Narrabri Gas

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.

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 would like to object to the Santos proposal to drill to mine in the Pilliga Region. Australia is currently one of the biggest producers of Natural Gas in the world. Despite the dishonesty from politiciaans who support more and more mining, for this Nation more extractive industries are NOT essential. What is more essential is that we focus on developing sustainable energy sources, an industry that can create many desireabl;e jobs in new technologies that could lead the world.

The policies of present Governments to continue in old world thinking; supporting and implementing new extractive, dangerous and destructive activities is sheer madness. We need to work towards a country that creates sustainable activities, protect our agricultural industries and focus on developing an energy policy that is sustainable and non destructive. A policy that acknowledges and embraces the scientific evidence that human activity is creating global warming.

Without acceptance that the behaviour that we have embraced is completely catastrophic for the future of this Nation, we cannot go forward and save our animals, our reef and the environment.

We do NOT need to keep mining extractive industries, we need to be smarter that that to give our future generations a healthy future.

Australia is already exporting large quantities of gas. I am totally opposed to destroying the Pilliga forest or any other part of Australia for gas production. The forest is reducing our green house gas emisions , coal seam gas will increase them.

Given the enormity of this proposed project and scale of environmental destruction, I am requesting that an extension of time be granted so that the EIS can be given the attention it deserves.

I fundamentally reject the bastardisation of Australia's wild places for the furtherance of international commercial interests.

Drilling for coal seam gas has a proven record of being dangerous to both local flora and fauna, and will have a negative impact on all local communities.

Stand up to big business and do the right thing by the environment, for once.

I am appalled to learn that Santos is proposing to drill 850 gas wells in the Pilliga Forest , the largest intact woodland area in Eastern Autralia, a much needed refuge for endangered species and an important water resource.
There are 25 critically endangered species on the Federal register and 48 species listed on the State register, all reliant onthe pilliga for protection from development such as the Santos proposal.
In addition the Pilliga provides water to recharge the Great Artesian Basin and the creeks hat flow through are critical for providing clean drinking water for farming communities in the area.
The 850 planned gas wells will devastate the area and if there is spillage as has happened when he last gas wells were permitted the area around the well remains toxic for years. Allowing this proposal would wreak havoc on the forest , consign its fauna to oblivion and endanger the water supply for countless communities.

An approval of this proposal would make a mockery of the government's stated aim to counteract the climate change and would exacerbate its effect

I am strongly opposed to approval of this project on the grounds of water security and Indigenous and local rights. I personally rely on the Great Artesian Basin as a primary water source for the livestock and vegetables on my property, and I am deeply concerned by the risks associated with CSG mining in the area with the highest recharge rates. This threatens the water security of the entire Basin. In addition, the considerations of the Gamilaraay people and local landowners are surely given some importance. Both groups have firmly stated strong opposition to the project. For these reasons I ask you to absolutely reject the proposal.

This is madness!. The Pilliga, as we know it, is all that's left of a previously much more extensive forest and is vital to the people, plants and animals that live in western NSW. Don't let this short-term greed and death-by-a-thousand-cuts (sorry 850!) further compromise the Great Artesian Basin, the MDB, the health of the Pilliga or the livelihood of farmers.
And we need to be serious about climate change - no expansion of gas!
No, to Santos!

It has been proven that these gas projects damage the local environment and affect the health of animals and humans. As a proud Australian who loves this land I urge you to reconsider approving this unnecessary project.

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.

I believe that the government is not acting in accordance to the will of the people who live in the Pillaga area. They do not 850 new gas wells in the Pillaga. Farmers are against. It risks agricultural land with pollution. Air, water and pollution of the underground aquifers. Namely the Great Artesian Basin. The question of what to do with salty brine

Please, Hands off Australia's National Parks. Hands off our environment, our eco systems, our places of natural beauty. We have decimated this country enough. Time to stop and THINK. It is just plain crazy to use jobs and economy as an excuse to ruin forests that have been there a LONG time before we arrived in this amazing country.

I stand against this project. Australia needs to stop all CSG projects and move to renewable energy to create a better world for future generations. We do not and should not be using gas. Find a new way! Save the Earth, stop climate change and stop destroying nature and her inhabitants!

I totally object to the proposed Narrabri Gas Project.

The Narrabri gasfield poses a real risk to our two most precious water resources: the Great Artesian Basin and the Murray-Darling Basin. We have seen the damage in the past by similar projects.

For example, 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 object to this, we need to save as much forest as possible for rainfall, carbon sequestering and to house as many flora and fauna as possible for the health of our planet!
Please reconsider this long-term devastation for short-term goals.

Capitalism's short-term profit motive is incompatible with long-term public health and safety, and/or long-term environmental health and safety, and/or animal welfare!

I am deeply concerned about the destructive over-exploitation of our life support system in Australia and world-wide. We have reached a point of imminent self destruction, I believe, and our duty now is harm minimisation. To destroy our ground water resources and the values associated with an intact, healthy landscape : bio-diversity, healthy farm land, clean air and water, etc., that is an act of violence against the people of Australia and the world. I have been living off-grid mostly on renewable energy for 30 years and even though we are a huge producer of gas, I am paying more than ever for the little I use. That is institutionalised corruption by a government of criminal mindlessness, incompetent, whose actions are irresponsible in the extreme. I don't care about politics, that is a mentral illness, not a science. Money is not a resource. I care about good management based on sound values. see http://www.lifesupportinternational.org .

The Narrabri / Pilliga gas project is a terribly destructive plan that must be abandoned for the welfare of present and future generations. I am in the process of making hydrogen from water for my household cooking - I am now down to about 50l of fossil fuels a month, heading for near zero, and I live 100km from the nearest supermarket. If a sixty eight year old age pensioner can do this, what is wrong with the billionaires of business and government? Gross criminal folly, that's what.

This project threatens the provision of safe water in the area. it will add to climate warming, in my view and is theefore untenable. The Pilliga region is a precious asset to all australian and this proposal will severely damage it. I am vehemently opposed to this happening, as all thinking australians must be.

If this goes ahead, the sandstone under the Pilliga which filters ground water for the Great Artesian Basin will be compromised, at worse, poisoned. Creeks that flow through the Pilliga provide clean water for the Murray Darling Basin. These water sources are the lifeblood of farming communities throughout the southeast and inland Australia.

They must remain so. The Santos proposal is an obscene manifestation of "greed is good". I call on you to refuse it.

I am sickened by Government 'leadership' pursuing fossil fuels/environment and water devastation while destabilising sustainable energy advancement.
We want our biodiversity. Ground water is sacro sanct.

I understand the local indigenous and farming communities object to the proposal. There are many alternative sources of energy that can be achieved without distruction of native environments which protect us all by keeping our biodiversity.
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.

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.

CSG fields contribute to climate change through the leakage of methane during the production, transport, processing and use of coal seam gas.

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.

Why poison nature, which supports human and animal life, for the greedy profit of a few, when renewable energy will keep us all healthy.