The Conservation Council of WA has reaffirmed its rejection of Woodside’s Browse gas proposal, even in light of revised plans before the WA Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which it says simply “tinkers around the edges”.
These changes include reducing the size of the development envelope to 78km2, to avoid overlapping parts of the heritage-listed Scott Reef.
Executive Director Matt Roberts said the revision was a “smoke and mirrors exercise” and in no way altered the threat posed by the Browse proposal to the fragile and pristine Scott Reef.
“Drilling will still be taking place unacceptably close to this unique marine ecosystem, which includes Sandy Islet, a critical nesting ground for endangered green sea turtles. Gas drilling is highly likely to cause subsidence of the ocean floor, potentially submerging this tiny atoll altogether,” Mr Roberts said.
“And as the revised proposal states, there is no change to the area of direct or indirect seabed disturbance estimates; subsidence is not addressed in any detail.
“While Woodside has significantly lowered the envelope of its drilling field, we’re still talking about an area four times the size of Rottnest Island (Wadjemup). Its initial plans for a 1,220km2 envelope was all about going in with outrageously large number, then scaling the project back to paint itself as a good corporate citizen.
“There is no reduction in the amount of gas they plan to extract from beneath this unique marine habitat, or the emissions that will be generated by the project. In essence, nothing has changed, Woodside has simply wrapped it up in a nice green ribbon.”
Mr Roberts said the WA EPA has already found the Browse proposal poses unacceptable risks to endangered pygmy blue whales, the green sea turtle and other threatened marine species at Scott Reef.
“Woodside’s revised proposal does nothing to mitigate the risk that gas extraction could cause the seabed to subside, potentially rendering Sandy Islet underwater and unusable for turtle nesting.
“Worst of all, Woodside’s Browse Gas proposal still entails the risk of a major oil spill catastrophically impacting the reef.
“In 2009, the Montara oil spill almost reached Scott Reef, which was only saved thanks to a chance change in prevailing winds and tides. At the start of this year, Santos was found guilty of another oil spill off the Pilbara coast that killed dolphins.
“Just two days ago, the offshore oil and gas regulator ordered Santos to stop drilling for their Barossa gas project due to a failure in the equipment that prevents oil spills from occurring. Offshore oil and gas drilling is inherently dangerous.
“And yet Woodside is comfortable labelling the risk to Scott Reef from an oil spill as ‘only a mere theoretical possibility.’ If a spill occurs, the impacts could be catastrophic.
“This revised proposal is simply artful deception – gambling with the future of Australia’s largest offshore coral reef, a haven for marine life found nowhere else on earth - that could result in catastrophic impacts that do irreparable damage to this pristine wilderness forever.
“There is no way to mitigate the unacceptable risks Browse gas poses to Scott Reef. The proximity of the project to the incredible natural values of the Scott Reef system which are at risk from oil spills, subsidence and disturbance from the operations is untenable. The only option is to reject it,” Mr Roberts added.
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