Member for Barwon Roy Butler has welcomed the news that Far West gas exploration ‘is off the table.’
The release last week of the NSW government’s Future of Gas Statement sees the extinguishing of the ‘zombie’ Petroleum Exploration Licences that covered the land surrounding Coonamble, Baradine, Gilgandra and Coonabarabran. The only PELs that remain active enable the Narrabri gas project.
“The extinguishing of the zombie PELs is a hard fought win for these communities, they’ve lived with the uncertainty of gas exploration and extraction on their land for far too long – I welcome the certainty that this decision brings,” said Mr Butler.
“The NSW Liberal – National government has been dragged kicking and screaming to this point by the community. It shouldn’t have gone on for this long.
“The PELs that remain enable the Narrabri gas project and really set it up for future expansion based on a number of facts that have been proven wrong and inaccurate several times over.
“The Future of Gas Statement spurts data directly from reports commissioned and paid for by the proponent of the Narrabri project – Santos, they’ve never been independently verified by the NSW government and yet here we have the government justifying its support of the gas industry in NSW on the basis of false information,” Mr Butler said.
“The NSW government is still misreading the room on Narrabri gas – we have just been through the worst drought in living memory which showed us just how important groundwater is and our regional communities know how important groundwater is – punching through those groundwater aquifers to get gas places the entire future of Narrabri and surrounds at enormous risk. For gas that isn’t worth it.
“I implore everyone to keep at it, keep voicing your opposition.”
See more like this:
- Govt confirms key role of Narrabri gas project
- Agriculture Minister welcomes removal of PELS from Moree area
- Member for Barwon Roy Butler meets Narrabri constituents
