News

Whitehaven Lawyers Foreshadow Board to Consider Guilty Plea in Fume Cases

Whitehaven Lawyers Foreshadow Board to Consider Guilty Plea in Fume Cases

This week  (Thursday, 31st October), the day after Whitehaven Coal’s 2024 Annual General Meeting, the company’s lawyers are set to make sentencing pleas in relation to four recent convictions in the blasting case that caused workers at Idemitsu’s Boggabri Coal mine to be sent to hospital. Typically this would see the company argue for clemency and mitigation of the penalty, which is expected to climb since the company’s last prosecution where it was fined $200,000 for unlawfully capturing a billion litres of water during the 2016-2019 drought. In response to questions from The…continue reading →
Blasting obscenity: Court’s verdict finds Maules Creek mine guilty on all counts

Blasting obscenity: Court’s verdict finds Maules Creek mine guilty on all counts

The long-awaited judgment in NSW Environment Protection Authority’s prosecution of Maules Creek Coal mine blast, which caused the nearby Boggabri Coal mine to evacuate workers in the path of horrendous shockwaves and a wall of dust and fumes, has been delivered by Justice Sarah Pritchard of the NSW Land and Environment Court. 896,256kg (or around 1,000 tonnes) of explosives were used in the offending blast.Justice Pritchard finds the Whitehaven Coal-operated mine guilty of all 4 criminal charges prosecuted by the EPA, concluding that the mine did not blast in a competent manner in…continue reading →
Santos’ Pilliga Gasfield Still Leaking

Santos’ Pilliga Gasfield Still Leaking

The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) conducted an Optical Gas Imaging inspection in the Pilliga Forest in June 2024. This inspection was an opportunity to follow up on the work done in eastern New South Wales and Queensland by Clean Air Task Force and ACF in 2023. https://youtu.be/4YnimjwGzSg Several pieces of equipment were found to be leaking or deliberately emitting gases such as methane and hydrogen sulphide. Santos were quick to criticise the findings from the camera in 2023 instead of using the findings to improve their operations. We call on Santos to institute…continue reading →
Gasfield in a Forest Tour – September 2024

Gasfield in a Forest Tour – September 2024

As part of the upcoming Pilliga Ultra Marathon, NWPA have committed to providing a guided “Gasfield in a Forest” Tours, travelling into the threatened Pilliga Forest as part of the three day event being held at the Pilliga Pottery. Friday 13th September 2024.8:00am (depart Pottery) – 1:30pm Tour Guides Johanna Evans, North West Protection Advocacy founding member and gas industry commentator, investigator and communicator Anna Christie, researcher and founding member Leard Forest Research Node citizen science hub monitoring coal and gas expansion in Narrabri region Itinerary 9:00am Meet at X-Line Rd, corner Newell…continue reading →
Pilliga GasWatch Inspection – June 2024

Pilliga GasWatch Inspection – June 2024

Santos retreat from their drilling ambitions in New South Wales A recent update from the desk of the Santos Narrabri Operations Team has confirmed rumours that the company is slowing down its operations in NSW. The update states “No further drilling activities in 2024”. NWPA recently went into the forest on one of our regular Pilliga GasWatch Inspections to find out more.* Phase 1 of the Narrabri Gas Project officially commenced in February 2023 after a delay between when approval was granted, but since then only two well pads have been cleared and…continue reading →
Santos accompany NSW EPA on pollution report inspection in the Pilliga

Santos accompany NSW EPA on pollution report inspection in the Pilliga

During our March 2024 post-fire Pilliga forest inspection at Bohena South 1 NWPA observed numerous pieces of burnt irrigation equipment including fibreglass rods, polycrete blocks, tech screws, bolts and plastic HDPE pipes. The area around the well site Bohena South 1 was littered with the remnants of Santos’ equipment. Evidence of burnt rubbish – fibreglass rodEvidence of burnt rubbish – HDPE pipeEvidence of burnt rubbish – fibreglass rodEvidence of burnt rubbish – melted plasticEvidence of burnt rubbish – metal screwEvidence of burnt rubbish – plastic EPA GIPA 964 Meeting minutes detailing the extent…continue reading →
Urgent Reforms Needed as EPBC Act Fails

Urgent Reforms Needed as EPBC Act Fails

Article is the fourth in a series written by Kyogle Environment Group The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) is facing scrutiny amidst a backdrop of concerning environmental degradation. As native species vanish and habitats shrink at an alarming rate, urgent reforms are needed. Under the stewardship of the Federal Minister for the Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek, the EPBC Act is undergoing a comprehensive overhaul as part of the Department’s Nature Positive Plan. This is the most significant evaluation of the Act since it began in 1999, with three…continue reading →
Tell Tanya Plibersek what you think of her “Nature Positive” reforms

Tell Tanya Plibersek what you think of her “Nature Positive” reforms

The Albanese government is planning reforms with the catchy title of “Nature Positive” but in reality the proposed laws will open the floodgates for clearing of native vegetation and destruction of habitat which is likely to turbocharge Australia’s climate crisis and result in further biodiversity collapse. Deadline: Sunday, 31st March 2024 Remind Tanya Plibersek’s her reforms will do NOTHING to prevent a repetition of the scandalous destruction of critically endangered habitat as occurred at the Leard State Forest, when a previous Labor Government approved coal mines to excavate and destroy white box grassy…continue reading →
Post bushfire in the Pilliga Forest and what Santos are doing

Post bushfire in the Pilliga Forest and what Santos are doing

Following on from the aerial observations conducted over the Pilliga in January 2024, Northwest Protection Advocacy recently spent four days in the Pilliga Forest in an effort to observe and document the impact of the Duck Creek bushfire on the forest and Santos’ infrastructure. The days were very hot with extreme UV, with the forest floor in some places reaching 45° – 50°+ in the late afternoon. Our inspections explicitly show that despite Santos’ claims to the media that the Pilliga fire did not pose a risk to “facilities” the fire encroached right…continue reading →
Unravelling the Private Native Forestry Puzzle: Kyogle Council at the crossroads

Unravelling the Private Native Forestry Puzzle: Kyogle Council at the crossroads

Article is the third in a series written by Kyogle Environment Group The proposed Local Environmental Plan (LEP) Amendment, seeking to eliminate Dual Consent and exempt Private Native Forestry (PNF) from the Development Application (DA) process on RU1 zoned land, is poised to enter a pivotal phase. The Department of Planning & Environment is now tasked with determining the fate of this planning proposal, a decision that continues to evoke concerns on multiple fronts. A shroud of secrecy envelops private property logging, and the Local Land Services (LLS), responsible for greenlighting PNF plans,…continue reading →