Narrabri Gas

No more Fraking.

I oppose the gas project. Protecting our forests and our beautiful land should be one of our government's top priorities, yet instead they propose to destroy it.

I object to Santos being given the right to endanger the Great Artesian Basin.
This plan by Santos cannot be allowed to go ahead.
The danger to the Artesian Basin water is too great.
The Artesian Basin water once poisoned by Santos will be destroyed forever. The risk of destruction of precious water supply is too great to allow the mining of coal seam gas to go ahead.
Besides this danger, coal seam gas extraction is outdated, last century technology. Investment in renewable energy is the way for today and the future.
It seems that big business thinks they are in 'The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Universe'. Do you really believe we have another planet to send the wealthy and powerful to whilst all remaining earhly beings are left on the dying Earth to expire?
Stop Santos now before more damage is done.

I object to the Narrabri Gas Project.

As a citizen of Australia and Planet earth I am 100% dead against the Narrabri Gas Project.

The damaging effects of gas wells on the surrounding environment are well known and documented. Poisoning the groundwater in the great artesian basin is a crime against nature and against the people of this country.

This cannot be allowed to happen.

CSG is damaging for the environment and there are much better options for providing energy that are sustainable.

This is shocking escalation of desecration of our National Estate. Even one such gas drill would have been prohibited under earlier governments legislation.

Santos has a shocking track record of ignoring environmental protections and committing and covering up environmental breaches.

It is clear the government is under pressure from its donors to promote fossil fuel exploitation over the wishes and best interests of the wider public and this should be stopped now! Corporates such as Santos are not good ciizens and only export our resources and their profits.

This cannot go ahead. This is pure idiocy and will negatively impact our country forever.

please halt this project. We need to be investigating renewable energy rather than further destroying our precious habitats.

1. The Narrabri Gas Project risks precious water sources, including the Great Australian BasinÃ,Â--AustraliaÃ,Â'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 areasÃ,Â--potentially stopping the free flow of waters to the surface at springs and bores across the whole Great Artesian Basin.Ã,¹

Creeks in the Pilliga run into the Namoi RiverÃ,Â--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 waterÃ,Â--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 bariumÃ,². 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 Ã,Â`biodiversity hotspotsÃ,Â' 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 AreaÃ,². The Santos gasfield would fragment 95,000 hectares of the Pilliga with well pads, roads, and water and gas pipelinesÃ,Â--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 COÃ,². 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 nationÃ,Â'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 Ã,Â`dark sky parkÃ,Â'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 PilligaÃ,Â'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.

To whom it may concern,
As a seventh generation Australian I object to anyone drilling for anything near the Great Artesian Basin. Most of all I object to anyone mining coal for the purpose of burning it. This is because when coal is burnt it releases greenhouse gas which causes global warming and global warming increases the water temperature of the oceans. It also increases melting at the polar caps which raises the ocean levels causing islands like Kiribus to sink below the waves. Worst of all the increased water temperature is killing our Great Barrier Reef.

I don't agree with the proposal!

I am outraged at the proposed expansion of the Pilliga coal seam gas project. This should not be approved due to environmental reasons.

I am totally against any CSG mining anywhere in the world. I oppose the use of fossil fuels and other non renewable sources of energy, as they are destructive, shortsighted and generationally inequitable. Please stop this proposed mining and look towards renewable sources of energy provision instead.

I believe this project sets a dangerous precedent for the future of clean energy in Australia, especially in the wake of recent CSG studies.

One particular warning sign is the lack of transparency, or perhaps information, provided on fugitive emissions. According to Dr. Peter Rayner in "Modelling the Airborne Dispersion of Pollutants from Coal Seam Gas Extraction" (http://research.ccsg.uq.edu.au/.../modelling-airborne...) there is a notable knowledge gap in practice for these emissions, while the EIS ('the report') merely states a 'leak detection and repair program' will be implemented and provides no confidence that fugitive emissions will be appropriately weighted in such a program.

The report references recent successes in emissions reduction as a result of switching to natural gas, yet methane leakage is likely to at least somewhat eliminate the benefits due to inefficiencies in current production and transportation methods (see http://www.pnas.org/content/109/17/6435).

Another concern is the report's almost total discounting of the global cumulative impacts of greenhouse emissions. The report mentions switching to natural gas 'can' reduce emissions, but fails to account for the reality that there can be periods of leakage in which emissions are actually higher than equivalent coal production (see supporting information for the PNAS article). The total cumulative impact of many such new constructions would magnify this effect. Without a gold-standard, industry leading 'leak detection and repair' program, all potential climate benefits of this project will be negated.

Im sorry but I have been through this forest and have a deep respect for national treasures. How does human greed even get a say in what needs to be respected for future generations. Absolutely shameful. Please respect this national treasure.

Don't do it

I'm opposed to any expansion of CSG mining in the Pilliga. I understand the proposed field is the major replenishment area for Australia's Great Artesian Basin. The thought of this precious resource being at risk of pollution and contamination by the negligence of Santos is just horrible. Santos has already shown themselves to be a company that cannot be trusted with the environment; they have had numerous reported spills and leaks and caused contamination of previously pure water with deadly toxins.

In addition, CSG is an unacceptable additional burden to the environment of the entire planet, with the resultant excess methane discharge driving us closer to dangerous climate change. Because of this CSG is not an acceptable "bridging" power source (as has been claimed) and we need to look to other, safer technologies.

The 24-hour flaring required for the wells will release constant toxic VOCs into the local environment. These cannot be "turned off" even on the highest fire risk days. These risks are also unacceptable.

Please stop any expansion of CSG mining in the Pilliga.

Thanking you for your kind attention.

No mining of any type in pristine land. This is our children'sheritage not ours to spoil.

I and anyone with common sense should as i do fully oppose this drilling and or mining going ahead, considering the negative evironmental and human impact, the world is already suffering enough and will continue as it does with the fall out of the nuclear waste from Japan killing the Pacific Ocean as we speak, no need to contribute to that and make a positive effort into finding a solution and cure to the nuclear waste problem where money can be better spent to help clean up the environment.

I have no confidence that drilling oil will be harmless to the immediate area, the Artesian Basin and the property, people, plants and animals that rely on the water. Once the damage is done, it can'tbe reversed.

Any doubt should ensure this environmental vandalism is never allowed.