News

Serious incidents explode Santos’ claims of safe operator

Serious incidents explode Santos’ claims of safe operator

News of the purchase of the Queensland Hunter Gas Pipeline (QHGP) by Santos for an undisclosed amount has put the gas producer’s safety record under scrutiny. Santos’ safety culture has been repeatedly questioned,  the most recent serious incident occurring on 5th July when dismantling a Santos oil rig off Varanus Island on the Western Australian coast. Australian Workers' Union National Secretary Daniel Walton described the incident as one of the “most horrifically scary accidents” the union has ever seen in the WA resources industry. He told 9 NEWS “It seems to be a race…continue reading →
Gas industry attempt to use BTEX chemicals averted by community pressure

Gas industry attempt to use BTEX chemicals averted by community pressure

An application by QGC and Shell to use BTEX-laced synthetic drilling muds during exploration has been averted following community opposition. QGC/Shell applied to the Department of Environment & Science in Queensland in early June to be given approval to use the currently banned BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene) compounds in synthetic drilling muds under its Authority to Prospect (ATP 645) on the Western Darling Downs near Glenmorgan. BTEX is a serious groundwater contaminant with public health implications. The 150-page application was produced by AECOM, an American multinational engineering consultancy. After becoming aware of…continue reading →
NSW Government deceives farmers and quietly reduces CSG areas by 77% while Santos delay Phase 1

NSW Government deceives farmers and quietly reduces CSG areas by 77% while Santos delay Phase 1

The NSW Government has sent a clear signal to would-be investors in the coal seam gas industry in NSW by slashing 77% off the area designated for exploration. Just four Petroleum Exploration Licences (PELs) out of 12 have quietly been renewed by Deputy Premier and Resources Minister Paul Toole MP, a Government backflip that has placed some of the best agricultural country in Australia under gas exploration licences. Minister Toole chose the day before Easter to renew the hugely controversial Liverpool Plains PELs 1 & 12 and the Pilliga Narrabri Gas Project PEL…continue reading →
Santos declares war on Gomeroi Native Title over Narrabri Pilliga gas field

Santos declares war on Gomeroi Native Title over Narrabri Pilliga gas field

In a declaration of war against the cultural heritage of the Gomeroi Traditional Owners of the Pilliga Forest, Santos Ltd will challenge the Gomeroi Nation in the Native Title Tribunal at the Federal Court on 8 April 2022 over an overwhelming decision by the Nation to block the Narrabri Pilliga Gas Project. The decision at the Meeting of the Nation from 22 to 25 March 2022 showed that support for Santos within the Gomeroi is extremely small in numbers. Gomeroi Native Title applicants have called on Santos to abandon its coal seam gas…continue reading →
NWPA present their objection to the Narrabri Stage 3 Coal Mine Expansion to the IPC

NWPA present their objection to the Narrabri Stage 3 Coal Mine Expansion to the IPC

Thank you for the opportunity to come before the IPC, to contribute to the case against approving the Narrabri Stage 3 expansion. I’m Johanna Evans and I represent North West Protection Advocacy, a grassroots environmental advocacy group which is committed to preserving the cultural and ecological values of the Pilliga Forest. I pay my respects to the Elders of Gomeroi/Gamillaraay Country, past present & emerging. It’s inconceivable to us that this project has made it this far based on its greenhouse gas emissions alone. Madam Chair and Commissioners, Stage 3 has been described…continue reading →
Independent film ‘The Pilliga Project’ set to launch this Friday in Redfern

Independent film ‘The Pilliga Project’ set to launch this Friday in Redfern

‘The Pilliga Project’ film by Natalie Haddad is about the threat of Santos’s destructive Narrabri gas project to the Pilliga forest and Australia’s food and water. The gas project will have ripple effects across NSW and Australia, threatening our food and water supply. Protecting the forest will protect Australia’s water supply for generations. During the hot summer of December-January 2020/21 humans from Extinction Rebellion traveled on multiple occasions to the Pilliga forest, attending events, tours and workshops in an effort to immerse themselves into understanding of the diverse, complex and multi-layered Pilliga campaign.…continue reading →

NSW Industrial Footprint Map (December 2022)

This map shows the combined footprint of gas pipelines, coal seam gas PELs, inland rail, renewable energy zones, special activation precincts, proposed gas-fired/hydrogen power stations and floating LNG terminals in NSW. Some of this infrastructure is in the proposal stage. Mapping of the coal seam gas PELs in NSW is now complete and there has been a 77% reduction available in the area available for coal seam gas mining with four of the twelve PELs renewed. Narrabri Gas The project involves the progressive development of a coal seam gas field over 20 years…continue reading →
Serial polluter Santos vents methane and is not charged for extra emissions

Serial polluter Santos vents methane and is not charged for extra emissions

By Johanna Evans Load based licensing is a way of charging for polluting. Some activities cause more pollution than others and are therefore charged accordingly. You would expect the licence fee (Environmental Protection Licence or “EPL”) to fluctuate, as in some years more emissions may occur due to different activities undertaken by the operator. One example of this is when a gas company operates a workover rig on its existing wells. These types of rigs perform maintenance such as clearing downhole blockages and pump replacement and are known to generally increase emissions. North…continue reading →
UPDATED: EPA tells Whitehaven Coal to go-ahead and bury tyres, on Aboriginal Land

UPDATED: EPA tells Whitehaven Coal to go-ahead and bury tyres, on Aboriginal Land

UPDATE: Since we published this blog article on Whitehaven Coal tyre landfill scandal, the NSW Aboriginal Land Council has been reported by ABC News Tamworth as having APPROVED the burial of mining tyres in land owned by Gunnedah’s Red Chief Local Aboriginal Land Council. Read the ABC News update on the outrageous decision of the NSW Environmental Protection Authority giving the all-clear to Whitehaven Coal for this preposterous development HERE The NSW EPA has been captured by the coal industry in north west NSW, giving the OK to conduct mass burial of mining…continue reading →