By Peter Milne
West Australian Premier Roger Cook has walked back a commitment he made to block Woodside’s Browse gas project if WA’s independent environment watchdog found it posed unacceptable environmental risk.
Cook was quizzed about the $30 billion development off the Kimberley coast on Monday after this masthead revealed the state’s Environmental Protection Authority told Woodside in February that its preliminary view was the proposal off the Kimberley coast was unacceptable.
People rallied at WA’s Parliament House on Tuesday against the Browse development and against any move to weaken the EPA.
The EPA’s concerns included risks of noise impacting endangered whales, destruction of a nesting site for endangered turtles and an oil spill damaging the Scott Reef.
The premier was asked, “Should it go ahead if the EPA finds an unacceptable risk of an oil spill or threat to whales and turtles?”
“No, it certainly shouldn’t,” was his immediate response.
Greenpeace Australia chief executive David Ritter welcomed the statement as reassurance the WA government would listen to environmental experts.
“We thank Premier Cook for his stance,” Ritter said, calling on the premier and federal environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to block the project.
“ Allowing Woodside to drill for gas underneath a reef is a risk we cannot afford to take.”
The EPA is tasked with assessing proposals and recommending to the WA environment minister what conditions are required to reduce environmental risks to an acceptable level.
After an appeals process, the WA environment minister considers not only the EPA’s advice but also social and economic concerns in deciding whether a project proceeds.
When questioned by this masthead on his comment at the press conference, Cook backed away from rejecting Browse if the EPA concluded environmental risks to the unique Scott Reef could not be reduced to an acceptable level.
“Final approval is only made by the minister for the environment after he receives the EPA’s advice and recommended conditions,” he said in a statement.
“Only at that point, the minister will consider the extent to which any environmental risks can be managed.”
Thus, it is Environment Minister Reece Whitby who will ultimately determine if Woodside can protect the Scott Reef – not the EPA.
The Environmental Protection Authority plans to publish its final recommendation on Browse in 2025.
WA governments rarely face the dilemma of deciding whether to proceed with an oil and gas project the EPA rejects, as now looks likely with Browse.
The EPA has assessed 77 oil and gas projects and only twice could not see how the risk to the environment could be managed and recommended rejection, according to an analysis by the Conservation Council of WA.
Those projects were drilling exploration wells near Ningaloo Reef in the 1990s (ultimately rejected) and Chevron’s Gorgon gas export project on Barrow Island (ultimately proceeded).
Cook said his government would expect Woodside take all reasonable measures to reduce Browse’s potential environmental impacts.
“Browse is a critical project for WA and the world’s energy transition,” Cook said.
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