Narrabri Gas

I support the Narrabri Gas Project for the following reasons,
1. The project will and already has boosted the Narrabri areas economy. I have already witnessed this first hand in my dealings with many local businesses over the last several years.
2. The project will also create new career paths in our area. It will give locals a chance to be trained in specific roles and remain in the area with a brighter future in regards to full time employment and a decent wage.
3. Due to the declining rates of employment within the Agriculture sector in our area, the project will also give our local kids and future generations the opportunity to remain in town with their families and have employment. All businesses within our shire will have the option to expand their businesses to keep up with demand and employ more local people. Local businesses are very excited about the money generated within our shire and potential new businesses that will be associated with the project.
4. With the project being under so much scrutiny about groundwater movements i believe that the entire issue of water use within our region will be closely monitored. This will hopefully lead to irrigators being held accountable for the massive amounts of water that they extract from irrigation bores and water being pumped from the river. The true drawdown figures will come to light. I know of many farmers whose stock and domestic bores are sucked dry during the irrigation season leaving them to cart water every day and nobody is held accountable. I believe the scrutiny surrounding water use will also create some accountability for all industries. This is positive.
5. The Narrabri Gas Project, being a State significant project will also help put our Town on the map. This will in turn give our State and Federal members a greater voice when fighting for funding for our areas. It will also give confidence to local businesses to invest in capital decisions regarding the proposed inland rail and the importance of Narrabri becoming a regional transport hub.
6. I have also had the opportunity to own my own business through the Narrabri Gas Project. Without the project i would not have had the confidence to go into business for myself in Narrabri. I am 44 years old with a wife and 4 children. My family were farmers in this area for well over 100 years. We lost the family farm about 15 years ago which in turn changed my future. The Narrabri Gas Project has given my family a future in Narrabri. It has given many local kids a potential future in Narrabri with a brighter outlook for different industries and employment as a flow on effect from the Gas Project.
7. Local support for the project. Being involved with the community group 'yes2gas' i have experienced the growing local support over the last 3 years. Many people were at first a bit skeptical about the project due to the scaremongering social media campaign run by green groups. Over time people became more educated on the facts form Government Departments and the science provided. Yes2Gas is now completely overwhelmed by the support from locals who are now willing to stand up and be counted. The anti gas people want everyone to believe that the gas proposal is dividing our community. It has in fact brought our community closer, fighting for a chance to give our children a future in Narrabri. Narrabri wants this project to go ahead..

I am opposed to the Narrabri Gas Project on the following grounds:
1. It will increase the CO2 emissions when we know we cannot open any more fossil fuel projects if we wish to keep global warming below 1.5C - a target the Federal Government has signed up to.
2. It will fragment the Pilliga Forest, a most significant ecosystem, which will lead to species decline and/or loss.
3. The project will extract and later discharge millions of litres of saline water with no process to handle the waste.
4. The project will have an adverse impact on the recharge acquifers for the Great Artesian Basin and in this, the driest inhabited continent, any impact on water resources should be ruled out.

The Pilliga Forest is a remnant area of temperate woodland. As such it must be managed to sustain its ecological integrity.

Best practice management and the precautionary principle demand that the area should not be targeted for coal seam gas (CSG) development.

Santos proposals will place the ecological integrity of the Pilliga woodland ecosystems under threat. This includes the Great Artesian Basin (GAB) aquifers which have intake areas in the Pilliga forest. Recharge of the Pilliga aquifer will become impossible due to the proposed quantities of water extraction required for coal seam gas (CSG) development. Fracking of the coal seam will compromise the GAB strata and must be rejected.

I request that the NSW Department of Planning and Environment recommends refusal of development consent of this Santos proposal in the Pilliga.

Further, there must be no CSG infrastructure in the Willala Wilderness Area; areas of old growth woodland must be protected, as well as all endangered ecological communities, and threatened plant and animal species habitats.

Santos must be refused development consent.

Please give my representations serious consideration and keep me updated.

Yours sincerely,

Fiona McCrossin

Name: Ellen Mahne

Address: 30 North Street Coonabarabran NSW 2357

Date: 22/05/2017


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.
* It will extract over 35 billion litres of 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 that needs to be disposed of.
* It will clear close to 1,000 hectares of the Pilliga, the largest temperate woodland in New South Wales, home to unique wildlife and crucially important to the spiritual, cultural and social life of Gamilaraay people.
* It will cause draw down of a recharge aquifer of the Great Artesian Basin, a water resource relied upon by rural communities across western NSW.
* It is not justified: Santos' own CSG 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 increasing light pollution that will further damage the dark night needed by the internationally renowned Siding Spring Observatory.
* CSG 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.

* Because I care for the future of our children
..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
I urge the Government to reject this project and make the Great Artesian Basin recharge off-limits to gas mining.
Signed,
Ellen

I have a strong objection to this project proceeding. I would anticipate that once 850 wells are drilled, Santos will submit another EIS to expand the production and add many more wells to the programme. The Pillaga will be a very high cost source of gas at circa $9/BTU as I understand it. This will make it uneconomic in the longer term and likely to be one of the first fields to be shut down in the supply glut which is emerging worldwide.
The risk to the groundwater is also a major concern being a refresh zone for the Great Artesian Basin.It is hard to believe the company when it claims that fracking will not be used. Well stimulation will almost certainly be required periodicly to boost production from the CSG wells.
I would anticipate that gas from this source wouldl firstly be used to feed Santos' LNG plant in Gladstone, certainly not provide any relief to Australian consumers and industry regarding gas prices. Santos should shut down at least one of its two LNG trains in Queensland rather than continuing to absorb gas from east coast sources and hence exacerbate price and supply issues.

. 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.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.

KEEP THE PIILLIGA GAS FREE!!! STOP DESTROYING OUR LAND, OUR WATER AND CONTRIBUTING TO THE DEMISE OF OUR PLANET AND ENVIRONMENT WITH THIS DIRTY AND DESTRUCTIVE INDUSTRY.

I started learning about invasive gas in 2012 when Arrow Energy attempted to establish a gasfield near my home in the Channon. Since then I have been all over the country filming people who have been affected by this industry, including multiple trips to Northwest NSW.

To sum up years of learning about this stuff, there is a growing body of evidence from overseas and Australia that unconventional gas mining is a threat to water, human health, environmental integrity, a safe climate (particularly via fugitive emissions) and democracy itself.

Santos have given no assurances that this gas will be used in Australia, and the fact that the Moomba pipeline is now heading north to Gladstone gives the lie to the idea that this gas will be used to aid industry in Sydney.

The Pilliga is a precious place with values far beyond being a temporary gasfield. The farmers nearby are threatened by this proposal, as is the food they produce. Santos is a company on the financial ropes. The fact that this economically dodgy, destructive project has been declared of State Significance is outrageous.

It would take at least 7,000 pages to explain everything that is wrong with this project, but no one would read that, so I suggest you watch four short films we have made recently about the Santos Narrabri gas project, which are in a playlist here, and feature a variety of experts from different fields outlining their concerns: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhRBTi8J4AJdm1MdNlqYseLXoPZ00wQvd

More useful information can be found in the film 'Fractured Country', which I worked on (search YouTube) and in further films which we will be bringing out over subsequent months.

Please consider the future and our Great Artesian Basin and reject this unscientific EIS.

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

Dear Sir/Madam,

KPA Objects to the Narrabri Coal Seam Gas Project (SSD 6456)

We have lost so much of our native vegetation due to land clearing and Forestry logging, we cannot afford financially or environmentally to loose any more especially in the Pilliga Forest.
This is the home of our icon, Koalas who are already in dramatic decline.
The Pilliga Forest is the largest temperate woodland remaining in Australia with Pilliga Box and Bimble Box,Narrow-leaf Ironbark, Broad-leaf Ironbark, , Brigalow, Green Mallee and Broombush scrublands
It is home for 12 rare and threatened plants, 22 threatened animal species (Glossy Black Cockatoo, Regent Honeyeater, Gilbert's Whistler, Painted Honeyeater, Turquoise Parrot, Barking Owl, Masked Owl, Malleefowl, Square-tailed Kite, Black-breasted Buzzard, Bush Stone Curlew, Eastern Pygmy-possum, Squirrel Glider, Koala, Black-striped Wallaby, Rufous Bettong, Pilliga Mouse, Greater Long-eared Bat, Yellow-bellied Sheathtail Bat, Little Pied Bat, Large-eared Pied Bat, Eastern Cave Bat).
We must protect this area from Santos and the huge infrastructure that will that will jeopardize this thriving living 'zoo' Covering the area with a myriad of pipelines that could leak, toxic wells, and toxic chemicals.

It will suck tons of water from our precious Great Artesian Basin having diabolical consequence effecting water above and below such as loss hydrostatic pressure in the artesian wellheads of the GAB. This is farm land and clean reliable water is essential for food production. The chemicals and toxins given off by flaring is a health hazard to plants waterways humans and animals.

, I request that the NSW Department of Planning and Environment recommends refusal of development consent of this Santos proposal in the Pilliga.
.This proposal is thought with danger and I urge you not to give it permission to go ahead.
It is 2017 this is so wrong -We have so much untapped sunlight to make energy out of, and money would be better spent in solar projects
Yours in good faith
Catherine Jones
KPA President

see wilderness society submission, please.

Many communities have protested against CSG because there is no appropriate way of dealing with extracted water, it diverts recharge water from aquifers, it sterilises farmland and fragments native forest. The CSG industry seems to be dirty and harmful. Our communities want renewable energy investment, working farms, clean water and healthy habitats. Do not approve this project.

1 I own and operate a farm immediately to the east of the proposed PEL. 2km east.
2 Santos have indicated a desire to use our property for monitoring purposes. informal advice due to drainage pattern.
3 I am a civil engineer by training. full time farmer and grazier.
4 Our property is just 6km north of the Turrawan underground coal mine.
The above represents the proximity to and the reasons for our concerns.

My objections.
Broadly an abuse of the engineering and scientific professions.
The bennifits are typically overstated and the costs difficulty problems understated.
I recall that The chief Scientists commented that:, farmers in my position near the project get none of the bennifits However the extra costs of services from the local community are expected to cost more. An example our council rates have multiplied by three (X3).

We are given a general view of the process of gas extraction. this can be misleading as the shallowest coal seams are in the Turrawan area and are much shallower than indicated in the EIS. Evidence from water supply Bores strike coal on a regular basis there is a map of bores in section 11 . Section 1.1.1 suggests much deeper depths- this is inaccurate however there is a dip to the west. ie the coal seam is not horizontal. the significance is that there is relative little depth between the Great Artesian Basin Recharge layers and the coal seam. the Depressurising process means water will flow between the layers from higher pressure to lower pressure 11.4.5. The Gas will be more able to rise in the lower pressure environment. In Section 11.45 there are references to the time of response to depressurising. The Notion of an increase in the rate of recharge will be limited by the rate of movement of water through the strata and be less than the rate of extraction.

Section 7.4.1 The amount of extraction of water raises questions. produced volumes are "10-14 megalitres per day. How is this compatibile with "1.5 Gigalitres per Year" ?? I assume production does not take holidays of six months!
Section 11.2.3 Why is the increase in diversion required for this project so large. Current MDBA is 114.5GigaL the increase to 146.6 Gigalitres. An increase of 28% is is not the modest increase of 1.5% reported in the same section.

Salt management.
section 7.81 production of 117tonnes per day. or 145 tonnes per day capacity " , 2.5 B doubles per day . Where is the salt to be disposed of? There is no actual site nominated. there are no local landfill sites approved to accept this volume.


I have been abused by one of the individual who is a Yes 2 gas member .
It is clear that I am not being treated fairly in relation to Land access agreements with Whitehaven Coal and Narrabri Shire Council.
I can expect further Bullying tatics.

The bennifits to the local community are seriously oerstated specifically following the recent mining boom . there are six (6) empty shops on the main street, the population has failed to grow. The expectations have not been met for coal mining.. Most of the work force can be accomodated at the camp on SANTOS owned sites. the actual level of Santos employment seems to have been reduced in the last year. this is consistent with a company about to sell the operation.

Dear Sir/Madam,
Objection to the Narrabri Coal Seam Gas Project (SSD 6456)

In this submission I would like to object to the Santos proposal in the Pilliga.
and ask that the NSW Department of Planning and Environment recommends refusal of development consent.

It's inappropriate to fragment and degrade the Pilliga's woodlands with CSG infrastructure and roads as proposed by Santos. A network of intersecting roads and pipelines, water extraction, lines of wells, chemical intrusions, structures, work sites of the proposed gas field will bring ruin the Pilliga woodland ecosystems.
The Great Artesian Basin (GAB) aquifers have intake areas in the Pilliga forest that must be protected.

It's not a suitable place for coal seam gas (CSG) field development.


The Pilliga Forest is the largest temperate woodland remaining in Australia. It comprises woodlands of Narrow-leaf Ironbark, Broad-leaf Ironbark, Pilliga Box and Bimble Box, as well as many other plant communities including Brigalow, Green Mallee and Broombush scrublands that have been cleared from other parts of the Central West of NSW.

The Pilliga woodlands are home to more than 900 plant species, including at least 12 rare and threatened plants. There are 14 frog species, 32 mammals (including 12 bats) about 50 reptiles and over 200 bird species. Pilliga woodlands support 22 threatened animal species (Glossy Black Cockatoo, Regent Honeyeater, Gilbert's Whistler, Painted Honeyeater, Turquoise Parrot, Barking Owl, Masked Owl, Malleefowl, Square-tailed Kite, Black-breasted Buzzard, Bush Stone Curlew, Eastern Pygmy-possum, Squirrel Glider, Koala, Black-striped Wallaby, Rufous Bettong, Pilliga Mouse, Greater Long-eared Bat, Yellow-bellied Sheathtail Bat, Little Pied Bat, Large-eared Pied Bat, Eastern Cave Bat).

Recharge of the Pilliga aquifer will become impossible due to the proposed quantities of water extraction required for coal seam gas (CSG) development. The GAB and the integrity of the intake bed strata must take priority over CSG production in the Pilliga. Fracking of the coal seam will compromise the GAB strata. It fracking is a contingent part of the proposed project, and Santos must be refused consent.

Damage to the GAB will have dire consequences, such as loss hydrostatic pressure in the artesian wellheads of the GAB. Water is gold for the agriculture and grazing Central West NSW and region is heavily dependent upon access to the GAB. The GAB is also essential to the survival of unique mound spring ecosystems located further west. Any disruption to the fine balance of groundwater and its replenishment has ripple effects well beyond calculation or modelling by Santos. The regional economy and ecology are dependent on the GAB and the GAB must not be jeopardised.

After considering the environmental constraints of the Pilliga forest and hazards related to CSG production and the GAB, I request that the There should be No CSG infrastructure in the Willala Wilderness Area; areas of old growth woodland must be protected, as well as all endangered ecological communities, and threatened plant and animal species habitats. Adequate protection of these and other heritage values of the Pilliga woodlands will be impossible if this CSG proposal is approved.

I also believe that the natural dark night sky will be compromised by light pollution from gas flares and CSG lighting infrastructure. Dark night skies are essential for the effective operation of the internationally renowned Siding Springs Observatory located nearby.

The CSG industry has proven itself unable to effectively rehabilitate the very extensive areas it has mined, leaving many clearings and infrastructure in forests and farmlands across NSW and Queensland. The industry has shown itself to be incapable of removing its fence lines, tanks, dams, quarries, access roads, accommodation and clearings should also be removed from the mined out areas. Santos must be refused development consent.

I hope you will give my representations serious consideration and I thank you for the opportunity to comment.

Yours sincerely,

Boaz Magal
2B Brown Street
Bronte NSW 2024

I am against this proposal for gas mining...as the effects to the environment is too great

Protect our countries natural resources and the health of our plant. Put people before profits.

As an Australian tax payer and a parent of children this proposal raisea great concern!

Santos are not a company with a great environmental track record, emerging research is demonstrating we need to know far more about the release of gases from these sites, as they are producing high levels of natural waste gas affecting water tables and climate targets, let alone the fact its being wasted.

The Piligia is home to many endangered species and many iconic ones including significant populations of koalas. It is also of great cultural value with a number of sacred Aboriginal sites and possibly.more that have not been documented.

Additionally, its an insult to make out CSG benefits tax payers because we all know Santos have been beligerent with government about the percentage of gas they keep for our local market. Its sent offshore and we buy it at the world price.

This is an insult to consider such a mine with the current scientific knowledge we have, and the additonal research we require to understand the true impacts of CSG.

Please do not destroy such an important environment for such a pitiful return to the tax payer.

You can not drink gas.

Not worth the risk to our most precious resource. Groundwater. Also fire risks from constantly burning well vent pipes, habitat destruction, toxic chemical disposal (including hydrocarbons), large amounts of saline water, the list goes on.

I strongly object to the development of 850 csg wells in the piliga.

Ben Harris

I object to this project ( SANTOS NARRABRI GAS EIS ) and recommend that it be rejected.
In fact I vehemently object to this project.
We live on the driest continent on earth and our entire existence depends healthy untainted water.
Our underground ancient pristine waters SHOULD NOT be abused or compromised in any way.
The likely impact of water being affected will be felt for many generations to come. The slow occurrence of this impact , from CSG , will not rear it's ugly head for many , many years and will savage the generations of the future.
WATER IMPACT CANNOT BE MITIGATED.
THESE INDUSTRIES CANNOT GUARANTEE THAT OUR PRECIOUS GROUNDWATERS WILL NOT BE IMPACTED.
CSG will destroy the viability of this land permanently.

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. Objection to the Narrabri Coal Seam Gas Project (SSD 6456)

The Pilliga Forest is the largest temperate woodland remaining in Australia. It comprises woodlands of Narrow-leaf Ironbark, Broad-leaf Ironbark, Pilliga Box and Bimble Box, as well as many other plant communities including Brigalow, Green Mallee and Broombush scrublands that have been cleared from other parts of the Central West of NSW.

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. The Great Artesian Basin (GAB) aquifers have intake areas in the Pilliga forest that must be protected.

Recharge of the Pilliga aquifer will become impossible due to the proposed quantities of water extraction required for coal seam gas (CSG) development. The GAB and the integrity of the intake bed strata must take priority over CSG production in the Pilliga.

Damage to the GAB will have dire consequences, such as loss hydrostatic pressure in the artesian wellheads of the GAB. Water is gold for the agriculture and grazing Central West NSW and region is heavily dependent upon access to the GAB. The GAB is also essential to the survival of unique mound spring ecosystems located further west. Any disruption to the fine balance of groundwater and its replenishment has ripple effects well beyond calculation or modelling by Santos. The regional economy and ecology are dependent on the GAB and the GAB must not be jeopardised.

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

Yours sincerely
Judy Kowalski