New action to stop $35bn gas hub | The Australian:
FRESH legal action has been launched to stop Woodside's $35 billion gas hub project at James Price Point, near Broome, which has divided Aboriginal and community groups in Western Australia's far north.
The WA Supreme Court has been asked to overturn the state government's second attempt at compulsory acquisition of the site and rule the $1.5bn compensation deal negotiated with the Kimberley Land Council invalid.
A summons has been lodged in the WA Supreme court against the State of Western Australia, WA Minister for Land, WA Land Corporation, Broome Port Authority, the Kimberley Land Council and others.
Premier Colin Barnett and Woodside have confirmed the action and say they will defend it. A Kimberley Land Council official said no one was available to comment. In a statement, Mr Barnett said: "The agreement reached by a vote of traditional owners was in accordance with the Commonwealth Native Title process under the supervision of the Federal Court. The state government is confident it has acted in accordance with this process and that the second Notice of Intention to Take was valid," Mr Barnett said.
The action alleges the government facilitated an abuse of the federal court process in its dealings over James Price Point.
The new court proceedings come as opponents of the project claim traditional owners are voting to restrict the spread of mining in the Kimberley.
Within days of the latest court action being lodged, Woodside stopped work at James Price Point, removed all of its machinery and buildings and placed "revegetation site" signs around the area. The company said the site had been prepared for the coming cyclone season but there was still work to do this year.
The WA Supreme Court has been asked to overturn the state government's second attempt at compulsory acquisition of the site and rule the $1.5bn compensation deal negotiated with the Kimberley Land Council invalid.
A summons has been lodged in the WA Supreme court against the State of Western Australia, WA Minister for Land, WA Land Corporation, Broome Port Authority, the Kimberley Land Council and others.
Premier Colin Barnett and Woodside have confirmed the action and say they will defend it. A Kimberley Land Council official said no one was available to comment. In a statement, Mr Barnett said: "The agreement reached by a vote of traditional owners was in accordance with the Commonwealth Native Title process under the supervision of the Federal Court. The state government is confident it has acted in accordance with this process and that the second Notice of Intention to Take was valid," Mr Barnett said.
The action alleges the government facilitated an abuse of the federal court process in its dealings over James Price Point.
The new court proceedings come as opponents of the project claim traditional owners are voting to restrict the spread of mining in the Kimberley.
Within days of the latest court action being lodged, Woodside stopped work at James Price Point, removed all of its machinery and buildings and placed "revegetation site" signs around the area. The company said the site had been prepared for the coming cyclone season but there was still work to do this year.
Photo Damian Kelly
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NOTE : This is only a $35 billion gas hub if it is FLNG.
ReplyDeleteJPP is somewhere north of $60 billion.
Watched their taillights fading, there ain't a dry eye in the house
We're laughing and singing
Started dancing and drinking as Woodscum left town
Gonna find my way to heaven, `cause I did my time in hell
I wasn't looking too good but I was feeling real well
(Apologies to Mick and Keith.)
SYDNEY--Australia's Santos Ltd. has made a "significant" natural gas discovery in the Browse basin off the coast of Western Australia state, potentially opening up a new frontier for the company.
ReplyDeleteSantos found a combined 61 meter gas column at a depth between 4,873 and 4,998 meters at its Crown-1 well and would keep drilling towards a planned total depth of 5,200 meters.
"The Crown discovery is well-positioned, in close proximity to existing and proposed liquefied natural gas projects in the Browse basin and other material exploration prospects," Santos' head of exploration Bill Ovenden said in a statement on Monday.
Santos operates the well and owns 30% of the surrounding exploration permit, while Chevron Corp. /quotes/zigman/289939/quotes/nls/cvx CVX +0.77% owns 50% and Inpex Corp. owns 20%.