Narrabri Gas

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It is with great concern that I submit this objection to the development of gas fields by Santos in the Pilliga Forest/Narrabri region. I hold a Bachelor of Science from the University of Sydney, and I have worked as a research associate in molecular science at the CSIRO as well as at the Kanematsu Laboratories. I lived in a rural community in the USA and observed the devastation of water, communities and environment at the hands of the gas industry there over the last ten years. This included:
* Wholesale destruction of household groundwater supplies forcing people to rely on expensive `water buffalos' for safe water and permanently devaluing their homes leaving them living in with stranded assets in contaminated rural zones
* Contamination of rivers and streams as a result of spills from trucks transporting the water waste, including in some cases, the use of the salt by-product for de-icing roads enabling a wholesale distribution of the contaminants across large areas which then run-off with the melting snow to contaminate waterways
* An increase in earthquakes destabilizing the structural safety of many homes (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oohqN7aO9gs)
* An increase in unexplained sickness among the population that correlates with the timing of the expansion of the industry
o Many of whom have no health insurance and were essentially left to face their illness alone;
o Those who could consult with doctors had to navigate the fact the healthcare professionals were in many cases not allowed to know exactly what has contaminated the water/air their patients had been exposed to as it was deemed as `proprietary' by the gas industry;
o Then these same healthcare professionals faced gag orders that forbid them to talk about the impacts their patients were facing, or publicly speculate on the link to the expanding gas fields given these mines were the primary variable that had changed from `before' when few people were ill, to `after' when many people presented with disturbing symptoms (nose bleeds, rashes, cancers).
It is this personal history of witnessing the impacts of this industry in another country, that has motivated me to make this submission against the same destruction of environment and rural communities at the hands of this industry in Australia.

I have grave concerns about the objectivity of the EIS submitted by Santos. It is an affront to the Australian people that an EIS is commissioned by, and published in collaboration with, the very same company that holds vested interest to undertake the development in question. This is not an objective approach to assess the safety and viability of this project. The people of Australia deserve a FULLY INDEPENDENT PROCESS in relation to this ~ especially when we are evaluating whether or not to plunge hundreds of gas wells through the Great Artesian Basin and put the water security for thousands of Australians today, and in future, at risk. One example that has come to light just this week of how the fossil fuel industry manipulates process and data to hide the truth about the pollution generated is the story about how the Bayswater Power Plant in NSW used a higher grade coal in the generation unit that was being monitored for pollution to tilt the pollution reports in favour of the power station, while the other three generation units not monitored used lower grade coal that emitted more pollution. (Full story: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/mindblowing-nsw-epa-probes-coalfired-power-plants-over-pollution-claims-20170510-gw26lb.html) This is irrefutable evidence of why the people of Australia, including the residents of Narrabri and anyone who relies on quality water from the Great Artesian Basin, has solid grounds to mistrust the EIS submitted for this project.

Furthermore, this EIS which deems that the gas fields can `safely' move forward and be developed has clearly failed to take into account evidence that can be easily gleaned from onshore gas mining experience overseas. Evidence that is available despite the gag orders imposed by the industry on affected individuals, and despite the expensive PR campaigns such as the production of `FrackNation'; a blatant pro-gas, industry produced promotional tactic.

These global examples of how expansion of onshore gas mining has proven to be an environmental disaster need to be heeded as part of our due diligence before enabling this to occur here (eg. Colorado, Wyoming and Pennsylvania, USA). I firmly believe we cannot afford to `experiment' in Australia to see if we can `be the exception' and do it safely. We must not entrust our water security to an industry managed EIS. There is too much at stake in terms of our future water and in turn, food, security. Our social stability relies on our sustained agricultural productivity and this short- term industry is at directly odds with that long-term responsibility of our government.

So we need to assess this EIS in context of lessons learned overseas:

This organic farmer from Shropshire County, Paul Hickson, says when he signed an access agreement he had no idea of physical or psychological impact that gas drilling could have on him and his family:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/17/dont-allow-fracking-farmer-allowed-coal-methane-borehole?CMP=share_btn_fb
* So why would we subject more rural landholders in Australia to this?
This industry, if allowed to expand in Australia, will have long term impacts on our food as already demonstrated overseas:
https://www.thenation.com/article/fracking-our-food-supply/
* We cannot, and must not, risk our food security
Moving forward with the gas fields in Narrabri will put the health of thousands of Australians at risk, along with our wildlife and agricultural stock. This is a list of the harmed in Pennsylvania - people who have been directly impacted by the gas mining industry in the area. Although omitted from the EIS, this list is surely the only proof we need that to undertake this in here amounts to nothing less than chemical warfare on the people of Australia:
https://pennsylvaniaallianceforcleanwaterandair.wordpress.com/the-list/

It is not just farmers and affected communities that are speaking up, and who we need to listen to; this is just one former industry worker who made the decision to sound the alarm over the impact of onshore gas mining so that we stop before too much additional, irreparable damage is done:
http://www.frackfreefuture.org.au/why_he_quit

In fact, sadly we do not even need to look overseas, we can simply look to QLD, where this industry has expanded like a virus across what was once pristine state forest or prime agricultural land, leaving grieving and contaminated communities in its wake. The story of destruction of land, water as demonstrated by the Monk family in Australia is only one of many, many stories now bubbling to the surface in Australia:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SMe59e9Lcco

And the Jenkins family, also in QLD, who initially thought the gas wells were a positive development yet then discovered the true devastation of this industry:
https://www.northernstar.com.au/news/living-legacy-of-damage/2400950/

Or the Nothdurft family.....:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/I-Stand-With-John-Jenkyn-and-ALL-impacted-gasfield-residents-455248861319111/videos/?ref=page_internal

Not to mention the Bender family.

We need to take into account that an EIS has not got the predictive powers (or inclination) to anticipate the kind of `accidents' that have already occurred in QLD, and we can be sure will happen in NSW too. Are we really prepared to take this kind of risk with our water? Surely not. http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/queensland-grazier-calling-on-government/6468852

The Santos gas fields will also produce up to 48 tonnes of salt per day; this is not inert table salt, this is `salt' intermingled with a toxic cocktail of chemicals, including radioactive compounds, and despite the EIS we still have no clarity as to what the final disposal plans actually are. Inappropriate or experimental disposal of this by-product will have devastating impact on our water and life in the affected areas.

Furthermore, I respect the recent efforts by the Department of Planning and Environment and other NSW Government agencies who visited Queensland last week to meet with government representatives and inspect coal seam gas projects near Chinchilla. (NSW Government agencies visit Queensland gas fields; Date: 12.05.2017 Departmental Media Release) However, this visit is a great example of how industry-led education on the development of gas fields cannot be trusted and MUST NOT be used as a benchmark to guide approvals. I would suggest that the contingent of NSW Government planning, environment and water experts who visited Queensland are not aware that for up to a week prior to their visit, residents living near the Chinchilla gas field had observed and been posting... "why has the gas flaring stopped?". This convenient ‘coincidence’ reveals the efforts that the gas companies will undertake to portray an inert industry compatible with rural farming and living, and it is disappointing to see our elected representatives and their teams collaborate (collude?) with this industry rather than undertake and enable fully objective evaluation of the impact and risks. If they did, I can assure them they would not approve this industry to expand in our precious agricultural areas, given the viable agricultural land in our nation is so limited in supply. For example, see here reports of flaring and the related noise that imposes considerable negative impacts on nearby residents in the areas recently toured (not to mention the fire risk of this type of flaring on a year round basis in fire prone areas): https://www.facebook.com/I-Stand-With-John-Jenkyn-and-ALL-impacted-gasfield-residents-455248861319111/?hc_ref=SEARCH

When assessing the viability of this project, you need to acknowledge it is not possible to avoid the same exposure as has been seen in QLD, those our NSW delegation failed to meet with on their recent tour:

https://scontent-syd2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/fr/cp0/e15/q65/11082222_1543999535863557_6948924639223924208_o.jpg?efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&oh=80a38c1dec26a46d6ef679875b5d8d1c&oe=595ABF55



Note: The approval process being used for the Narrabri Gas Project’s DA is a breach of Section 100, and section 109 of the Australian Constitution.
Chpt 4, Finance & Trade; Section 100: ‘Nor abridge the right to use water’
The Commonwealth shall not, by any law or regulation of trade or commerce, abridge the right of a State or of the residents therein to the reasonable use of the waters of rivers for conservation or irrigation.
Chpt 5 – The State; Section 109 – inconsistency of laws
When a law of a State is inconsistent with a law of the Commonwealth, the latter shall prevail, and the former shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, by valid.

These proposed gas wells in the Pilliga/Narrabri region are poised to be plunged through the essential and irreplaceable Great Artesian Basin. The water sourced from this recharge point of the GAB sustains towns across regional NSW, and the landholders in these communities in turn sustain our food security through their agricultural activities. We CANNOT, at this point in history, be compromising even one drop of this water. Yet this proposal is poised to undertake grave, and unacceptable interference with our water security, and this company, Santos has ALREADY contaminated an aquifer in the area, so it should have had its social and industrial licenses to undertake further gas mining immediately and permanently revoked:
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/santos-coal-seam-gas-project-contaminating-aquifer-in-use-after-two-years-20140310-34h9f.html

Why, in Australia, which has been tipped to face a “perilous water future” (Rob Vertessy, ex- Head of the BoM) we would even consider undertaking further onshore gas mining is simply baffling. https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/amp.smh.com.au/environment/perilous-bureau-of-meteorology-boss-rob-vertessy-exits-with-climate-warning-20160429-gohwu6.html


This project represents intergenerational theft because not just this generation, but those who will follow and be forced to survive with the consequences of what this gas field will do to our rivers, forests, farmland will be affected. The mere process of undertaking the ‘explorations’ to date has been destructive with grave consequences demonstrated in the Pilliga already; we CANNOT afford to undertake expansion of this industry given the irreversible consequences.

The world is at a tipping point in terms of population, with over 7 billion people, and of those over 60 million are displaced due to war or famine. Australia is currently stable, but as one of the driest continents on earth, and facing increasing global temperatures, we have to now tread VERY carefully with respect to how we leverage and compromise our water resources. Especially one as central as the Great Artesian Basin.

I also object to ANY allocation of public funds towards expanding this industry; investing taxpayer funds in an industry which has structured itself so that it pays negligible royalties to Australians, and essentially no tax revenue is an absolute insult to the people of Australia. This reeks of government ministers putting the financial interests of party donors ahead of protecting the basic rights of the people of Australia. We understand that the gas cartel are generous donors to the major parties, and as a taxpaying citizen, I object to the laundering of public funds through to the political parties by generous grants in return for party donations. I object to the spending of public funds on infrastructure for this industry when every spare dollar for energy investment should go towards renewable energy development which will serve the Australian people productively for many generations. Sensible leadership, with the long-term interests of its people at heart, would ban this industry. Leading Australian academics have demonstrated it is possible to move to renewable energy on an aggressive timeline that will allow us a greater chance of meeting our emissions commitments; at this point we should no longer be investing in gas:
http://m.uts.edu.au/research-and-teaching/our-research/institute-sustainable-futures/our-research/energy-and-climate/100

Pipelines to transport this gas will, within 10-30 years, become expensive stranded assets; in the meantime many of them will have accidents such as leaks or explosions that will expand the contamination zones beyond the mining sites. I urge you not to believe industry comments such as those made by QLD Hunter Gas Pipeline CEO Garbis Simonian, who has claimed we should not worry about pipelines because if they lose integrity “And it’s gas, so if it leaks it’ll just evaporate.” This is quite misleading as demonstrated by this litany of pipeline accidents here:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_pipeline_accidents

Furthermore, gas fields on or nearby rural properties degrade the value of those properties indefinitely. This has been evidenced in Australia by the refusal of the Commonwealth Bank to provide equity funds to a landholder that had 4 gas wells on their property. Surely we cannot approve an industry in NSW that has this impact on our rural landholders?

And in tandem with that, I object to the proposal by our Deputy PM, Barnaby Joyce, to encourage acceptance of this EIS and the resulting gas field development by offering landholders financial reimbursement for allowing gas wells on their properties. First of all, the very fact he owns two properties in proximity to the area proposed to be mined on this proposal is a disturbing conflict of interest with respect to this proposal. Second of all, such a policy will drive speculation on our rural properties, driving up foreign interest, putting the price of land out of reach for Australian farmers, leading to a shift from food production to speculative investment for gas production, that, once allowed, will, within 30-50 years, forever reduced our agricultural productivity in the face of an ever-increasing population. This approach to overcome barriers to expand this industry is sheer and utter madness, and frankly people who propose this should be charged with ecocide.

We also, as a nation, host an internationally recognized and relevant space observatory near the area poised to be mined (Siding Springs Observatory); the ongoing flaring required in the gas fields will compromise the effectiveness of this resource as a southern observatory and in turn threaten job losses compromise our international credibility in this expanding, future-focused industry.

In the face of an ever destabilizing global climate that is warming year-on-year as a result of the human generated carbon and methane emissions, Australia has committed to the Paris agreement to aim for a 2 degree global warming cap. Peter Coates, Santos Chairman, ‘has adopted the 4 degree pathway’; that means their intention to extract fossil fuels for burning is DIRECTLY at odds with our nation’s global commitment to mitigate global warming. This EIS omits this significant impact on the environment as a result of the activities of this company and thus is misleading with respect to the overall environmental impact of this gas field and those additional mines that would follow as part of the ongoing expansion of the gas field over time. We cannot afford to expand onshore gas mining in this day and age, especially when we must now acknowledge the rogue emissions that are released as a result of the process of developing the wells. Can we honestly agree these have been adequately acknowledged in the EIS? Because they are an inescapable aspect of the mining process and cannot be ignored:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/programs/the-business/2017-02-28/the-clean-green-image-of-coal-seam-gas-is-under/8312466

In summary, THERE IS NO ENVIRONMENTAL OR SOCIAL LICENCE FOR THIS INDUSTRY TO EXPAND IN AUSTRALIA. Those responsible for assessing this EIS and reviewing these submissions needs to heed the pleas of the people to stop further expansion of this industry; I urge you to put our water and food security ahead of any additional exploratory mines, or gas field establishment in NSW.

Thank you,

Julia Walsh
12th May, 2017