Narrabri Gas

I absolutely object to this proposal.

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 project should not go ahead. We need food production.So much prime food land has been swallowed up by industrialisation and housing already. The Piliga is precious and the resources- soil and water- are irreplaceable.

We should be moving straight to renewables and not wasting environment, aquifers capacity and continuing with fossil fuels in the face of climate change.

Given the already fragile state of our ecosystems and the continual changes in climate, it is so important that we protect our natural resources. These are the greatest asset to the country and the people who live on it. The Narrabri gas field risks destroying this precious resource: our water. It does not belong to anyone and it is fundamental to the health of the humans, animals and plants who live on this land. No one has the right to take this away. This is going to worsen the ecocide already occurring in our country and also is a continuation of genocide by removing the traditional custodians of the land away, ripping apart their culture, spirituality and people from eachother. And the effects of this Gas plant are not just limited to those who live in the area or are directly affected as it contributes to climate change by releasing greenhouse gasses and therefore puts lives all over the planet at risk. No one has the right to do this.

I have travelled through (and camped) in several sections of the Pillaga Forest that is under threat from environmental damage due to coal seam gas projects.

Coal seam gas projects have already created much damage to environments and any expansion in to the Pillaga Forest will threaten a unique ecosystem and a rare and precious region in Australia.

The Pillaga is a special place, we don't want to lose it and all the unique wildlife living within the forest.

Geoff Lockhart
Bomaderry, NSW

Please stop the santos gas lines. Enough is enough. Our earth is sacred and we are draining her of all her life force. We can't go on like this forever. There will soon be no more minerals left and then what??! We need to change our ways now. Invest in solar energy. We need to stop this corporate greed from being the end of everything hat is sacred and beautiful in this world.

Preservation of remaining bush lands is vital to sustaining ecosystems for the future. Especially one as large as the Pilaga. Given the history of impacst on local landholders, native flora and fauna, water supplies; plus failed royalty payments from existing projects and the increase in gas prices - this is not a proposal I support at all.

I object to proposal by Santos to drill for gas in the Pilliga.
There are no good reasons, and an abundance of bad reasons for proceeding with this project.
Firstly it has been clearly shown by now that there is absolutely no shortage of gas in Australia, so there is no justification for this.

The environmental and health damage caused by fracking has been amply documented. In this particular case there would be vast amounts of water drawn from the Great Artesian Basin, which is the only source of water for the rich agricultural land of the area. The greatest risk is to the contamination of this water supply, which, once it has occurred, can never be undone. The fracking process would raise huge deposits of toxic salt and other minerals, which could scarcely be prevented from contaminating the water streams that flow into the Basin.

Furthermore, the human cost of this project is immense. Local farmers, producing and exporting significant produce, are now no longer able to insure their properties because of the recognised risk of contamination of their water and indeed their food crops, with the result that they can no longer get support from the banks, and can also not sell their properties. With no legal recourse at all, they are simply being driven off the land that they have productively managed for generations. They cannot be disinherited like this, and the rest of us cannot be deprived of our essential food sources. Once this land is destroyed, it will be forever, while the gas will be expended within as short a time as the markets decide. Then we will be left with devastated land, and a loss of essential agriculture. It doesn't bear thinking about.

This is my first submission ever and I hope it will make a difference. The Narrabri Gas Project is wrong in so many ways that I have difficulty where to start. In the grander scheme of things we have the fact that if we want to keep to the Paris Agreement we need to stop starting new fossil fuel projects. We cannot take all fossil fuels out of the ground AND halt climate change.

One a smaller scale our own country will be hit with pollution, companies like Santos are not exactly known for their good behaviour and clean way of working. Next to direct and indirect pollution we have the direct destruction of habitat in an area that is important for so many iconic species some of them are threatened already and are so iconic I cannot fathom we put those at risk (Koala anyone?)

I could go on and on, but it comes down to one thing. It just isn't common sense! I object.

I would like to submit all the research and items proffered for your review by a great team of people who feel the way I do about this horror story! We cannot keep raping the land we hope to feed our body and soul and expect no repurcussions for this money grabbing view!
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.
Please be sensible about this and not be turned by financial propositions
Regards
Pat

Submission supporting my objection to Santos' Narrabri Gas Project in the Pilliga
1. Precious water sources are at risk from the Narrabri Gas Project
The proposed 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.( SoilFutures 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).

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. Interference with hundreds of cultural sites sacred to the Gamilaraay
There are as well as songlines and stories connecting the Gamilaraay to the forest and to the groundwater beneath. The proposed gas field project would be a desecration of these important sites - approval would betray the wishes of the Gamilaraay people.
3. The Narrabri Gas Project has a long history of spills and leaks of toxic CSG water
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. It is irresponsible to allow Santos to go ahead with this proposal given their track record.
4. Threatened wildlife are dependent on the Pilliga for survival
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. It is now realised that the principal threat to biodiversity in any region is the building of roads.

Judith Bourne
Yarralumla, ACT

- The risks outweigh the benefits
- The Great Artesian Basin and the Murray-Darling Basin will be affected. What is the cost in terms of ecosystem services to the Australian public if this project proceeds and causes irreversible damage to these aquifers.
- Gamilaraay people do not want their country sacrificed for a coal seam gas field. What kind of country are we? What do we value? Our Indigenous heritage or economic benefits for a large corporation?
- Santos does not have a safe operating history

This is a submission to the Narrabri Gas EIS

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

I am concerned about the any effects on our groundwater, from drawdown and contamination. Santos has admitted that the project will result in the the loss of water from the Great Artesian Basin (GAB) recharge aquifer. There has already been drawdown on GAB aquifers due to CSG projects in Queensland. The GAB is a major water resource for the communities of the northwest. Any risk is unacceptable and the Government should reject the project.

I am concerned about the handling and treatment of the produced water. There have been many spills already when just in the exploration phase. Imagine what could happen when there are 850 wells in production. I am also concerned about the release of some of the treated water into Bohena Creek. I am concerned about contamination and what this will do to the ecosystems of the creek. Any risk is unacceptable and the Government should reject the project.

I am concerned about the health effects that have been reported by families living near CSG developments - severe headaches, rashes, nosebleeds,respiratory illnesses. The Government needs to insist that a proper health impact assessment be undertaken.

I am concerned about the destruction of habitat in the Pilliga Forest, the largest of its kind in NSW. It is a refuge for the diverse wildlife that call it home and a threat like this, the destruction that building 850 wells within the Forest will bring, not to mention the accompanying infrastructure. This will be devastating to many species, especially the Pilliga Mouse, that is only found in the Pilliga. The Government needs to make a commitment to protecting our vulnerable native species and declare this Forest off limits to destructive industry.

I am concerned about the effect on our climate caused by the leaking of gas into the atmosphere. Gas is touted as a greener energy, which is totally incorrect. Recent studies show that Australia may be dramatically underestimating the fugitive methane emissions from gas mining. The Government needs to encourage continued investment and development of renewable energies which are sustainable long into our future.

I live with my family on the Liverpool Plains. We do not want to live in an industrialised gasfield and that is exactly what we are facing if the Narrabri Gas Project goes ahead. Santo has plans to expand across the north west of NSW and this is totally unacceptable to the communities that live and work in these areas. The surveys have been done over millions of hectares in the north west and 96% of people who live in these areas say NO to csg development.

As a landholder I am concerned about the reduction in land values that a project of this type brings. I am concerned about the inability to get bank loans, the inability to get insurance against any damage caused by the industry. But mostly I am concerned about what his type of industry means for our communities. Families livelihoods devastated, our natural resources destroyed, our health impacted and landscapes changed forever. This is the reality that we face and we, as a community do not and will not accept it.

Thank you.

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

This is a submission to the Narrabri Gas EIS.

I object to this project and believe it should be rejected.
Why object?
· It will extract over 35 billion litres of toxic groundwater and risk the Great Artesian Basin- one of the largest underground fresh-water aquifers in the world- a critical water source for inland
Australia.
· It will generate an average of 47 tonnes and a peak of 115 tonnes of salt each day. Santos has provided no information about its salt disposal plan.
· It will fragment over 66,000 hectares of the Pilliga forest, the largest remnant woodland in eastern Australia and home to threatened species like the Koala, Spotted-tailed Quoll, Black-striped Wallaby, Eastern Pygmy-possum and the Pilliga Mouse.
· It will add deliberate emissions and unmeasured and unknown quantities of fugitive emissions to climate change. Santos has provided no direct fugitive measurement plan. Emissions of even small amounts of unburned methane give natural gas a huge greenhouse gas footprint. In 2013, the IPCC stated that methane is more than 100-times more powerful for the first decade after
emission, 84-87-times over a 20-year period, and 34-36 times over 100 years. The shorter time periods are the most appropriate to use, given the urgency of slowing global warming over the coming 10 to 20 years. Natural gas and coal are both climate disasters, with coal worse for carbon dioxide emissions but natural gas far worse from the standpoint of methane.
· It will cause 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: Australia is soon to overtake Qatar as the world's largest LNG exporter. Santos' own export activities have caused domestic gas prices to rise and supply to become unpredictable, yet now Santos is using this as justification to develop dangerous CSG. Australian research has shown that renewable energy coupled with battery storage is more affordable than gas-fired generation. Australia does not need this gas.
· It will cause light pollution through that will ruin the dark night sky needed by the internationally renowned Siding Spring Observatory. Light pollution from an increase in coal extraction in the last 20 years has already reduced the darkness of our night sky. Traffic movements would greatly increase, thus increasing the amount of dust in the air and affecting clarity of observing. Flaring may be constant. This will be a minor problem at this stage but Santos' stockholder information indicates that once this project is established, gas fields will then be developed at Tooraweenah, and other nearby areas. This could cause the closure of SSO.
· Coal seam gas is harmful to health. Neither the NSW Government nor Santos have dealt with the serious health effects appearing in peer-reviewed research in the U.S.
· CSG extraction is spatially intensive. This intensifies air, light, sound, dust, water pollution. There will be increased fragmentation. From the map in the Executive Summary it is apparent that there are large areas where there are no existing roads. There will probably need to be double the length of roads to access undisturbed areas.

The Pilliga forest is home to 25 Nationally listed and 48 State listed threatened species. The sandstone under the Pilliga is a vital recharge area for the Great Artesian Basin which provides groundwater for the local community. Santos cannot guarantee that drilling 850 gas wells through the Artesian Basin will not damage it significantly or poison the water. This is not worth the risk. No one organization has the right to put this precious area which belongs to the whole community, at risk.

-- It will extract over 35 billion litres of toxic groundwater and risk the Great Artesian Basin- one of the largest underground fresh-water aquifers in the world- a critical water source for inland Australia.

-- It will generate an average of 47 tonnes and a peak of 115 tonnes of salt each day. Santos has provided no information about its salt disposal plan.

-- It will fragment over 66,000 hectares of the Pilliga forest, the largest remnant woodland in eastern Australia and home to threatened species like the Koala, Spotted-tailed Quoll, Black-striped Wallaby, Eastern Pygmy-possum and the Pilliga Mouse.

-- It will add deliberate emissions and unmeasured and unknown quantities of fugitive emissions to climate change. Santos has provided no direct fugitive measurement plan. Emissions of even small amounts of unburned methane give natural gas a huge greenhouse gas footprint. In 2013, the IPCC stated that methane is more than 100-times more powerful for the first decade after emission, 84-87-times over a 20-year period, and 34-36 times over 100 years. The shorter time periods are the most appropriate to use, given the urgency of slowing global warming over the coming 10 to 20 years. Natural gas and coal are both climate disasters, with coal worse for carbon dioxide emissions but natural gas far worse from the standpoint of methane.

-- It will cause 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: Australia is soon to overtake Qatar as the world's largest LNG exporter. Santos' own export activities have caused domestic gas prices to rise and supply to become unpredictable, yet now Santos is using this as justification to develop dangerous CSG. Australian research has shown that renewable energy coupled with battery storage is more affordable than gas-fired generation. Australia does not need this gas.

-- It will cause light pollution through that will ruin the dark night sky needed by the internationally renowned Siding Spring Observatory. Light pollution from an increase in coal extraction in the last 20 years has already reduced the darkness of our night sky. Traffic movements would greatly increase, thus increasing the amount of dust in the air and affecting clarity of observing. Flaring may be constant. This will be a minor problem at this stage but Santos' stockholder information indicates that once this project is established, gas fields will then be developed at Tooraweenah, and other nearby areas. This could cause the closure of SSO.

-- Coal seam gas is harmful to health. Neither the NSW Government nor Santos have dealt with the serious health effects appearing in peer-reviewed research in the U.S.

CSG extraction is spatially intensive. This intensifies air, light, sound, dust, water pollution. There will be increased fragmentation. From the map in the Executive Summary it is apparent that there are large areas where there are no existing roads. There will probably need to be double the length of roads to access undisturbed areas.

I am against CSG drilling in the Pilliga region

I oppose this Gas Project due to the non-need and the violation of healthy outcomes - I believe in renewable resource and the non-need of gas - LEAVE IT IN THE GROUND!!!!

I oppose the proposal to mine for Gas in the Pilliga. The great artesian basin would be put at serious risk. Santos has a bad track record for environmental safeguards and cannot be trusted. CSG gas mining has no place in NSW or Australia. Renewables such as wind or solar are the way to go

I strongly object to this project. I think it is enviromentally and socially damaging to our country.
The people of NSW need the water in that aquifer. We need our farmers.
The native peoples sacred land should be respected.
This gas isn't safe.
Please focus on renewable energies! It's time to stop pillaging our planet for what it contains.