Woodside clears land for gas hub, prior to final Federal Government approval

No Gas Campaign

24th July – With the assistance of the WA Police Force, drillers are moving the rig further up the Manari Road but are not having any luck in obtaining good core samples. According to a media release by the Australian Conservation Foundation, they have expressed serious concerns about the large scale land clearing at James Price Point, prior to final Federal Government approval.

“Land clearing should not be going ahead prior to a rigorous State and Federal Government Environmental Impact Assessment process,” said the Australian Conservation Foundation Kimberley Project Officer Wade Freeman.

“ACF is concerned this project may damage invaluable dinosaur footprints along the coastline. It is premature for Woodside to be clearing land, as well as moving offshore jack-up (ocean drilling) rigs to James Price Point, before Federal Government approval. The Federal Environment Minister should intervene to put an immediate halt to this premature development at James Price Point and make sure the right and proper processes are followed.

The natural and cultural values of the Kimberley are simply too great for major industrialisation and all the impacts that will flow from it for the Kimberley region. There should be a renewed effort to find appropriate alternative sites for processing the gas outside the Kimberley.”