March 26, 200 - The Woodside North-West Shelf Joint Venturers have announced that they have been misreporting Nitrogen Oxide (NO x ) emissions by at least a third on the Burrup Peninsula, Robin Chapple MLC revealed today.
The Woodside gas plant was identified in Robert Bednarik's 2002 report on deterioration of the Murujuga rock art (“The Survival of the Murujuga (Burrup) Petroglyphs') as a significant source of pollutants which were contributing to the degradation of the peninsula's indigenous heritage values.
“All along we have been saying that further acid pollutant loads on the Burrup are unacceptable. Woodside has done the right thing and come clean, but where on earth were the DEP? It highlights the fact that we can not afford any more pollution out there.'
“This is another example of how industry self-regulation is failing the people and environment of Western Australia. We call on the DEP to take a much more pro-active role in monitoring and enforcing the licence conditions of projects such as this, rather than simply issuing approvals and then walking away,' Mr Chapple said.
“The company has said that it will now put in place significant scrubbing processes to reduce their impacts, and for that they must be commended. We will be watching closely to see that this is done, and will be encouraging Woodside to do all they can to reign in the acidic pollutants they are emitting across the Burrup.'
