The Conservation Council of WA (CCWA) has described the ‘Statement of Reasons’ for Environment Minister Murray Watt’s approval of the extension of Woodside’s North West Shelf (NWS) export gas plant until 2070 as “grim reading”.
CCWA Executive Director Matt Roberts has called on Minister Watt to make critical changes in the upcoming federal nature law reforms to address failures which allowed approval of the extension despite serious environmental concerns.
“The Federal NWS extension statement of reasons released this week highlights two really critical things. One is that the WA’s Ministerial conditions on the NWS are weak and fail entirely to protect the World Heritage listed Murujuga rock art. And two, we need to take politics and backroom negotiations over conditions out of the process,” Mr Roberts said.
“Our environmental laws are there to protect nature and heritage and too often they are sidelined to facilitate dirty and dangerous projects like the NWS.
“We stand by Save Our Songlines and Traditional Owners in their efforts to stop Woodside's emissions from further damaging Murujuga.
“The Statement of Reasons clearly identifies that the conditions are not what best practice calls for, yet after 15 weeks of lobbying by Woodside, Minister Watt rolled over and weakened the conditions before final approval was given.
“This decision is the clearest demonstration of why we need an Independent Federal Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) which can make the best decisions on projects that genuinely protect nature and climate, rather than a Minister who simply bows to corporate pressure.
“Woodside has gone through the Minister’s statement with a fine-tooth comb and argued against a large number of measures that would require it to take additional actions to limit greenhouse gas and other noxious emissions.
“This statement speaks volumes about the gross inadequacy of the project’s emissions reduction requirements and the WA government’s conditions, putting shareholder profits before climate, nature and First Nations’ culture.
“Time and time again we see stronger federal conditions for WA projects highlighting the deficiencies of the state environment laws and processes reflective of a state captured by mining oil and gas interests.
“It also notes an active investigation into the processing of third-party gas at the NWS plant, which is a breach of Woodside’s current approved operating conditions.
“Despite all but seven of the nearly 20,000 submissions made to the EPA being against the proposal, along with a long list of concerns as noted in detail by Minister Watt, approval was granted.
“Most galling of all was the fact that in many cases Woodside didn’t even provide a reason for dismissing many of the conditions as being unachievable.
“We need reforms to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act
(EPBC) that are meaningful, enforceable and require the best possible decisions to be made to protect our environment and climate, not decisions that are open for negotiation behind closed doors with fossil fuel companies.”