The Narrabri Gas Project carries substantial risks for the precious Great Artesian Basin. The proposed area for drilling is in the area that recharges the basin. There is the potential for contamination of water sources that feed the Murray Darling system. Santos has already contaminated a freshwater aquifer in the Pilliga region. The heart of Australia's water.
Santos has no solution for disposing of the thousands of tonnes of salt that will be produced.
There is the increased risk of fire in the region.
Water is a necessity - gas is not.
In addition the traditional custodians of this area (the Gamilaraay) oppose the gas project and the drilling for cultural and practical reasons. Their voices need to be heard and respected.
The local farming community are also opposed to the gas project.
The Pilliga region is also listed as a hot spot for biodiversity including a number of threatened species. The destruction of habitat is inevitable if the drilling progceeds
This project has the potential to add to climate change problems.
This project should not go ahead.

I find it absolutely appalling that the people who have accepted the responsibility of leading the people of Australia are prepared to treat the people of Australia as a throwaway resource.

It has been proven beyond doubt that 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 coordination.

These impacts have been documented in human populations nearby to existing gasfields in Queensland, Sydney and in America.

Source - Marion Carey Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA), Air pollution from coal seam gas may put public health at risk The Conversation, November 20, 2012

And 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.

Source - SoilFutures 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

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 barium. 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.

Source - http://www.smh.com.au/environment/santos-coal-seam-gas-project-contaminates-aquifer-20140307-34csb.html #sthash.5Urq1jrL.dpuf

I am opposed to fracking in the Pilliga by Santos for the following reasons :
Destruction of pristine forest
Poisoning of groundwater by toxic chemicals
Release of huge amounts of greenhouse gas
Polluting of the environment ,including waterways , by toxic effluent from the fracking process
Visual pollution from the ugly fracking sites themselves.

All of my concerns are proven valid by the behaviour of existing fracking sites , for example in North Queensland, so I ask you to take them into account when considering this development and reject it completely . Thank you Raymond Hallatt

I live on Mount Glorious, just west of Brisbane. It is covered in rainforest, dry forest, and is home to a great deal of wildlife who thrive in this area. If Santos decided to put 850 coal seam gas wells in this area, I would fight them every step of the way, as would every other resident. I'm adding my voice to this project assessment to show support for the residents of Narrabri who oppose the project.

The Northern Rivers region of NSW has been fighting for years to keep their lands free from CSG, and with good reason. These farming regions rely on healthy soils, healthy air and healthy water, and CSG threatens each of these necessities. Santos argues in their Environmental Impact Statement that "the Project can proceed safely with minimal and manageable risk to the environment", and "development of new natural gas resources is crucial in assisting Australia's move towards a clean energy future." It is hard to believe you can label something 'clean energy' when it requires taking resources from deep underground and releasing them into the atmosphere. Have we not learnt any lessons from coal and oil? Future energy needs to come from solar, wind and hydro, not more carbon emitting resources.

The reliance on coal is coming to an end. We are slowly transitioning towards the kind of sustainable future we need. Projects such as this don't have a place in the present, or the future. Governments and councils need to clearly state their opposition to such developments, to ensure we have a healthy environment and healthy future.

I strongly object to the Narrabri Gas Project for a number of reasons.

The Project risks damage to valuable water resources , including the Great Australian Artesian Basin aquifer.
Extensive community surveys show an overwhelming level of opposition to the Project, with unprecedented protest action. As a resident in the area during my early childhood, I have a special feeling for the region, & concern for any damage caused by such developments..
Narrabri Gas has a poor environmental record with a history of spills & toxic leakages..

Furthermore, the issue of safe disposal of the thousands of tonnes of salt which would be generated by the project has not been resolved.

On several grounds it is peculiar, nay, absurd that Santos should want to wreck parts of the Pilliga Forest in order to produce gas.

1. Given the huge amount of deforestation occuring across Earth surely Santos should be working for Pillaga protection, extension & restoration, not destruction.
2. Why wreck parts of the Pilliga for gas when we already export huge amounts? Where will the Pilliga gas go? Overseas so that we have further energy crises in Australia?
3. Biodiversity underpins our economy & our lifestyles. Surely Santos should be working to protect our economy & lifestyles through Pilliga protection, not Pilliga pilfering.
4. There are many questions about the environmental efficacy of drilling for gas, particularly adjacent to food production areas. The cautionary principle needs to be adopted by banning Pilliga gas drilling. To allow Santos to drill in the Pilliga would be to promote a radical, hooligan-style approach to the Pilliga & the environment rather than a more conservative stewardship of this valuable part of Australia.

CSG extraction in the Pilliga must not happen for the following reasons:
1. For the future of the world the fossil fuels must remain in the ground;
2. Other CSG extractions have caused serious leakage of methane - a powerful greenhouse gas;
3. Fracturing the coal seam is likely to fracture the impervious layers that hold the gas in;
4. Secret (probably dangerous) fluids are injected into the coal with dangerous leakage into the aquifers;
5. It is a crime to destroy pristine forest for short term profit;
6. Multinational companies are prepared to destroy the world so long as their profits are not at risk.

Stop all environmental threatening projects of a similar nature

To whom it may concern,

I am writing on behalf of all future generations to ask that the Piliga forest be protected from mining.

With the love of the highest principle, I invite you to do what is right... not from what you think - but from what you know to be TRUE in your heart.

Sincerely,
Ms Iona Jones

Once again our government proposes another development that would threaten, exploit and harm our natural environment.

The risks and impacts of such proposals cannot be understated:

This operation would pose significant threats to both the Great Artesian Basin and the Murray-Darling Basin. Water extraction, contamination from operating drilling equipment and high salt output would cause harm and damage to these precious water sources that provide vital sustenance to local communities, local wildlife and potentially all Australians.

Multiple cultural sites connected to the Gamilaraay Traditional Custodians span the location of the proposed CSG development. The Gamilaraay people remain opposed to this and all other CSG development proposals on culturally significant land. This sentiment is shared by local farmers and communities - spanning 3.2 million hectares of country surrounding the Pilliga forest - who have protested the development of this and other CSG development proposals for their obvious environmental impacts.

Regarding Santos Energy, the EPA has expressed concern with Santos Operations in the past, resulting in the issuance of two legally binding Pollution Reduction Programs (PRPs) (Source: http://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/epamedia/EPAMedia15051501.htm). Santos Energy cannot guarantee that such a large scale operation would be free of incidents or environmental impacts.

The Santos gasfield would disrupt 95,000 hectares of the Pilliga with newly built roads, buildings, pipes, and sound and light sources. The pilliga is one of fifteen nationally listed 'bio-diversity' hotspots and is home to several threatened species including the Koala, Spotted-tailed Quoll, Black-striped Wallaby, Eastern Pygmy-possum, Pilliga Mouse and South-eastern Long-eared Bat. The area is also home to over two hundred of bird species who rely on the Pilliga forests and natural landscape for their survival.

The Pilliga is already prone to severe bush fires. Introducing hazardous gas wells - including methane flare stacks and the extraction, transport and storage of highly flammable resources - introduces risks that could prove devastating to an already vulnerable forest.

I hope these reasons and others may allow for consideration of the potential implications of the Narrabri Gas Project and why it may be fundamentally harmful to one of Australia's many wonderful natural landscapes. Thanks you.

Information sourced from: https://www.wilderness.org.au/final-push-pilliga?