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WA Premier Roger Cook said he remains hopeful Woodside's Browse Joint Venture gas field is still viable, despite environmental concerns.
It comes after Nine newspapers revealed WA's Environmental Protection Agency had sent a letter to Woodside with a preliminary view the gas project was "unacceptable".
What's next?
Talks are continuing between Woodside and the EPA about the concerns.
A $30 billion gas project off the coast of Western Australia should not go ahead if regulators deem it too environmentally damaging for species like whales and turtles, according to the state's premier.
But WA Premier Roger Cook said he hoped the Browse Joint Venture, a gas field 425 kilometres offshore from Broome under a large coral reef system, would be green lit to provide both a domestic gas supply for the state and liquid natural gas exports to Asia.
The stance comes after a report in Nine newspapers revealed WA's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had sent a letter to the project proponent, Woodside, in February with a preliminary view the proposal was "unacceptable".
Mr Cook said Woodside would continue to talk with the EPA about its concerns.
"The EPA are there to assess these projects and make sure that we can mitigate against any negative impacts on the environment," he said.
"And that's why they are obviously in deep discussion with Woodside in relation to that project."
What are the environmental concerns?
The EPA has been assessing the Browse joint venture since 2018.
The project's proximity to Scott Reef has raised concerns from state and federal government departments and conservationists due to its potential impacts to migrating pygmy blue whales, a resident nesting sea turtle population and the hundreds of fish and invertebrate species found at the site.
The closest planned drilling infrastructure would be about 3km from the reef which could lead to significant impacts on the reef in the unlikely case of an oil or hydrocarbon spill.
WA's Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions has also been concerned that a sandy islet that turtles nest on might sink, in a process known as subsidence, because of gas extraction.
Feedback provided from the department to the EPA, and published in December, stated permanent impacts from subsidence could be considered unacceptable.
An EPA spokesperson would not comment about the regulator's current position but said the environmental impact assessment for Browse had been lengthy because of the complexity and number of environmental factors involved.
"It should also be noted that the eight-week public review early in 2020 attracted more than 19,900 submissions," they said.
"The proponent didn't finalise its responses to these submissions until November.
"The EPA expects to publish its report and recommendations in 2025."
Loading...What happens next?
Following the final EPA report, a decision on the project would be made by the WA Environment Minister Reece Whitby.
There would also need to be a federal approval from his national counterpart Tanya Plibersek.
But even if the EPA does recommend a refusal of a project, the state government can still grant an approval.
A 2006 recommendation by the EPA to not build the $54 billion Gorgon Gas Project on a Pilbara island nature reserve, because of impacts on sea turtles and other species, was set aside by the Carpenter government.
To offset the environmental impacts the WA government gave a commitment to create more marine parks elsewhere in the region and required a funding contribution to conservation projects from the gas developer Chevron.
A Woodside spokesperson said Browse, discovered 50 years ago by the company, would be an important resource for Asia energy security and when WA hit a domestic gas shortfall in the early 2030s.
"Browse is aligned with the Federal Government's Future Gas Strategy that acknowledges the pivotal role of natural gas in Australia to 2050 and beyond, to firm renewables and support the economy as Australia makes the transition to net zero emissions," they said.
The International Energy Agency — to which Australia is a member state — has recommended that, outside of projects committed to by 2021, no new oil or gas projects be developed if the world is to meet net zero emissions by 2050 and limit the average global temperature increase.
If approvals are received, Woodside plans to start Browse in 2030 and operate it for about 44 years.
Browse has been the subject of a conservationist campaign from groups like the WA Conservation Council and Greenpeace concerned about impacts to the reef and the contribution of the drilled gas to a warming climate when burned.
Greenpeace WA campaigner Geoff Bice said decision makers should knock back Browse following the preliminary EPA view.
"It's incumbent now on the state Environment Minister Reece Whitby and the federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to reject this project and to make sure that our reefs, our oceans, our endangered species are properly protected," he said.
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