Senior Santos Employees were shown all the sites except the Bohena 3 “stains” which had not become evident when I conducted a tour of the Environmental ly Damaged areas with them on January 4th 2012, that the previous Licence holders especially Eastern Star Gas had caused. The reaction of the Santos people was one of complete disbelief that this damage could have been allowed to go unnoticed by either the Administrating Government Authority, the Company Executives, and the Company Employees in the field, and yet it had, despite reports to the NSW Government Department responsible for protecting the Environment the Dept. of Trade and Investment Maitland NSW. State Forests have to bare blame as well for what has happened within their Administered State Forest, they did nothing when reports were made to them either, and when they did investigate, the findings were always favourable toward the Gas Company Eastern Star Gas.  

The reaction of the NSW Department of Trade and Investment Maitland NSW beggars belief, in a reply to the first report of other tar like  locations, a senior official of that department stated in an email, and I quote :
The incident, cause and effect of “black tar like substance” in the State Forest are inconclusive in your photos and stated observations, but will be assessed in this Department’s continuing investigations of your complaint of 4-1-2012 concerning “black tar like substance”. please note that this relates to and is a continuation of the Department’s current investigations of a complaint (by others) 0n 28-10-1011 of tree deaths at the Bibblewindi water facility.

The problem with what the Senior Official from the DTII has stated above, is that that Investigation was concluded on the 7-11-11 with a finding that the Trees had died due to “Water logging”, and was caused by the flooding events of 2010. Well, I have photographs as well as video taken in early 2011 and it shows no trees in the area between the Dam and the RO Plant were ”dying” and certainly no “water logging”. This NSW Government Offical, does what his bosses tell him to do. Ignore any claims that may embarrass the Government of NSW when it comes to the Coal Seam Gas Industry. It is also funny that the new State Forest Ranger in charge of the Pilliga State Forest came up with the “water logging” excuse for the “Kill” of trees, and he had not seen the site as yet.

But I digress, but only to make the point that the DTII have as their main agenda,to push through the Coal Seam Gas Industry at all speed and to cover their own inaction and incompetence as best as possible as it is more convenient to try to group all the complaints into one neat package in one area. Well that it not good enough, Eastern Star Gas was subject to a large number of Environmental Complaints and was never investigated fully, nor were the complaints acknowledged as they should have been, nor was the complainant (me) ever asked for further proof in regards to photographs and video tapes, of which there are over 500 photos and 3 hours of video just from December 30th 2011 (the Kill) through to January 20th 2012 ( the appearance of tar like deposits in other areas).
The Senior DTII Official at Maitland was sent, in a response to his return Email of January 16th  2012, a long description of the ”black tar like substance” at other locations and on January 22nd 2012 another site was added to the list, as well a request to look into the Quantity and Quality of the Spill that Santos had had and reported, even though they say they were not required to do so because of its small size (200/250 litres). It all sounds like one big cover-up for a much larger discharge of very nasty and highly Environmentally Damaging waters from the Water Treatment Facility in December 2011, most probable date around the 22-12-11. I have not received any official reply to any of my emails as yet, and all have reached their destinations, none have been returned.

There is more to this deliberate cover-up to come.

The DTII claim to have samples taken by the NSW Soil Conservation Service and are being advised by them as to the best methoid of remedation. If that is so, then why has nothing been done and where is the publically available Information on these tests?

I was present when Soil and Water samples were taken according to standards for the Environmental movement, and filmed the event.

Santos claims to have taken their own Soil and Water samples, but we know the history of  any Company based sampling, it is a matter of public record, both State and Federal records back me up here (see receint Inquiries into CSG Mining and REF’s).  Employees of Santos who were employees of Eastern Star Gas and who may be involved in any part of the testing process cannot, by their previous deceptions, be trusted and their results cannot be trusted. Even when on official Environmental Laboratory Letter Heads (see article “Eastern Star Gas leaves its mark on a Senate Inquiry” posted 1-1-2012) they were deceptively misleading, and what about the Soil and Water samples that the DTII took in 2011 after the complaint of October 2011, where are they?

Yes. there is more to come on this and it will be damaging.

I have to ask, WHY ARE  THOSE EMPLOYEES OF SANTOS, THAT WERE EMPLOYED BY EASTERN STAR GAS, AND MUST HAVE SEEN THE ADMITTED DISCHARGE OF JUNE 26th  2011 AND DID NOT REPORT IT AS REQUIRED BY LAW, STILL WORKING IN THE COAL SEAM GAS INDUSTRY ?     

There are too many Politicians past and present whose entire careers will go up in smoke if the real truth about the total lack of Environmental Control and the Ineffectual Policing of the Coal Seam Gas Industry, ever became public knowledge.

SANTOS BY YOUR INABILITY TO CONTOL YOUR OWN WORKFORCE YOU HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT YOU ARE A FULL AND WIILLING PARCIPANT IN MAKING THE PILLIGA STATE FOREST OF NSW YOUR INDONESIA IN AUSTRALIA

No wonder the Trees and Vegitation look sick and many have died.

SANTOS YOU HAVE BOUGHT YOUR INDONESIA RIGHT HERE IN AUSTRALIA

Santos further states that they did not have to report such a “minor” spill, SO WHY DID THEY?

Was Santos hoping that by admitting to a smaller amount, that did not require reporting, they could disguise another large discharge of Coal Seam Water that occurred between December 13th 2011 and the day sore found the site on December 30th 2011, most likely December 22nd 2011. 

SANTOS YOUR HOLE IS GETTING DEEPER JUST LIKE THE ONE IN INDONESIA.

How many Companies and Governments are involved in Santos Indoneasia in the Pilliga State Forest of NSW Australia?

Santos you bought your own Indonesia right here