WA EPA draft warned Browse gas could harm Scott Reef turtles and coral
A 2023 draft EPA letter reported by The Guardian warned Woodside's Browse gas proposal could cause serious or irreversible harm at Scott Reef.
The story in focus
A 2023 draft letter from Western Australia's Environmental Protection Authority, seen by The Guardian, warned that Woodside Energy's proposed Browse gasfield could cause serious or irreversible harm to endangered green turtles, pygmy blue whales and coral at Scott Reef, and that cutting oil spill risk to acceptable levels may be impossible. The assessment is ongoing.
- The Guardian reported it saw a 2023 draft EPA letter criticising Woodside's plans to protect turtles and whales near Scott Reef.
- EPA staff advised the board to invoke the precautionary principle over the threat of serious or irreversible harm from the development and oil spills.
- In February 2024 the EPA told Woodside its preliminary view was to reject the development.
- Woodside added explosive-driven shear rams and a 20km well exclusion around Sandy Islet; Chevron has rejected similar shear technology as unproven.
- The EPA chair said a final report and recommendations would go to WA's environment minister, followed by a three-week public appeal period.
What the draft letter said
The Guardian reports it saw a draft letter written in 2023 by WA's Environmental Protection Authority that sharply criticised Woodside Energy's proposal to develop the Browse gasfield, about 300km off the Kimberley coast. EPA staff presented the draft to the authority's board in December 2023, advising that turtles, whales and the reef faced a threat of serious or irreversible harm, including from oil spills.
Staff said the threats warranted the precautionary principle, meaning the EPA should assume the worst possible outcomes could occur. The draft said topping up sand on Sandy Islet, where about 1,000 green turtles breed each year, was a high-risk measure with likely limited success. It also said noise, traffic and vessel strikes would significantly affect pygmy blue whales, and that Scott Reef is the only known feeding ground on their migration route.
Woodside's response and the process ahead
After the EPA's February 2024 preliminary view to reject the development, Woodside added explosive-driven shear rams to its drilling plans, saying they could seal a leaking well in seconds and cut the longest credible duration of a highly unlikely blowout to about 12 hours. It said a capping stack would stop flow within 16 days if the rams failed. Woodside also proposed no wells within 20km of Sandy Islet and restricted flaring. Chevron rejected pyrotechnic shearing for its own wells in 2024 as unproven.
EPA chair Darren Walsh said the assessment was lengthy because the project is complex and in a sensitive area. A final state report and recommendations will go to WA environment minister Matthew Swinbourn, followed by a three-week public appeal period. The national EPA said its decision clock is paused pending further technical advice. Woodside said it understood whales feed at Scott Reef but called this opportunistic.
Dispute over safeguards
Greenpeace's Glenn Walker said Woodside's measures did not go far enough and relied on unproven technology to prevent a catastrophic spill. The group nominated Scott Reef for national heritage listing. Woodside said it recognised the exceptional value of Scott Reef and Sandy Islet.
What did the 2023 draft EPA letter warn about Woodside's Browse proposal?
The Guardian reported the draft warned the gasfield could cause serious or irreversible harm to endangered green turtles, pygmy blue whales and coral at Scott Reef, and that reducing oil spill risk to an acceptable level may be impossible.
Sources & further reading
- Endangered turtles and ‘exceptional’ coral at risk from Woodside’s gas drilling in WA, watchdog says ↗The Guardian
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