Western Australia’s environmental watchdog has recommended Chevron pull staff from expert panels governing quarantine at its Gorgon gas project on Barrow Island to prevent their impartiality from being compromised.
For just shy of a decade, the US giant has operated a gas export plant on the island — which spans 235-square kilometres off the Pilbara coast and has served as a Class A nature reserve for more than a century.
Chevron’s Gorgon LNG plant on Barrow Island off Western Australia.
Despite the impacts of the proposal being deemed environmentally unacceptable by the Environmental Protection Agency, Chevron’s bid to construct the $88 billion plant was granted by the state government back in 2003.
The approval hinged on the company adhering to a list of strict conditions to protect the island’s native animals and plants, including the creation of scientific expert panels to oversee quarantine and monitoring of at-risk marine turtles at the site.
Both panels, which are helmed by an independent chairperson, were tasked with briefing both Chevron and the state government on the status of protection efforts at the island.
But an inquiry requested by Environment Minister Reece Whitby has recommended representatives from both Chevron and the regulator be stripped of their full membership and attend only as observers over concerns their inclusion could pose a risk to its objectivity.
In a report published on Wednesday — two years after the request was lodged — the Environmental Protection Authority ruled the conditions governing the panels did not adequately outline structures and processes that facilitated diverse views without jeopardising scientific integrity.
“This balance is crucial for achieving sustainable development goals, and ensuring consistency with the principles of transparency, accountability, and sustainability that underpin good environmental governance,” the report found.
As recommended under the original approval, one-third of the nine-person marine turtle expert panel is made up of Chevron’s own representatives, as well as two staff members from state and federal environmental departments and four independent experts.
Meanwhile, the company has two representatives serving on the eight-person panel devoted to overseeing quarantine at the site.
A Chevron spokesperson told this masthead the panels had played an important role in the environmental management of Barrow Island and the company would engage with the state government to implement the proposed changes.
“In accordance with the Ministerial conditions, the panels each have had an independent chair and are constituted of representatives of State and Commonwealth regulators, independent experts, and Chevron Australia,” the spokesperson said.
“We were consulted as part of the EPA’s review and did not oppose the proposed changes to the membership of the panels.
“We will continue to engage with the Minister for Environment as the amended conditions are finalised.”
The development comes just over 18 months after WAtoday revealed the environmental regulator had launched a probe into environmental failures of the project.
The revelation stemmed from a request lodged under Freedom of Information laws, which was refused because the release of the documents could prejudice an investigation relating to the possible contravention of the law.
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