Narrabri Gas

Dear Department:
My name is Stephen Kelemen and I submit the following for your review and assessment of the Development Plan and EIS for the Narrabri Gas Project (NGP).
Importance of gas in NSW.
* A reliable and affordable gas supply is critical to our way of life, as evidenced by the gas supply crisis we are now experiencing on the East Coast of Australia.
* In NSW more than 1 million homes, 33,000 businesses and the jobs of more than 300,000 workers rely on an affordable and secure supply of natural gas. NSW imports 95% of its gas supply from interstate, and this reliance on gas from other states has been the situation since gas was discovered in Australia. THE NGP provides the opportunity for NSW to increase its domiciled gas supply.
* Industry groups and the Federal Government have been calling for new gas projects to support jobs, manufacturing and large scale production - The Narrabri Gas Project can deliver just that.
* The NGP could supply up to 50% NSW gas demand and deliver significant benefits to the local community and the state, including up to $120 million for a regional Community Fund, and up to $1.2 billion in royalties for the State.
* The Project will also create up to 1300 jobs during construction and 200 ongoing positions.
* Natural gas has a vital role to play in delivering energy security, whilst having the additional benefit of being 50% cleaner than coal resulting in a significant reduction in carbon emissions.
* The development of new natural gas resources is crucial in increasing the gas supply to the East Coast and assisting Australia's move towards a clean energy future.
Narrabri is an ideal place for a gas project and Santos has the depth of experience to develop it.
* Santos is an Australian company with a 60 year history of operating safely and sustainably, as evidenced by its exploration and production activities onshore in the Cooper and Eromanga Basins in Qld and SA, and the Bowen and Surat Basins in Qld. In the Cooper / Eromanga area local beef stations have achieved and retain organic certification for their beef, which demonstrates the agricultural and the gas industry can mutually coexist.
* The majority of the project area is in a section of the Pilliga which, after a thorough ecological review has been set aside by the NSW Government for logging and extractive industries.
* The Project area does not include National Parks or Nature Reserves.
* The Project area does not contain strategic agriculture land as mapped by the NSW Government. Santos has stated it will only drill on private land with landholder agreement.
* Whilst Santos has stated it does not require the use of fracture stimulation (fraccing) to meet its delivery target projections for gas supply, it should be noted that fraccing has been undertaken successfully onshore Australia for more than half a century and the use of this production enhancement technique should not be dismissed in generating ongoing sustainable value from the project.
* There is quite a strong local base for the NGP, and there are many employment and social benefits which could accrue to the local Community.
The EIS has concluded the Narrabri Gas Project can be developed safely with minimal and manageable risk to the environment.
* The EIS is a very comprehensive document that includes extensive studies and modelling on the environment in the Project area, including studies on water, flora, fauna, soil, noise, air quality and cultural heritage.
* The Proponent has drawn upon more than 13,000 hours of on ground environmental surveys, carried out by environmental scientists who are experts in their fields, and the information in the EIS will be the basis to prepare detailed management and mitigation plans for the Project.
* The EIS demonstrates an environmentally sensitive plan which will allow the NGP to proceed delivering much needed natural gas for the NSW market safely.
* The EIS concluded:
o Water available to farmers and the community will be unaffected
o Drilling will be carried out safely using the NSW Well Integrity Code of Practice which has been reviewed by the NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer
o Significant impacts on threatened and endangered flora and fauna will be avoided
o Known Aboriginal cultural heritage sites will be protected
o The Project will coexist with current land uses including agriculture and forestry.
As such, I support the development of the NGP, providing it complies with the respective laws and planning and environmental regulations which apply within the State of NSW and Australia.

Yours sincerely,
Stephen Kelemen

Dear Department:
My name is Steve Tucker, and I submit the following for your review and assessment of the Development Plan and EIS for the Narrabri Gas Project (NGP).
Importance of gas in NSW.
* A reliable and affordable gas supply is critical to our way of life, as evidenced by the gas supply crisis we are now experiencing on the East Coast of Australia.
* In NSW more than 1 million homes 33,000 businesses and the jobs of more than 300,000 workers rely on an affordable and secure supply of natural gas. Yet NSW imports 95% of its gas supply from interstate.
* Industry groups and the Federal Government have been calling for new gas projects to support jobs, manufacturing and large scale production - The Narrabri Gas Project can deliver just that.
* The NGP could supply up to 50% NSW gas demand and deliver significant benefits to the local community and the state, including up to $120 million for a regional Community Fund, and up to $1.2 billion in royalties for the State.
* The Project will also create up to 1300 jobs during construction and 200 ongoing positions.
* Natural gas has a vital role to play in delivering energy security, whilst having the additional benefit of being 50% cleaner than coal resulting in a significant reduction in carbon emissions.
* The development of new natural gas resources is crucial in increasing the gas supply to the East Coast and assisting Australia's move towards a clean energy future.
Narrabri is an ideal place for a gas project and Santos has the depth of experience to develop it.
* Santos is an Australian company with a 60 year history of operating safely and sustainably, as evidenced by its exploration and production activities in the Cooper Basin, where local beef stations have achieved and retain organic certification for their beef, which demonstrates the agricultural and the gas industry can mutually coexist.
* The majority of the project area is in a section of the Pilliga which, after a thorough ecological review has been set aside by the NSW Government for logging and extractive industries.
* The Project area does not include National Parks or Nature Reserves.
* The Project area does not contain strategic agriculture land as mapped by the NSW Government. Santos has stated it will only drill on private land with landholder agreement.
* The local geology ensures that there is no requirement to use hydraulic fracturing technology (fracking) in the NGP, and Santos has stated it does not require the use of fracking to meet its delivery target projections for gas supply.
* There is quite a strong local base for the NGP, and there are many employment and social benefits which could accrue to the local Community.
The EIS has concluded the Narrabri Gas Project can be developed safely with minimal and manageable risk to the environment.
* The EIS is a very comprehensive document that includes extensive studies and modelling on the environment in the Project area, including studies on water, flora, fauna, soil, noise, air quality and cultural heritage.
* The Proponent has drawn upon more than 13,000 hours of on ground environmental surveys, carried out by environmental scientists who are experts in their fields, and the information in the EIS will be the basis to prepare detailed management and mitigation plans for the Project.
* The EIS demonstrates an environmentally sensitive plan which will allow the NGP to proceed delivering much needed natural gas for the NSW market safely.
* The EIS concluded:
o Water available to farmers and the community will be unaffected
o Drilling will be carried out safely using the NSW Well Integrity Code of Practice which has been reviewed by the NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer
o Significant impacts on threatened and endangered flora and fauna will be avoided
o Known Aboriginal cultural heritage sites will be protected
o The Project will coexist with current land uses including agriculture and forestry.
As such, I support the development of the NGP, providing it complies with the respective laws and planning and environmental regulations which apply within the State of NSW and Australia.
Yours sincerely


Steve Tucker

Dear Department:
My name is __Warwick Smyth___, and I submit the following for your review and assessment of the Development Plan and EIS for the Narrabri Gas Project (NGP).
Importance of gas in NSW.
* A reliable and affordable gas supply is critical to our way of life, as evidenced by the gas supply crisis we are now experiencing on the East Coast of Australia.
* In NSW more than 1 million homes 33,000 businesses and the jobs of more than 300,000 workers rely on an affordable and secure supply of natural gas. Yet NSW imports 95% of its gas supply from interstate.
* Industry groups and the Federal Government have been calling for new gas projects to support jobs, manufacturing and large scale production - The Narrabri Gas Project can deliver just that.
* The NGP could supply up to 50% NSW gas demand and deliver significant benefits to the local community and the state, including up to $120 million for a regional Community Fund, and up to $1.2 billion in royalties for the State.
* The Project will also create up to 1300 jobs during construction and 200 ongoing positions.
* Natural gas has a vital role to play in delivering energy security, whilst having the additional benefit of being 50% cleaner than coal resulting in a significant reduction in carbon emissions.
* The development of new natural gas resources is crucial in increasing the gas supply to the East Coast and assisting Australia's move towards a clean energy future.
Narrabri is an ideal place for a gas project and Santos has the depth of experience to develop it.
* Santos is an Australian company with a 60 year history of operating safely and sustainably, as evidenced by its exploration and production activities in the Cooper Basin, where local beef stations have achieved and retain organic certification for their beef, which demonstrates the agricultural and the gas industry can mutually coexist.
* The majority of the project area is in a section of the Pilliga which, after a thorough ecological review has been set aside by the NSW Government for logging and extractive industries.
* The Project area does not include National Parks or Nature Reserves.
* The Project area does not contain strategic agriculture land as mapped by the NSW Government. Santos has stated it will only drill on private land with landholder agreement.
* The local geology ensures that there is no requirement to use hydraulic fracturing technology (fracking) in the NGP, and Santos has stated it does not require the use of fracking to meet its delivery target projections for gas supply.
* There is quite a strong local base for the NGP, and there are many employment and social benefits which could accrue to the local Community.
The EIS has concluded the Narrabri Gas Project can be developed safely with minimal and manageable risk to the environment.
* The EIS is a very comprehensive document that includes extensive studies and modelling on the environment in the Project area, including studies on water, flora, fauna, soil, noise, air quality and cultural heritage.
* The Proponent has drawn upon more than 13,000 hours of on ground environmental surveys, carried out by environmental scientists who are experts in their fields, and the information in the EIS will be the basis to prepare detailed management and mitigation plans for the Project.
* The EIS demonstrates an environmentally sensitive plan which will allow the NGP to proceed delivering much needed natural gas for the NSW market safely.
* The EIS concluded:
o Water available to farmers and the community will be unaffected
o Drilling will be carried out safely using the NSW Well Integrity Code of Practice which has been reviewed by the NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer
o Significant impacts on threatened and endangered flora and fauna will be avoided
o Known Aboriginal cultural heritage sites will be protected
o The Project will coexist with current land uses including agriculture and forestry.
As such, I support the development of the NGP, providing it complies with the respective laws and planning and environmental regulations which apply within the State of NSW and Australia.
Yours sincerely





Best Regards

Warwick Smyth
Principal Consultant

Dear Department:
My name is Wayne Robins, and I submit the following for your review and assessment of the Development Plan and EIS for the Narrabri Gas Project (NGP).
Importance of gas in NSW.
* A reliable and affordable gas supply is critical to our way of life, as evidenced by the gas supply crisis we are now experiencing on the East Coast of Australia.
* In NSW more than 1 million homes 33,000 businesses and the jobs of more than 300,000 workers rely on an affordable and secure supply of natural gas. Yet NSW imports 95% of its gas supply from interstate.
* Industry groups and the Federal Government have been calling for new gas projects to support jobs, manufacturing and large scale production - The Narrabri Gas Project can deliver just that.
* The NGP could supply up to 50% NSW gas demand and deliver significant benefits to the local community and the state, including up to $120 million for a regional Community Fund, and up to $1.2 billion in royalties for the State.
* The Project will also create up to 1300 jobs during construction and 200 ongoing positions.
* Natural gas has a vital role to play in delivering energy security, whilst having the additional benefit of being 50% cleaner than coal resulting in a significant reduction in carbon emissions.
* The development of new natural gas resources is crucial in increasing the gas supply to the East Coast and assisting Australia's move towards a clean energy future.
Narrabri is an ideal place for a gas project and Santos has the depth of experience to develop it.
* Santos is an Australian company with a 60 year history of operating safely and sustainably, as evidenced by its exploration and production activities in the Cooper Basin, where local beef stations have achieved and retain organic certification for their beef, which demonstrates the agricultural and the gas industry can mutually coexist.
* The majority of the project area is in a section of the Pilliga which, after a thorough ecological review has been set aside by the NSW Government for logging and extractive industries.
* The Project area does not include National Parks or Nature Reserves.
* The Project area does not contain strategic agriculture land as mapped by the NSW Government. Santos has stated it will only drill on private land with landholder agreement.
* The local geology ensures that there is no requirement to use hydraulic fracturing technology (fracking) in the NGP, and Santos has stated it does not require the use of fracking to meet its delivery target projections for gas supply.
* There is quite a strong local base for the NGP, and there are many employment and social benefits which could accrue to the local Community.
* The geology of the project area is one of the best for CSG production in regard to affecting the GAB as the project area has ~ 600-700m of impermeable sediments between shallow GAB aquifers (~100-150mGL) and the producing coal seams at ~800-1000 mGL.
The EIS has concluded the Narrabri Gas Project can be developed safely with minimal and manageable risk to the environment.
* The EIS is a very comprehensive document that includes extensive studies and modelling on the environment in the Project area, including studies on water, flora, fauna, soil, noise, air quality and cultural heritage.
* The Proponent has drawn upon more than 13,000 hours of on ground environmental surveys, carried out by environmental scientists who are experts in their fields, and the information in the EIS will be the basis to prepare detailed management and mitigation plans for the Project.
* The EIS demonstrates an environmentally sensitive plan which will allow the NGP to proceed delivering much needed natural gas for the NSW market safely.
* The EIS concluded:
o Water available to farmers and the community will be unaffected
o Drilling will be carried out safely using the NSW Well Integrity Code of Practice which has been reviewed by the NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer
o Significant impacts on threatened and endangered flora and fauna will be avoided
o Known Aboriginal cultural heritage sites will be protected
o The Project will coexist with current land uses including agriculture and forestry.
As such, I support the development of the NGP, providing it complies with the respective laws and planning and environmental regulations which apply within the State of NSW and Australia.
Yours sincerely
Wayne Robins

I am an Aboriginal Elder from Walgett.

I don't like the Narrabri Gas Project because it will impact on the rivers, vegetation and animals such as Emus and Kangaroos.

I am an Aboriginal Elder from Walgett.

I am concerned about the future of my grandchildren from impacts from the project, such as climate change and impacts on water quality.

Re: Pending approval for SANTOS to mine for coal seam gas in the Pllllga Forest.


I wish to protest in the strongest terms to the proposed approval for SANTOS to mine for coal seam gas in the Pilliga Forest,the largest remaining inland temperate forest I n this driest continent, the excessive use of water required for tracking and resulting toxic contamination is inexcusible, and risk to the Great Artesian Basin totally
unacceptable. SANTOS has already displayed complete disregard for environmental damage with over 20 pollution
scares including ground water contamination,waste spills and continuing leaks from evaporation ponds.


In addition there is plentiful evidence from places like Tara and the Darling Downs in Queensland and West Virginia USA that coal seam gas tracking results in total destruction of previously productive farmlands, and increasing evidence of negative impact on health of both humans and animals in neighboring communities. The proposed mining by SANTOS in the Pilliga would destroy not only the forest. but also its unique related flora and fauna ecology. Close to 100% of nearby residents oppose it.


And all this to permit SANTOS to export the mined gas, with both gas and its profits to go to overseas owners and shareholders.


Overwhelming evtdence shows that this cannot be permitted.

SHAME

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.

I am utterly opposed to fracking where there is even the smallest risk of contaminating aquifers. And even where that is not the case I am opposed to CSG extraction on agricultural lands without the approval of local ownerS! Our agricultural land will yield benefits to the nation and even to the world for hundreds of years. Whereas CSG extraction benefits shareholders for a few decades at most. I am not convinced about the benefits of the Narrabri CSG project for the State, the Nation, employment and cheaper gas prices. We are in this pickle due to poor government policies and greed by the gas industry to export our natural resources overseas at the expense of local needs. Firstly what is needed is to:
1. Fix State and Federal policies - from now to the long term,
2. Put in the infrastructure for the needs of the nation,
3. The gas companies need to demonstrate their worthiness to earn a social license to operate on land that does not belong to them.

Please find attached document

This destruction of our environment must stop. We cannot afford to loose these valuable areas to corporate greed.

Submission provided as PDF document.

I strongly appose this project going ahead. When you look at the evidence from the Queensland gas fields regarding the poor water quality due to impact on our ground water and aquifers,( very important not only to irrigation farmers and livestock producers but also for the environment as a whole) the air quality for people living close to the main stations. Impacts on the animals and some endangered species living in the Pilliga forest.

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

Background

The project is the largest development ever proposed under the modern planning system, and four times the size of the only other two CSG projects assessed and approved in NSW.

Santos proposes up to 850 wells on 425 well pads over 95,000 hectares. This is more than four times the size of either of the previously approved CSG projects in NSW. The proposal includes a gas processing facility for compression dehydration and treatment of gas, a water management facility for storage and treatment of produced water and brine, possible additional power generation on site, continual flaring (burning off of gas) at two locations, an infrastructure corridor through the forest between Leewood and Bibblewindi, expansion of worker accommodation, discharge of waste water into Bohena Creek, irrigation with treated water and landfill burial of tens of thousands of tonnes of salt.

It's huge.

Santos says construction is expected to start in early 2018, with first gas scheduled for
2019/20, but also make clear it has not decided to go ahead with the project at all. If it goes ahead, it will continue for at least 20 years.
Salt
* 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. Peak salt production at Narrabri CSG will be 115 tonnes per day, or two and a half B-double truckloads per day. In the peak year, this would mean the creation of 41,900 tonnes of salt for disposal, which Santos says will take place in landfill.

Biodiversity
* The Pilliga is also the largest temperate woodland in New South Wales. Santos proposes clearing nearly 1,000ha of the Pilliga, including habitat for critically endangered Regent honeyeater and for koalas, which are already in decline in the Pilliga. Spread across the whole forest, this clearing will fragment much larger areas of habitat. The gasfield will clear breeding habitat for Pilliga Mouse, which lives nowhere else, and breeding habitat for other wildlife. It will fragment and degrade the forest. Without specific information about where the wells and lines will be located, a proper ecological impact assessment can't be completed. Regardless, the Pilliga is a cherished natural and cultural icon and must be protected from becoming an industrial gasfield.

Groundwater
* The project 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. Santos' project is expected to remove 37.5GL of groundwater over the life of the gasfield, mostly in the early years. The coal seam needs to be dewatered to release the gas, but this aquifer lies beneath the Pilliga Sandstone, part of the Great Artesian Basin recharge. Santos' EIS admits that the project will result in a loss of water from the GAB recharge aquifer over time. CSG in Queensland has drawn down GAB aquifers already. We can't afford to risk this crucial resource.

Fugitive emissions
* It will lead to large deliberate and fugitive emissions of methane, adding to climate change.

Cultural
* 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.

Justification
* 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.

Economics
* 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.
Social and health impacts:
Santos' social impact assessment is three years old and utterly inadequate. The compendium of health studies produced by the Concerned Health Professionals of New York shows mounting evidence for health damage by unconventional gas operations, including water contamination and respiratory illness. The Government must insist that Santos conduct a proper health impact assessment including modelling exposure pathways, reviewing literature and engagement with the Narrabri community. In Narrabri, this project will have negative impacts on cost-of-living, the labour and housing markets. The latter is cited in as a benefit of the project but it will not benefit low-income renters. The effect of the project on cost-of-living in the Shire needs to be modelled, assessed and considered, as do the labour dynamics of the project.

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

File uploaded

There is overwhelming evidence that this type of technology, which is motivated by greed, produces long-term harm to people's health, ground water, farm land, and our environmental. GCG is not sustainable. It is supported by a short-term gain/greed and long-term loss mentality; not good governance. In addition to permanently harming people's health, our ground water, and our environment, GCG sites cause earthquakes! How stupid can anyone be? Think about future generations. There are better and safer types of energy to pursue, which are sustainable.

My submission has been uploaded.

Please see attached

Submission is attached as a PDF

1. The Narrabri Gas Project risks precious water sources, including the Great Australian Basin--Australia's largest groundwater aquifer

Technology is still not precise enough to enable mining companies, geologists, and hydrologists to have greater than one standard deviation confidence (66%) in their assertions that this project will entail 'no environmental damage'.

Current technology can not identify or resolve the fine grained geological features, both naturally occurring and induced by 'fracture' explosions, that enable trapped gas and harmful drilling substances to leach into precious water sources better suited to farming and advanced horticulture uses.

Although underground sensing, modelling, and 3d visualization technologies have improved the understanding of mining companies, geologists, and hydrologists about under ground, macro and medium scale features, those technologies lack the resolution necessary to accurately predict e.g. 2sigma, the percolation of gas and drilling fluids with sufficient precision for companies or politicians to assert that there is no risk to the future well being of the ground water, and thus today, foreclose water use scenarios currently available to us, our kids, and future generations.

See last paragraphs pg6, pg8 of attachment..

2. Thousands of tonnes of salt waste will result from the project

Hydraulic fracturing requires vast quantities of water.

Users of water must pay for: the right to access that water; its first use; the cleaning of that water; the right to hold water in storage ponds (due to possible contaminated spillages), and; the right to return used water to ground e.g. when hydraulically fracking.

Such is the cost of doing business when that business runs calculable risks of foreclosing future economic and social opportunities.