Narrabri Gas

On balance, the major impacts and risks (e.g.,threats to agriculture, pollution especially of the Great Australian Basin, salt waste, fire, exacerbation of climate change threats of wildlife) far outweigh the short-term and short-sighted financial benefits of the proposed project. The project should not go ahead.

Europe is putting us to shame with solar and wind power. They have 20% electric cars. We are still in denial and ignoring climate change. It is time to stop cutting down forests and subsidizing the coal industry.

Please do not allow the development of gas production in one of the few natural areas left in Australia/Planet Earth.

More gas is not needed. Develop the renewable resources for which technology is available now and will be improved and made cheaper by adding to the currently operating environmentally friendly systems that have been developed by sustainable energy industry.

There is only so much natural area left. Leave it alone and protect it from development.

The proof that CSG extraction (fracking) is harmful to the environment and our ground water has been documented for years and years in countries that have been destroyed by this practice. There are vast swathes of country in the USA that are now unable to sustain crops and livestock due to the poisoning of the ground water and soil. Evidence of the same situations are happening now in our country. It is well documented that 5% of CSG wells fail and start leaking immediately and that eventually all CSG wells fail. Why then are we still pursuing investment in an industry that is based on lies.
There is no need to commit to any CSG. We are the world's leaders in exporting gas yet the Government and energy companies spin the truth to make us believe that without CSG we are going to pay more for our resources of gas. Utter crap. The Truth is that for too long the energy industry has had too much power over the say of what happens in this country.
We could be the world's leaders in renewables but the energy companies put all their efforts into preventing this from happening.
The future is the vision, not the immediate profit driven insanity.
Make the right decision for this country and the future of our children and reject all CSG mining.

The health of this NSW country, the plants and the animals, and most importantly the people, is dependent on clean water which form the basis of functioning ecosystem. Coal seam gas threatens this function, and makes PEOPLE SICK IMMEDIATELY. We must look to other alternatives as sources of energy which will create a sustainable economy and help to maintain a healthy environment in NSW.

I am writing speak out against the Santos' Narrabri Gas Project proposal to place 850 coal seam gas wells in the heart of the Pilliga forest in North West New South Wales.

It's my hope that we can come together to allow the Pilliga forest to be just as it is -- and in doing so, create a safe place for wildlife, for people to find peace and solace -- a place for our children to roam -- a place we can all breathe clean air.

Please think twice before letting this wonderful forest become damaged by coal seam gas wells that are not truly needed -- and that will benefit one segment' profit statement while it takes away so much from so many.

Thank you for taking the time to consider my comments.

The community are overwhelmingly against ANY gasfield exploration and/or mining.

1. 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.


¹SoilFutures Consulting 2014, Great Artesian Basin Recharge Systems and Extent of Petroleum and Gas Leases. http://www.gabpg.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/GAB-Report1.pdf
²http://www.smh.com.au/environment/santos-coal-seam-gas-project-contaminates-aquifer-20140307-34csb.html
³BirdLife International (2017) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Pilliga http://www.birdlife.org
⁴Marion Carey Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA), Air pollution from coal seam gas may put public health at risk The Conversation, November 20, 2012
⁵https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/oct/21/siding-spring-observatory-threat-coal-seam-gas-light-pollution
⁶http://darksky.org/first-dark-sky-park-in-australia-designated/

- See more at: https://www.wilderness.org.au/final-push-pilliga?utm_source=phplist&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=FEB_17_wildnews-%5Bmessageid%5D&utm_content=story1#sthash.MORMjGkI.dpuf

I'm against Santos' Narrabri Gas Project
Please end CSG in NSW once and for all.


Sincerely,
Line Ringgaard

Coal seam gas, coal mining, nuclear energy, are all dead industries, or almost dead. It is laughable that the Australian prime minister is now pushing the "clean" coal industry as there is no such thing.
From now and into the future the world's populace will not support further mining for these dirty fuels when alternative energy supplies are available and have been for a long, long, time.
All of the above contribute to the degradation leading to the death of our Earth, our Mothership, the one who sustains us all. There are numerous signs that we are approaching a no-return point, 11:59, not the least of which is climate change and includes sink holes, pollution, extreme weather conditions, depletion of the ozone layer, nuclear radiation poisoning of the Pacific ocean, rivers of fire and species extinction.
The public are no longer ignorant and we realise that the only reason we are still stuck in the old petro-paradigm is for the benefit of the few (.1 of 1% according to Noam Chomsky) who continue to line their already very full pockets with the proceeds from dirty fuel and who don't want to see the disintegration of all their dirty fuel assets.
Now is the time to embrace change. Now is the time to build a new energy structure that includes only renewable and zero point energies. The technology is there. Al that remains is for the powers that be to be persuaded to release the patents and allow the build and distribution of these new energy industries. The public will stand for no less.

As an Australian I believe we all have an obligation to make a statement of what we believe is in the interests of our country. Whilst the Narrabri Gas Project no doubt has short term positive economic benefits for regional NSW, what are the longer term consequences? Coal seam gas has been proven numerous times over to be unsafe. Contaminated ground water being the most common impact. Given the location of this project over Australia' largest groundwater aquifer, the risk here is just too great. If there are further incidents, such as those that have already plagued this project, the impact on local farming and indigenous communities would be devastating and they will never recover. Please consider more than the short term economics of projects such as this. Santos are not a long term member of our community, they will take what they can and leave the mess for the next generations to deal with.

1. 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.


¹SoilFutures Consulting 2014, Great Artesian Basin Recharge Systems and Extent of Petroleum and Gas Leases. http://www.gabpg.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/GAB-Report1.pdf
²http://www.smh.com.au/environment/santos-coal-seam-gas-project-contaminates-aquifer-20140307-34csb.html
³BirdLife International (2017) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Pilliga http://www.birdlife.org
⁴Marion Carey Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA), Air pollution from coal seam gas may put public health at risk The Conversation, November 20, 2012
⁵https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/oct/21/siding-spring-observatory-threat-coal-seam-gas-light-pollution
⁶http://darksky.org/first-dark-sky-park-in-australia-designated/

- See more at: https://www.wilderness.org.au/final-push-pilliga?utm_source=phplist&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=FEB_17_wildnews-%5Bmessageid%5D&utm_content=story1#sthash.MORMjGkI.dpuf

It is absolutely essential to protect the Pilliga forest. This coal seam gas proposal is, like all the others that have been attempted here in Australia and across the globe, a danger to the health of every individual.

As the world's largest gas producer Santos' proposed project is an unnecessary environmental hazard, a disaster, I believe, that we absolutely do not need to foist on generations to come

The local community of the Pilliga has strenuous objections to this project. They have been voicing them for years. it is time for all Australians to listen to them. It is time for Government to recognise their role as carers for the land they live in and understand, and accept their guidance to protect the Pilliga.

We do not need to be in the thrall of mining companies in Australia. We are resource rich, we have the greatest amount of sunlight falling on any country! We fail to harvest it intelligently. We continue to cater to businesses that are only interested in pilfering our natural resources for immediate short term gain, with no view of the future. We have become a nation driven by greed and short term thinking! Kindly turn this around. Save the Piliga, stop coal seam gas projects for once and for all!

I do not think that this project should be approved due to the extreme likelihood of catastrophic negative impacts on the local environment. It is unconscionable to risk this haven for native plants and animals as well as the cultural importance found within the area. I believe that there is no reasonable excuse for gambling with this project. The definite potential for irreparable damage and loss of immediate local habitat and the further reaching impacts of contaminated water make this an undeniably irresponsible act and it is ignorant to pretend otherwise.

As a soon-to-be ecologist the fragmentation needed for the project just does not seem justified.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.

The Mulgoa Valley Landcare Group objects to the extraction of coals seam gas in the Piliga Forest. Simple solutions exist to ensure that the demand for Gas within our Country is met. It does not include destroying our natural assets which CAN NEVER BE REPLACED. We encourage the Federal Government to revise the amount of Natural gas exported to other countries. That way, we we can have our Gas AND our natural assets - and not feel beholden to the powerful energy companies that have only their profits as their motivation.

I learned about the Pillaga when doing Rural Science at UNE.
Its a special area attacked by many interests, and should be a conservation zone not desecrated by zillions of coals seam gas wells and associated infrastructure.

I am totally opposed to allowing Santos to poisoni our food bowl by drilling for coal seam gas thereby contaminating the Great Artesian Basin. Studies from the USA where fracking has been allowed show the devestation that has ensued. Please have some experts do the research before it's too late for the health and well being of our future generations.. as human beings on this planet Earth, we need clean water, clean air and uncontaminated ground.to survive.

There is no sense in the ongoing destruction of the environment to appease the monstrous greed of huge companies. There is no sense in exporting our natural gas when it's needed here. Oh how refreshing it will be when leaders live up to their name and can be trusted to care for both our present and our future.

1. The Narrabri Gas Project risks precious water sources, including the Great Australian Basin--Australia's largest groundwater aquifer.
2. Farmers and other local community reject the project.
3. 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.
4. The Gamilaraay Traditional Custodians are opposed.
5. The Pilliga is a haven for threatened wildlife.
6. The nation's premier optical astronomical observatory is at risk.
7. Thousands of tonnes of salt waste will result from the project.