admin

Chasing the Waste from Coal Seam Gas methane mining in the Pilliga

by

By Johanna Evans Methane gas mining waste comes in many different forms and is produced by several different processes at multiple stages of mining operations. This story focuses on what’s happening in the Pilliga Forest, NSW in August 2023. Drilling Waste to be spread in the Pilliga Forest Scrutiny is urgently needed of the approved … Read more

NSW EPA Chief Executive links with Whitehaven and AGL – a red flag

by
EPA chief executive Tony Chappel. Picture by Marina Neil courtesy of the Newcastle Herald

As the first year of Tony Chappel’s tenure as Chief Executive Officer of the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) draws to a close, his close personal links with two of NSW’s most notorious polluters in recent decades, Whitehaven Coal and AGL, warrants close examination. The Perrottet Liberal-National government’s decision to appoint him as CEO in … Read more

Government relaxes gas leak reporting requirements for coal seam gas industry

by

By Johanna Evans The requirement for coal seam gas operators like Santos to report significant wellhead leaks has been dismantled by the NSW Government with a quiet update of the Code of Practice for Coal Seam Gas Well Integrity which has been replaced by a newer code that combines Well Integrity with the Fracture Stimulation … Read more

Coal Seam Gas – Rapid Landscape Transformation

by

Coal Seam gas transforms the landscape profoundly. This time lapse, courtesy of Google Earth Engine, visualises the change in landscape from 1984 to 2020 on Queenslands’ Western Downs. The Condamine State Forest is located top left of the image – in 2003 you can begin to to see the footprint of construction and gradually the landscape is gridded as the industry expands.

Please be aware that this is just one section of extensive gas fields. The industry is on track to drill 30,000 wells in Queensland.

In Australia, the regulatory frameworks set by each State and Territory vary widely across the country. The State of Queensland distinguishes itself both with regard to its unconventional gas reserves and the approach to exploration. The existence of favorable conditions for enterprises, both geologically and in terms of regulation, has contributed to the rapid expansion of the industry

(Measham et al., 2019)

Nine Lives for our Planet drills down into community activism

by

A fascinating panel discussion between Sue Higginson MP, Shay Dougall, Jo Evans and John Watts discussing the vital role of community activism in protecting the environment and the threats to our right to protest. This is a recording of the Avid Reader hosted event of the Brisbane Launch of Nine Lives for our Planet by … Read more

Regional Interests Development Approval (RIDA) to face challenge from farmers

by

The concerns of four farming families have been submitted to the Queensland Palaszczuk Government – the situation facing these families is that 14 coal seam gas wells are proposed to go underneath their properties via the process of deviated drilling between Dalby and Wandoan. The main concern is that the Palasczuk government’s planning rules for protecting … Read more

Maules Creek Coal Mine faces more criminal charges: Knitting Nannas report

by

When Whitehaven Coal recently faced serious criminal charges brought by the NSW EPA in a NSW Land and Environment Court trial, observers expected the Namoi region’s worst polluter to plead guilty and cop a fine. That is what Whitehaven did when its Narrabri underground mine was prosecuted in 2020 for 19 charges of causing significant … Read more

DPE rejects Santos bid to limit pipeline assessment but more scrutiny needed 

by

The NSW Department of Planning and Environment has rejected a bid by Santos to avoid cumulative impact assessment of its planned Narrabri Lateral Pipeline. In its Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (“SEARs”) issued on 9th February 2023, the Department called on Santos to consider “the potential cumulative impacts due to other developments in the vicinity (completed, … Read more

Groundwater Q&A with the EPA

by

During 2021 as Santos applied to vary their Environmental Protection Licence 20350 to downsize monitoring of groundwater in the Pilliga Forest we contacted a hydrogeologist at the EPA for answers to some of our questions. The EPA could not explain why the pH of Monitoring Point 13 rapidly dropped by 5 points (see Question 1). … Read more