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Environment groups have urged Santos to permanently withdraw from plans to mine for coal seam gas in the Pilliga Forest, after the company withdrew their Part 3A application for the Narrabri Gas Field this week.

The application for a 1,100 well production gas field was withdrawn this week and has been notified as such on the Major Projects Register of the NSW Department of Planning here.

“There is no doubt that community pressure against coal seam gas mining has led to Santos taking action to withdraw this application” said Carmel Flint of the Northern Inland Council for the Environment.

“This is, however, just a temporary stay of execution for the Pilliga because Santos plan to continue exploring and to develop a production gas field in the future.

“We’re urging Santos to make this withdrawal permanent and to abandon their destructive plans for a gigantic coal seam gas field in the Pilliga, our biggest inland forest.

“The people of north-west NSW have made it abundantly clear that we don’t want coal seam gas mining destroying our best bushland and our best farmland” she said.

“Santos should never have even contemplated placing a destructive gas field in the heart of the Pilliga Forest, a NSW forest icon and very high conservation value area,” said Naomi Hogan of the Wilderness Society Newcastle.

“The Pilliga Forest is the recharge area for the Great Artesian Basin and a well known source of cloud formations that create rains falling on the productive Liverpool Plains.

“The Pilliga Forest is a wildlife hotspot, with the newly-listed vulnerable Koala and the unique Pilliga Mouse amongst the many threatened creatures that depend on it for survival,” she stated.

“It’s time for Santos to acknowledge that its coal seam gas plans are completely inappropriate for this region and to leave the Pilliga Forest for good” she said.

Media Release, 1st June 2012