- WA EPA refers Woodside Browse carbon pollution dumping proposal to seven day public comment period
- Dangerous and expensive carbon pollution dumping CCS has never been allowed in Australia's ocean
- Woodside propose drilling 7 carbon dumping sites as part of Browse/Scott Reef fossil fuel project
- The Browse carbon dumping proposal required state and federal environmental law decisions to proceed.
The Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has accepted a joint referral by the Conservation Council of WA and Greenpeace Australia Pacific on Woodside's high-risk Browse Basin carbon dumping, also referred to as a Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project.
The Australian Marine Conservation Society, Fossil Fuel Campaign Manager Louise Morris said, "We welcome the opportunity to make submissions on this dangerous and costly proposal to dump carbon pollution under our ocean. The EPA must assess this carbon dumping proposal at the highest level due to the extreme threats it poses. Carbon dumping CCS has never been allowed to take place in Australian waters and the Browse Scott Reef proposal cannot be the first dumping proposal approved under state or federal environment laws."
"The joint referral argued that carbon dumping CCS could have profound impacts on marine ecosystems around Scott Reef. It threatens critical habitat for the endangered green sea turtle, endemic dusky sea snake and endangered pygmy blue whale that rely on Scott Reef as a feeding ground, and should be fully assessed by the WA EPA."
"The WA EPA has now put the referral on this proposal to dump carbon pollution, associated with the plans for up to 50 gas wells around Scott Reef, out to public comment for seven days, with the submission period closing on 24 September. AMCS will be making clear submissions on the environmental risks from this carbon dumping proposal, citing the numerous failures seen in a handful of international projects which have all failed in various ways, and proven immensely costly to the environment, communities and the public purse," said Ms Morris.
The Woodside Browse carbon pollution dumping proposal includes drilling and completion of up to seven CCS wells. The proposal also includes up to 130km of a subsea CO2 injection flowline, supporting subsea infrastructure and ongoing seismic blasting every 5 years to monitor for leaks, and changes in the subsea floor structure associated from stresses of carbon dumping.
"The alliance of environmental groups including the Australian Marine Conservation Society, CCWA, Greenpeace, Australian Conservation Foundation and Environs Kimberley have made it clear that ongoing seismic blasting from the carbon dumping project, and risk of CO2 blowouts, would have immediate impacts on Scott Reef and the surrounding ocean ecosystem, and is an unacceptable threat to this fragile marine ecosystem," concluded Ms Morris.
Header image: Manta at Scott Reef. Nush Freedman Photography
