Member for Barwon, Roy Butler is calling on the NSW Government to commit to an inquiry into aspects of New South Wales water management and their impacts on the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

Mr Butler’s call for an independent inquiry comes after consultation with communities, irrigators, graziers, towns, water researchers and ecologists, all of whom raised serious concerns about government decision making in relation to water management.

“I’m calling for an inquiry to restore public confidence, and identify how certain decisions contributed to the current conditions in western NSW,” said Mr Butler. 

“I have discussed the inquiry with Minister Pavey and provided her with the draft Terms of Reference. In our conversation, I emphasised that this inquiry is needed to restore the public’s confidence in the NSW water planning and management processes.

 A number of articles appeared in the news this week click the link to read them all.
Summary
Santos providing requested information about Narrabri project: Barwon MP
Barwon MP Roy Butler still concerned about CSG impact on Narrabri groundwater despite Santos ...
Govt to talk land acquisitions along Narromine to Narrabri with farmers for Inland Rail
Barwon MP Roy Butler still concerned about CSG impact on Narrabri groundwater despite Santos ...
Whitehaven growth defies softening coal markets
Community celebrates NAIDOC
More Dividends Likely From Whitehaven Coal
Safety first for Whitehaven
The ARTC will begin meeting with affected landowners in the Narromine section
Rail crossing danger concerns resident
 

The NSW government has blasted Santos for ramping up public pressure to secure approval for a $3 billion coal seam gas project, with Deputy Premier John Barilaro warning he "won't be pushed around".

Mr Barilaro, who also serves as Resources Minister, said the energy giant was to blame for any delays to the Narrabri Gas Project in north-western NSW.

Boggabri Coal will be able to transport small amounts of coal by road and realign its mine boundaries under approval from the Independent Planning Commission (IPC).

On Monday, the IPC signed off on modifications to five parts of the company's existing project approval for Boggabri Coal Mine including a coal stockpile area, drilling and exploration in the approved disturbance area, and an extension of the time frame for securing biodiversity offsets.

SANTOS has been slammed for refusing to provide the NSW government with the requested information about its coal seam gas development near Narrabri.

The gas giant recently responded to the concerns of various organisations, including 14 government agencies, in its Supplementary Response to Submissions.

In the report, Santos refused more than a dozen specific requests for information and commitments from the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA), the Rural Fire Service, and Narrabri council.

Narrabri farmer and Lock the Gate spokeswoman Sally Hunter said the company had refused the RFS's request to not flare gas during catastrophic bushfire conditions.

"This shows an extraordinary and reckless disregard for the safety of our community," she said.

"Santos has also refused the EPA's request to assess the capacity of landfill facilities to accommodate huge volumes of salt waste with potentially high concentrations of metals and other contaminants.

"It has refused Narrabri council's request that it obtain environmental insurance for offsite and long-term environmental harms, despite this being a recommendation made by the NSW Chief Scientist for all coal seam gas operations."

An NSW Department of Planning and Environment spokesperson said the company's response was being reviewed, in consultation with the relevant government agencies.

"In finalising its assessment, the Department may request additional information from Santos before referring the proposal to the Independent Planning Commission, which will make the final decision," they said.

"The Department wants to ensure a rigorous and comprehensive assessment is undertaken, given the complex nature of the application and the high level of community interest."

Santos did not respond to the Leader's request for comment.

Farmers and concerned citizens in north west NSW say the latest submission made by Santos about its controversial Narrabri CSG project is “arrogant” and “dangerous”, with the company refusing to provide information and commitments requested by the State Government and Narrabri Council.

Santos recently submitted a “Supplementary Response to Submissions” to 14 NSW Government agencies’ requests for information, data, and commitments from the gas company regarding the environmental risks of its proposed coal seam gas project.

Community resistance from a small town has left the future of a large scale pipeline project in question, writes Johanna Evans.

THE AUSTRALIAN PIPELINE ASSOCIATION (APA) has appeared to shelve their proposal for the high-pressure Western Slopes CSG Pipeline ahead of their upcoming AGM to be held in Sydney on 25 October 2018. The 460km coal seam gas pipeline (also known as “the head of the snake”) will link the Santos Narrabri Gas Project (NGP) to the Moomba/Sydney bi-directional pipeline that takes gas to the Curtis Island LNG plant for export.

In a recent release on their website, APA states:

WATER levels in Lake Keepit and Split Rock Dam could fall to as a low as 2 per cent and 5 per cent by the end of the year.

Santos has been fined by the NSW environmental watchdog for using water from its controversial $3 billion coal seam gas project for irrigation without approval.

The energy company copped a fine of $1500 by the Environment Protection Authority for using treated water from its Narrabri project in the state's north to irrigate lucerne on its own land.

Analysts say four proposed new gas import terminals around Australia have ended Santos’ contentious NSW Narrabri coal seam gas project.

Santos’ Narrabri project is a proposed $3 billion gas operation that has been consistently opposed by environmental groups, and now Macquarie Bank analysts believe the rise of Australian gas import terminals will end all potential government support.