Santos wants approval for the Narrabri Lateral Pipeline, which links the Narrabri Gas Project to the Hunter Gas Pipeline and the east coast gas network. We have been expecting they would lodge an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) – it is after all a high pressure pipeline requiring approximately a 30m clearing for 60km – a lot of it through the Pilliga forest which is home to many endangered species.

But Santos is trying to skip the usual EIS process by arguing to the federal Environment Minister that the pipeline construction is not a “controlled action”, ie it will not have significant impact on the environment. We think you’ll agree that the Minister should insist on a proper environmental assessment because of the risks of harm to threatened species, communities and water resources.

We can make comments to the federal Minister until 18 December. 

Please check out Lock the Gate’s submission guide and make a comment – it does not have to be long – just say YES to the question – Do you consider this a controlled action? then briefly describe your reasons as per the submission guide.