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🇦🇺 Australia /Environment & Climate

NT EPA recommends stricter pollution rules for Santos, Inpex after emissions scandal

From ABC Australia · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Northern Territory EPA recommends stricter pollution rules for gas companies Santos and Inpex following under-reporting of toxic emissions.
  • The review was triggered by Inpex's admission of drastically under-reporting carcinogens like benzene from its LNG plant.
  • Recommendations include tighter pollution limits, venting restrictions, and continuous emissions monitoring, though some campaigners argue they don't go far enough.

The Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority (NTEPA) has recommended stricter licensing conditions for Darwin's major gas processing companies, Santos and Inpex. This action follows a review prompted by substantial under-reporting of toxic emissions, including the carcinogen benzene, from Inpex's Ichthys LNG plant.

The public should have confidence the regulator had their "health at heart" and insisted the recommendations would not be watered down by the companies.

— Paul VogelThe NTEPA chairman assured the public about the regulator's commitment to health and the integrity of the recommendations.

The review, released Friday, calls for enhanced pollution limits, restrictions on hot venting, and continuous monitoring of emissions. The need for these changes became apparent after Inpex revealed significant failures in how it calculated and reported emissions dating back to 2018. Santos has also faced scrutiny for its Darwin LNG facility due to a leaking tank releasing methane and frequent flaring.

These developments come after months of public and expert criticism regarding the NTEPA's oversight, with accusations of being "asleep at the wheel." NTEPA chairman Paul Vogel stated that the public should trust the regulator's commitment to their health. He noted that while current environmental licenses are among the strictest in Australia, improvements are necessary, especially given the facilities' proximity to Darwin city and potential for expansion.

There's been independent health risk assessments conducted by the chief health officer to assure the community that their health is protected from [Inpex's] emissions.

— Paul VogelNTEPA chairman Paul Vogel addressed community concerns about emissions from the Inpex facility.

While Vogel assured that independent health risk assessments have been conducted to protect the community, he emphasized the need for greater transparency in reporting and information availability from the companies. Bree Ahrens, climate campaigner for Environment Centre NT, welcomed the NTEPA's action but criticized the recommendations for leaving "gaping holes." She argued that the proposed limits on flaring and the requirement for anti-pollution systems to be operational 99.5% of the time are insufficient to fully protect Darwin's air quality.

This review is an admission that the NT EPA's regulation of Inpex and Santos's toxic air pollution under the current licences has been alarmingly slipshod and needs to be fixed.

— Bree AhrensEnvironment Centre NT campaigner Bree Ahrens commented on the findings of the EPA review.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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