Deep water drilling for oil in the Great Australian Bight is, as you would probably expect, extremely contentious.

Just a few short years after its catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, BP is clearly tenacious in its pursuit of profits from dangerous fossil fuels, at the expense of communities, the environment and the planets warming atmosphere.

Despite BP’s project being twice rejected by the National Offshore Petroleum Safety Environmental and Management Authority (Nosema), its now resubmitting the project – which it normally can’t do a third time – by splitting the project in two.

It is not clear what reasons Nosema has given for rejecting the earlier submissions, but fortunately we have a Senate that is prepared to find out for themselves.

Reviving a lapsed Senate Inquiry into plans for drilling for oil in the bight, the Greens, NXT and Labor will be able to shed some light on why the environmental plans of BP’s project were rejected, and what social, environmental and economic impact the plans will have into the future.

Hanson-Young said: “Perhaps now we will be able to bring some much needed transparency and public scrutiny to this ridiculously secretive process.

“With Nopsema’s decision due in just days, this inquiry is absolutely essential.

“The local community, the environmental groups, the industries and the traditional owners need to be heard. This inquiry will let that happen.”

Congratulations to Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young and the other Senators for continuing to pursue this inquiry.

We need to keep every bit of fossil fuel in the ground to prevent catastrophic global warming, to protect the living environment – particularly the wildlife and ecosystems of the oceans and coastlines – from any oil spill disasters like the one in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.

Reference:
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/sep/15/senate-reopens-inquiry-into-plans-to-drill-in-great-australian-bight
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/12/call-to-halt-great-australian-bight-oil-drilling-amid-faulty-equipment-fears