Stop new gas drilling in Australia's wild southern oceans

ConocoPhillips' plan for new gas drilling threatens the climate, First Nations’ cultural heritage and endangered species including the blue whale, southern right whale and the critically endangered orange bellied parrot.

If allowed to go ahead, this new drilling risks a spill that could impact the environmentally sensitive and culturally important coasts of Victoria and Tasmania. Even the iconic Great Ocean Road and the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area are at risk.

Right now, the public has a critical opportunity to provide feedback on ConocoPhillips' drilling plans. But you only have until 18 December to have your say. Providing feedback can ...

ConocoPhillips' plan for new gas drilling threatens the climate, First Nations’ cultural heritage and endangered species including the blue whale, southern right whale and the critically endangered orange bellied parrot.

If allowed to go ahead, this new drilling risks a spill that could impact the environmentally sensitive and culturally important coasts of Victoria and Tasmania. Even the iconic Great Ocean Road and the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area are at risk.

Right now, the public has a critical opportunity to provide feedback on ConocoPhillips' drilling plans. But you only have until 18 December to have your say. Providing feedback can be a daunting task, so we’ve prepared a template email to make the job easier.

Australia’s Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek, whose job it is to protect oceans and Australia’s threatened sea life, will be cc’d when you send your email. While fossil companies like ConocoPhillips try to ignore the community, together we can make it clear we expect our government to actually listen.

Thank you for taking action to defend Australia’s wild southern oceans from new gas drilling.

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Send an email today!

Let Australia’s offshore oil and gas regulator and the Environment Minister know you don’t support new gas drilling in Australia’s wild southern oceans.

Please add a new first paragraph to include your name, where you live and your main reason for opposing the project. This personal touch will ensure your email has to be taken seriously and isn’t disregarded as a form letter.

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Subject:

To whom it may concern,

I am writing in relation to ConocoPhillips proposed Otway Exploration Drilling Program to provide my public comment on this proposal.

I wish to advise you that I am deeply concerned about ConocoPhillips plans to drill up to six new gas wells in the oceans along Victoria’s iconic Great Ocean Road and along the coast of King Island, north of Lutruwita / Tasmania. It is particularly disturbing that the Zeehan Marine Park, recognised for its ecological significance, has not been excluded from the area where drilling might occur. I am also concerned that ConocoPhillips hasn’t identified specific drilling sites, and I believe potential environmental impacts cannot be properly assessed without this information.

Australia’s wild southern oceans have enormous environmental and cultural significance that would be put at risk by new gas drilling. These oceans are home to diverse and vulnerable marine life including the blue whale, southern right whale and pygmy blue whale which are very likely to be disturbed by drilling activity and the movement of vessels in the region. I’m also concerned about potential impacts on the critically endangered orange-bellied parrot.

Drilling in the oceans carries with it a risk of a spill event polluting the ocean and the surrounding coastline. Hydrocarbon pollution would be disastrous for the sensitive Wilderness World Heritage coastline of Lutruwita / Tasmania and the King Island environment. A spill on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road, would be devastating for local marine and coastal ecosystems, as well as Victoria’s tourism industry and reputation.

The range of ecosystems and species that could be impacted by a spill is large. It includes marine and coastal plants, marine fish and reptiles, aquatic birds and shore birds. I don’t consider it acceptable or sufficient that ConocoPhillips’ proposal could result in a more than 100 day spill, in the event of a spill that requires a relief well rig to be sourced from Asia.

ConocoPhillips could arrange to have a stand by rig in Victorian waters that could significantly reduce the duration of a spill in the event of a blow out—particularly given that ConocoPhillips has determined that a capping stack to stop the spill is too expensive and ineffective for it to provision for. The sensitive environments that could be affected by a spill warrant, at the very least, that ConocoPhillips takes all available measures (like a locally available rig and immediately locally deployable spill containment and clean up provisions) to reduce the duration of a potential spill.

Given my above environmental concerns which I do not believe have been adequately addressed in ConocoPhillips environment plan, I believe this drilling proposal must be rejected by NOPSEMA.

I would also like to express my concern that the current assessment process for new offshore oil and gas leaves consultation at the hands of industry, that systematically attempt to overwhelm communities with consultation requests, but then fail to provide answers to their questions or requests for information, or to modify their plans in response to extensive feedback from communities. I believe NOPSEMA and the Australian government need to take an active role in determining whether genuine social license exists for a project, and that the project must be rejected where it clearly does not.

Finally, I express my deep concern that the Australian government, through NOPSEMA, is still considering approving new fossil fuel projects. The climate crisis is having devastating impacts around the world and in Australia. We’ve just had our hottest year on record and the fire season for this year has started alarmingly early and is terrifying. The International Energy Agency and the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have made it absolutely clear that our world cannot afford any new fossil fuel projects.

It is apparent that communities impacted by proposals like the Otway Exploration Drilling Program do not support the ongoing (and overwhelming) expansion of offshore exploration in the oceans of the south east of Australia. These are important and sensitive marine environments and I call on the Australian Environment Minister to intervene to protect them and the communities so clearly calling for oceans and threatened species to take precedence over fossil fuel vested interests.

The Australian government and NOPSEMA should reject this drilling proposed by ConocoPhillips to protect the climate, nature and people.

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