piliga.

I object to this proposal because of the large number of wells proposed and the proponent's poor record of safety in other work . This is precious land and a precious artesian basin which supplies water to enormous areas of our country, including the Pilliga itself and the Murray Darling basin. The propensity for bush fires from the mine's flares is also a worry, and the damage they would cause is incalculable. And once gone, the bush and the water would never return.

Unnecessary activity that pollutes the earth.

Allowing ANY type of unconventional gas exploration in any part of NSW is a simply idiotic idea.

The highly likely significant damage to the water table of the regional areas where any such mining may occur is likely to have flow on detrimental effects regarding the entire State.

Santos's plans for drilling need to be dismissed immediately due to the near certain damage it will do to the water table - the Great Artesian Basin.

Sincerely,

Tim Winton-Brown

Wilderness Society is providing comments.

Dear sir,
As a concerned resident of NSW I am fiercely opposed to the drilling for CSG in the Pilliga scrub. I have regularly visited this beautiful, wild area and object to the commodification of the bushland. It has more value to the people of NSW, and especially to the aboriginal population, as a conservation area than it will ever be to us, destroyed and polluted by drilling. NSW should be promoting investment in renewable energy as our fuel for the future. Allowing a multi national company to destroy a valuable and sacred area for short term profit, is a misrepresentation of the will of the people of NSW. Planning doesn't mean destruction - (or it shouldn't!). Knock them back!

I oppose the Narrabri gas project on the grounds that the East Pilliiga region is a nationally recognised habitat of significance for flora and fauna. The production of poisonous metals in the mining processes increases the opportunity of contamination to soil and water, and Santos have a history of contaminating aquifers with uranium. There is a 96% local community opposition to this project, including the indigenous peoples, and no wonder as it is a precious region that is worth preserving. There will be a huge excess of salt surplus from the mining, and Santos have not nominated where it will be dumped. Large amounts of methane will also be produced which are not only poisonous but highly flammable in a bushfire prone area. The only way to mitigate risk in a project undertaken by a profit driven private company in a precious area of national significance, is to prevent it from ever occurring, because once they have what they want, their focus will be on profit, not mitigating environmental impact.

The Pilliga is an environmentally sensitive area in which agriculture is also undertaken. It sit atop a major aquifer. CSG is a totally inappropriate industry in such an area. It is geologically unsafe, and a pollutant. The economic case is a weak one. Australia has little to gain and much to lose by allowing such a development.

The Government should listen to the reports of qualified people who understand that supporting this project will bring environmental and human suffering.

The Government has a duty to ensure there is a world to pass to the next generation. We don't want multinationals to run wild over our environment, and we stand by and allow them.

The damage caused by the Coal Seam Gas industry to the environment and it's inhabitants has been proven to be devastating. Why this continues to be allowed, by a government, whose role should be to protect the country and people it represents, is utterly baffling. Pull the wool out of your eyes and stop, please!!

As an Australian, I object to this proposal. The environmental risks outweigh the benefit of this proposed Pilliga CSG. Clearly the work already undertaken by Santos has not been to the standard or quality that the people of NSW and Australia require and hence the huge objection. The project should not be allowed to go ahead and instead the Government should be focussed on securing Australia's energy security through the better management of existing fossil fuel supplies and investment in renewable energy technologies.