Narrabri Gas

I am making a submission to object to the Narrabri gas project based on 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.
I personally don't use gas heating or cooking in my home as I dislike the smell.

To whom it may concern (present and future),
I object to gas mining and extraction of CSG in The Pilliga area of NSW on several grounds and support farmers' rights to not be forced to permit access to CSG activities on their lands. The area is highly fertile agricultural land for present and future food production. The water aquifers are highly significant and necessary to support farming practices and can be damaged by aspects of CSG mining. I definately object to any Chemical fracking processes that can pollute the aquifers and sometimes surface waters. The area is also significant for biodiversity in forested areas as well. The CSG mining will contribute to global CO2 increases and climate instability which will cost a lot of financial capital to fix in the future. There are better and more sustainable options for energy security. Basically the world will be better if coal and gas use is slowed down and more alternate energy resources are increased,such as solar, wind , geothermal and hydro, along with battery storage on various levels is elevated. Australia should show more leadership in this regard wouldn't you agree? We can do better than being lead by the the likes of Santos and co. and we need to respect the land, the water and the environment locally and globally now and into the future. Thanks for listening

Please invest in renewable energy sources for Australia's future. All of our forests and wild places are too precious to exploit in this time of changing climate and mass extinction. Lead us to a cleaner future that we can be proud of, long term.

Dear Sir, I object to the Narrabri Gas Project for so many reasons.
As you well know methane levels increase around CSG wells, due to fracturing and disturbing a site that has been undisturbed for many thousands of years. If you don't understand the impact of methane as a potent greenhouse gas you should not be assessing this project.
To risk increasing methane levels in a forest is extremely risky due to increased bush-fire potential.
The koala population in the Pilliga is already in decline. The loss of habitat, loss of connectivity and the increased number of vehicles will decimate the remaining koalas.
You should not risk the underground water by drilling and disturbing the aquifers. This resource will be needed as the climate change makes farming even more difficult. You also risk contamination of the aquifers with toxins.
The CSG industry is a joke. How come we can put a man on the moon yet the CSG industry cannot build a pipeline that doesn't leak at most of the joints? No leakage is permitted in domestic gas fittings,why does the government not apply the same rules to the CSG industry? To the best of my knowledge,in Queensland,companies are only required to fix joins that leak at high rates,low level leaks are permitted.IT"S METHANE NO leaks should be allowed. I don't know what NSW permits.
Please understand, I will not support an industry that sells Australian gas to the Japanese for a lower price than it charges Australian buyers. Please remind them that the gas is a resource owned by Australians,we suffer and pay for the environmental problems they cause,we subsidize the infrastructure they use to abuse this resource. It is so obvious that the political powers are using this situation to fast-track more CSG projects,which will not be adequately assessed. And we will be left with a massive environmental cost.
I would like you to find out if Santos,and any other CSG companies involved with the Narrabri gas project are on the ATO site for not paying taxes in Australia.

Please reject this project for future generations.
regards , Kaye Monro

This needs to stop. Water is life!
We cannot risk poisoning that which keeps us alive.

I object to Narrabri Gas Project proposal by Santos for the following reasons;-

Social Justice
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Cultural, social and spiritual trauma will be increasingly experienced by the Gamilaraay people with destruction of their Country. This will add to the national disgrace of racism.

Species Diversity
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Species loss will occur inevitably with destruction of 1, 000 ha of Pilliga Forest temperate woodlands.

Water Resource Amenity
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Vast amounts of water will be diverted from the Great Artesian Basin, the resource relied upon by Western NSW rural communities.

Agricultural industries will be affected by the above,
inevitably effecting negative economic change in Narrabri.

Climate Change
----------------------
Deliberate and fugitive emissions of methane gas will will add to climate change..

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: 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 oppose any fracking in Australia. The American experience has demonstrated how dangerous and wasteful this industry has been. Done in secrecy and untold health problems have been the result.

I object to this proposal. On one of the driest continents on the planet, I believe our water resources deserve greater protection and management. This proposal does not guarantee that ground water will not become contaminated affecting the social and economic fabric of the immediate and down stream communities. No short term economic gain will outweigh long term environmental damage. As a society we should be looking towards a future where we are building the capacity and resilience of our natural resources. X

I object to the proposed coal seam gas extraction and all associated works.
I note that SANTOS is deliberately misleading the public, and the NSW government, by referring to coal seam gas as 'natural gas' . The term 'natural gas' or 'conventional gas' refers ONLY to gas produced by the petroleum oil industry. Coal seam gas is called 'unconventional' gas and to refer to it as 'natural' is dishonest and designed to confuse those who don't know the difference. It is a deliberate ploy to make csg sound harmless.
I have visited the QLD gas fields around Tara and Chinchilla and I have been appalled at the utter destruction of a once beautiful area. The industry endeavours to portray the process as creating only it's-bitsy little well-heads here and there, whereas the reality is very different, and disastrous to those forced to live there. The noise, the traffic, the endless infrastructure of pipes and pumping stations, the vents exhausting csg into the air, the smell of the gas which can be nauseating and can cause gagging and retching, the children with bleeding from the nose because their mucous membranes are affected by the pungent gas, the people in despair because they cannot sell their now worthless properties, and the loss of the dark sky at night which will adversely affect the Sidings Springs Observatory, all these factors make the whole project an obscene travesty of all that is decent.
We do not need coal seam gas. It is too destructive of the land and of the lives of the people forced to live in a gas field.
AT THE VERY LEAST SANTOS MUST BE FORCED TO BUY THE LANDHOLDERS OUT AT MARKET RATES. Tenants can pack up and leave but landholders cannot do that, their properties are unsaleable to anyone else, so SANTOS must be required to buy them out so they can go live their lives somewhere else. No amount of compensation can make up for people having to live in the hell that I have seen in Queensland.

I am most concerned to learn about the proposals and strongly urge you to teject the application. It is crucial that responsible authorities do not permit further fossil fuel exploitation as Paris Agreement is clear - as is the fifth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change - that 80% of known fossil fuels must stay in the ground. And renewable energy sources be developed and incentivised. We look to you to honour the undertakings following the blockade at Bentley.

I grew up in coal mining country, the Heath effects of the mines were evident in the everyday asthmatic condition of most children at my school. I didn't realise until I was older that this wasn't a common thing that all kids had.

The health effects of gas mining are insidious.

I am also concerned about the water taken from the Great Artesian basin . This is not a limitless supply. Why do companies get unfettered access to our water supply? Particularly in the dry back country of Australia.

We must preserve our country first and foremost. Our water supply is precious and can't withstand millions of litres pumped from it every year. The rivers are drying up, while water licences are issued freely.

Why are we choosing corporations short term profit over long term effects of our country?

Please, please stop the Narrabri Gas Project.

Totally object to any pollution to our water supplies, of any kind.

Having worked in the mining and resources industry for more than 12 years i understand the importance of the industry. Santos' proposed Narrabri Gas project going ahead will bring significant financial security to hundreds of locals working directly for the company or contractors along with the royalties the whole community will benefit from.

Santos' Narrabri Gas Project could supply NSW homes, small businesses, major industries and electricity generators with up to half the state's natural gas needs and bring substantial economic benefits to Narrabri and the region.

The project has proven that the operations can coexist with agriculture and the footprint is minimal ensuring the safest and one of the most heavily scrutinized and regulated practices are carried out ensuring sustainability.

Nsw needs more domestic gas and the community needs this industry and Narrabri needs Santos. We as local farmers local medical practitioners local miners local educators local families support the industry and are consciously aware of the proposed project and support the go ahead. It is a safe sustainable and imperative industry.

This area is significant for indigenous people. Their spiritual connection with the land should not be ignored. They are custodians of the land and look to ensure it is protected for generations to come. This development will destroy the habitats of significant, unique species of wildlife which deserve to be protected. You can't reverse the negative environmental effects on such a significant place.

I vote no against the further development of coal mines. Apply money to research towards renewable energy sources that are not detrimental to the environment. Eg tides, solar. We have one world, one earth, it respects us, let humans respect Mother Earth that nutures, cares and houses all her earthling children. She cannot speak so let us stand up for her silence. No more drilling.

Why do we still think its ok to mine in wilderness areas? This is the result of primitive thinking and uninspiring leadership - development of sustainable solar energy is still the answer Santos - invest in that and do something wonderful for the world!

I would like the federal and state governments to protect this area from CSG mining to protect the lands of the Indigenous peoples it passes through as they wish and prevent the desecration of the artesian basin which affects us all including the wildlife and farms along its route

I object, I believe it is disgusting and unnecessary

While plans of this nature are understandable, it is about time that we start to seriously consider the ecological impact of projects of this nature. Our water supply is already being depleted rapidly, and this just does not align to the long term goals of NSW & Australia