It seems like Santos in their Narrabri areas are going through similar challenges as Metgasco went through.
http://coalseamgasnews.org/news/wor...abc-news-australian-broadcasting-corporation/
Extract:
" “It also didn’t provide for the full public participation that, had it gone through the full and rigorous legal assessment and procedures, we say ought have been applied.”
Ms Higginson said the laws that have not been applied were fundamental to environmental planning in NSW.
“[It should have had] a rigorous environmental assessment through an Environmental Impact Statement and full public participation rights,” she said.
“That means the development application should have gone on public exhibition for a minimum of 30 days, and members of the community from all over ought to have been provided the opportunity to make a submission about that development.”
Santos: Appropriate process followed
But Santos said its water treatment facility construction plans had gone through the appropriate assessment process.
Santos New South Wales energy general manager Peter Mitchley said the plant had been assessed and approved “following a rigorous and detailed assessment process… carried out in accordance with the relevant regulatory guidelines”.
In the Department of Resources and Energy’s approval in August this year, it said the Environment Protection Authority, Department of Planning and Environment, Department of Primary Industries (including DPI Water) and NSW Roads and Maritime Services, were consulted as part of the assessment.
“They are completely satisfied with the requirements, they are satisfied that it is petroleum activity, it’s integral to the extraction of the gas,” Mr Mitchley said.
“We have applied — like all of our previous activities — through the state for approval, and the different government departments then assess the application on its merits.
“That’s the process we have gone through, that’s the process the State Government thinks we should have gone through.
“We do understand [the EDO] seem to have a different interpretation of the regulations that should apply to the plant and we will let the legal process run its course.”
Story sounds very similar processes and resistance to what Metgasco has gone through during the past 10 years. What concerns me about the way this is unfolding and why it is important to Metgasco's claim for damages against the NSW State Govt:
The NSW State Govt recently selected the Santos Narrabri CSG reserves as a priority in its planning process - refer to what is mentioned in the article at the start of this thread. The article at the link I have included above mentions that the NSW Department of Resources and Energy provided Santos with approval in August 2015. Metgasco's Chairman and CEO were talking tough during August and September 2015 and for some reason since, have folded to the NSW State Govt's demands - Why?
It seems to me that by providing Santos with approval in August 2015 that the Govt has shown prejudice towards Metgasco which had obtained appropriate approvals over several years and are now asking the company to relinquish our licenses and substantial gas resources at such an inadequate value. Why is the Govt supporting Santos now and not Metgasgo? This shouldn't be how a Govt administers the policies and processes of commercial businesses.
Surely this is a double standard and how can a State Govt turn off its own policies and processes midstream like it has with Metgasgo and then turn around and support Santos and AGL in the way that they are doing? This is WRONG and unjust.
I now fear for Santos' shareholders as their Narrabri gas resources looks like they heading in the same direction as what has happened to Metgasgo as I expect at some point the NSW State Govt will do a back flip on them when the community opinion threatens their political survival.
(20min delay)