<
https://reneweconomy.com.au/new-legal-challenge-emerges-as-woodside-gas-plan-declared-worse-than-all-australias-coal-plants/>
"Analysis by The Australia Institute says the emissions from Woodside’s Burrup
Hub expansion – which is on track to be waved through by federal Labor’s new
environment minister – would be greater than all the emissions from all of
Australia’s coal power stations each year.
Rod Campbell, research director at The Australia Institute said emissions from
Western Australian gas exports “are making WA, Australia and the rest of the
world hotter, and disasters like fires and floods more frequent and extreme.”
“Ordinary Western Australians are paying the price of the damage to our climate
caused by multinational gas corporations exporting WA’s gas,” Campbell said.
“They are paying in higher insurance premiums, disaster costs and the erosion
of our quality of life.”
Federal Labor’s newly appointed environment minister Murray Watt has been in
Perth for talks with WA’s Labor government, along with industry, conservation
and Indigenous groups, about Woodside’s extension plans.
Senator Watt had cleared the deck of last-minute challenges to a Woodside
Energy proposal to extend the life of the ageing gas processing facility out
past 2070 and says he will make a decision to approve or reject it by May 31.
Environmental groups who had written to the Department of Climate Change,
Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) asking the minister to reconsider
the proposal have had their applications rejected.
An application by Greenpeace was rejected on the basis that it “did not include
any substantial new information” about the possible impacts on listed
threatened species and communities, listed migratory species or Commonwealth
Marine Areas.
Another request by the Environmental Council of Central Queensland (ECoCeQ)
asking the minister to reconsider the climate impacts of the development was
also refused.
But news emerged on Friday that a Traditional Owner has launched legal action
to compel Watt to act on her bid to protect sacred rock art, creating a
potential hurdle to his decision process.
Mardathoonera woman Raelene Cooper wants the Senator to make a determination on
her application to protect Murujuga rock art from the impacts of industrial
developments at Woodside’s Burrup Hub, which includes North West Shelf.
Cooper says the federal government has ignored her application for three years
and she is “sick of waiting” for it to do its job, prompting her application to
the Federal Court.
“Now I understand the new minister is preparing to approve Woodside’s North
West Shelf extension, which will be a death sentence for the oldest and largest
rock art site on earth,” she said."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
