Sir – Stakeholders are demanding to know why Territorians weren’t told the Tennant Creek to Mt Isa pipeline would be for export gas and would rely on NT fracking gasfields.
Jemena’s managing director Paul Adams told Sydney media last week the pipeline would likely supply gas for the LNG export projects.
Mr Adams said in an earlier press release that the NEGI pipeline provided a “catalyst to fast track development of the NT’s gas fields”.
Territorians deserves to get the full story from the pipeline company Jemena and the NT Government, that this pipeline is all about exporting our gas to Asia using risky and invasive fracking gasfields.
Already 44 million hectares of land across the Territory is approved for onshore shale gas fracking, mostly without the community having a say.
Have the people of the Territory been asked if we want to open up the Territory for tens of thousands of fracked gas wells to send the gas offshore to Asia through this proposed pipeline?
I’m hearing time and time again that NT residents want the government to take a breath and start consulting about this gas pipeline idea with full information.
In our submission, we’ve requested the full cumulative impacts of the pipeline be considered, including the impacts of the thousands of gas wells they will need to frack to keep this gas pipeline going long term.
We’re also concerned about the pollution risks from leaking gas wells, the short construction time meaning little employment outcomes, earthquake risks near Tennant Creek, and the mental health risks of Fly in Fly out work camps.
It’s disappointing the NT Government is expecting community members to spend this busy pre-Christmas season writing to the EPA about the pipeline.
Naomi Hogan (pictured)
Lock the Gate Alliance
Monday, November 18, 2024
The freedom of the press still furnishes that check upon government which no constitution has ever been able to provide – Chicago Tribune.
I just don’t understand these people. We mine, it’s what we do.
Thankfully we have some of the best environmental protections in the world, but now we have “activists” parading their moral superiority to anyone that works in industry.
Also, given the the innovative nature of business – if there are problems with the process, the only way we are going to improve is to use the process.
Also – the gas going overseas – shock horror, we export our resources – we have been doing it since European settlement.
And seriously, what is the alternative? Taxpayer funded green schemes that mean that pensioners can’t afford to heat or cool their homes.
When oldies are freezing to death in the southern states, one is given a true view of the vanity and moral posturing of these activists.
@ Another Observer. What a pathetic response to a critical point identified by Naomi Hogan.
We need more contributions like this contributed to the public discussion, thank you very much.
This is all about a dodgy industry’s efforts to expand into the Territory through spin and propaganda.
It doesn’t matter who the hell you are! The issue here is simply about telling the truth.
Something that this government, industry and online hacks like yourself seem unable to handle.
This fracking industry is going to divide the community and the average Territorian will see bugger all.
And I bet you still won’t be showing your face and putting your hand up to help out if there is an accident and the water gets buggered up.
Have I missed something, who is freezing in Australia because of the lack of gas supply in Australia?
People of the NT deserve transparency not misconstrued information.
I would much prefer tax payer funded renewable schemes than tax payer funded fossil fuel pillaging.
@ Marli Banks and @ Charles: The RET is federal – not state or territory and quite frankly the moral superiority of people to others in genuine need in our community is sickening.
26/6/15: “An 81 year old woman had been using an outdoor heater to warm the inside of her home.”
18/7/15: “A 29 year old man died after using heat beads to heat his room.”
23/6/15: “2 adults and 2 children suffered carbon monoxide poisoning after using a charcoal burner in their living room.” This is to name 3three incidents in NSW – there have been more throughout the country.
Can you imagine, that poor 81 year old lady – too frightened of her power bill to turn on her heater.
The climate change brigade want alternative energy – but is this the cost that we are willing to pay as a society?
Gas is a cheap energy source – fracking is one way to extract it.
We see the horror stories from the activists of accidents, and environmental issues – but they never show the successes – and there are many.
Also – why assume that industry is “dodgy” – how do you know that?
Professional ethics still matter in some industries.
And talk about transparency – I’m no damn supporter of Giles and his actions, but as long as people are operating within the rules as they exist (i.e. LAW) then why should “activists” be able to continually disrupt people going about their business?
And will I be putting up my hand to help out if there is an issue with the water – yes. I damn well live here too.
The cost of renewable power reduces by the day. In five years we may well look back and say why did we have this conversation.
Hopefully most of the gas will remain safely locked in the ground rather than flowing down a pipeline that has failed to pay its way.
@ Another Observer: If you’re so keen, why don’t you put your name to your posts? What have you got to hide?
Mining is cave-dweller mentality. We no loner need to mine anything in relation to providing energy requirements.
We have a big yellow ball in the daytime sky, tides that ebb and flow every 24 hours and winds of change that flow all around us.
Your weak arguments for supporting the fossil-fuel industry do not stack up. Playing the emotion card around little old ladies is pathetic.
Really just firing arrows at lightning here. You don’t need to be a futurist to see that the ever increasing quantity of energy hungry humans across the globe will eventually extinguish every finite fuel source available.
The world will eventually become emission free, but not until we’ve burned our last lump of coal or done whatever it is we do with uranium.
Has anyone else ever wondered why people were building towns / cities underwater a couple of thousand years ago? Was scuba gear more readily available then?
@ Another Observer: “We have some of the best environmental protections in the world”. Really?
As you are apparently an expert on this, perhaps you can explain to us what happened out in the Georgina.
Too hard? Okay, let’s try something easier. What’s happening with Redbank mine?
Don’t know? Okay, here’s something easy: what’s happening with the rehabilitation of Mount Todd or in fact any of the abandoned mines that continue to litter the Territory, in some cases almost a century after they closed? Are they going to even put a fence around Hatches Creek?
Not your area? Okay, why are all the trees dying around Pirlangimpi, despite there apparently being no need for an EIS for Port Melville?
For that matter, has there ever been any action taken against toxic spills into Darwin and Gove Harbors?
Too far away? How are they going with the fire at Extrata? Yeah, I know they now have a plan in place, but so does ERA.
From cyanide spills in the Tanami to tailings dam leaks all over the place, it must be recognised that the mining industry across the Territory has an appalling environmental track record.
That has been allowed to happen virtually unchecked by successive governments which embrace short term financial gain over long term environmental disaster.
A scientist from the CSIRO told a public meeting about fracking here a while ago that the industry was only going to be as safe as the regulatory regime imposed by the NT Government.
God help us.
It’s so interesting to see comments like those of ‘Another Observer’ come out of the woodwork as soon as a fracking article appears on this website.
There’s a lot of money in the Oil and Gas companies, and they spend a lot on PR.
One wonders how much they pay these people, without names, to comment on articles like this to sway public opinion.
Using appeals to emotion, authority (like the “geologist” in the comment section of another article), red herrings like “we export our resources – we have been doing it since European settlement” (ignoring the fact we only started fracking a few decades ago) and other persuasive techniques.
I’d be interested to know how many “pro-frackers” are on the payroll of PR companies contracted to oil and gas corporations. I think we’ve found another one here.
Best environmental protections in the world?? Bah. What a joke. The Hawke Report on fracking’s key finding is that fracking can take place safely in the Northern Territory, provided the appropriate regulatory and monitoring regime is in place to allay community concern.
“Provided” the appropriate regulatory regime means that we don’t have one yet. It is yet to be implemented.