Santos has escaped with a $52,500 fine for failing to report salt water spills from its Pilliga coal seam gas operations in northern New South Wales, a fraction of the maximum potential penalty of $1 million.
The level of the sanction from the NSW Land and Environment Court was roundly criticised by the Wilderness Society, which described it as “paltry". It noted that one spill involved 10,000 litres of “toxic" coal seam gas waste water that was released in the forest.
