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EPA members at James Price Point. (L-R) Dr Chris Whitaker, Dr Paul Vogel, Mr Denis Glennon, Dr Rod Lukatelich.
Photo: Kathryn Schell, OEPA |
EPA members travelled to Broome last month to visit the proposed Browse Liquefied Natural Gas Precinct at James Price Point and meet with community stakeholders.
On the cusp of making a recommendation early next year to the Minister for Environment, the two-day visit gave Chairman Paul Vogel and board members Chris Whitaker, Rod Lukatelich and Denis Glennon first hand insight into the controversial proposal. Dr Vogel said site visits were a common occurrence when considering projects as they allowed the community to air their views.
“Visiting the proposed site and discussing the issues with community members that support and those that oppose the project is always vitally important,” Dr Vogel said.
“Making an informed decision is a responsibility board members and I take very seriously and we will use all the environmental information that has been gathered and our collective experience to make the best judgment that we can.”
During the November visit, the EPA met with representatives from a cross-section of the community, including the Shire of Broome, Goolarabooloo Jabirr Jabirr and Goolarabooloo Traditional Owners, Environs Kimberley, the Kimberley Land Council, the Save the Kimberley Group and other community members.
Dr Vogel said visiting the proposed gas precinct site and meeting with interest groups had provided the board with valuable information.
“The meetings proved to be extremely productive and useful and we are now well across the views of the stakeholders,” he said.
The Browse LNG proposal is the most significant strategic environmental impact assessment ever undertaken under the Environmental Protection Act.
In 2008, the Northern Development Taskforce (NDT) short-listed four potential sites from more than 40 suggested locations for a multi-user LNG precinct to process gas resources from the Browse Basin.
Of the four sites considered, the EPA recommended that environmental risks and impacts at James Price Point, north of Broome on the Dampier Peninsula, were likely to be manageable based on the available data.
“It is important to remember that in making this recommendation, the EPA not only considered the attributes of the short-listed sites but also the wider environmental benefits of a single site,” Dr Vogel said.
The EPA has been assessing the environmental acceptability of the precinct, which has the capacity to produce 50 million tonnes of LNG per annum.
The precinct would allow multiple users to be co-located on a single site, rather than having gas developments spread along the Kimberley coast, reducing cumulative environmental impacts.
Should the LNG precinct be recommended for approval, the EPA would also recommend conditions that should be applied to specific, future LNG projects within the precinct.
New EPA member Elizabeth Carr, who previously worked for the proponent, the Department of State Development, did not take part in the visit and will not be part of any discussions or decisions on the proposal.