00:00The Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt earlier today revealed those long-awaited
00:07conditions regarding his final approval of Woodside's North West Shelf Gas Project extension.
00:14Now that facility is one of the largest of its kind in the country and it's located not
00:19far from where I'm standing right now. Earlier this year the Federal Environment Minister,
00:25he gave the extension provisional approval, extending the facility's life out to 2070,
00:32but he flagged at the time that there would be a number of conditions attached to that
00:36decision, a principle among them protections for nearby rock art amid fears that industrial
00:41emissions were accelerating their degradation. So today he's revealed those conditions after
00:47months of negotiation with the energy giants. First off the list is the requirement that
00:54Woodside slash greenhouse gas emissions from the North West Shelf Project and reach net
01:00zero by 2050. That will involve the implementation of a continuous and robust emissions monitoring
01:07program as well as the implementation of best practice emissions reductions technology as
01:13the years go on. Even higher on the list however were 48 conditions to mitigate impacts to that
01:19nearby rock art. The North West Shelf Project shares the peninsula with thousands of ancient petroglyphs.
01:25These are ancient rock engravings depicting stories and traditions that date back tens of thousands of
01:31years. The Minister outlined those guidelines earlier today. Let's listen to what he had to say.
01:39The conditions will ensure that this project will be operated in a way that does not cause
01:44unacceptable impacts to the Moorajuga rock art including by restricting air emissions. Specifically
01:52I've imposed conditions that will require a reduction in certain gas emissions below their current levels
01:59in some cases by 60 percent below their current levels by 2030 with ongoing reductions beyond that.
02:06And so what's the response been like? Well here in Karratha the reaction has been somewhat mixed. We've
02:14already spoken to some business groups today who have welcomed the move after some months of uncertainty
02:21since that provisional approval. They say that this final decision really hands investors and local
02:27businesses the certainty about Karratha's role to play in the future of Australia's gas production. Still there is
02:35some disappointment and among those traditional owners such as Raylene Cooper she's a Pilbara
02:41traditional owner and she was at the centre of a federal court action last month compelling the
02:46federal environment minister to issue a protection order to protect Moorajuga. Now he's made a partial
02:53declaration attached to this final approval today ruling on that section 10 application however
03:00importantly he noted that the that his ruling while allocating some additional
03:05legal protection to Moorajuga would not impact existing industry. Elsewhere in this state we've
03:12also heard from climate groups and critics of the project who have slammed its potential emissions.
03:18The deputy Greens leader spoke a little bit earlier. Here's what she had to say.
03:21I cannot call this approval of a climate bomb a positive decision. Of course if there are conditions
03:28being put for the rock art that is a good thing and First Nations community has have pushed for that
03:34very long and very hard but Labour's decision to rubber stamp the extension to Woodside's northward shelf
03:41is really a betrayal to voters that are hoping for strong climate action. Like this project will release
03:486.1 billion tons of emissions. So really a diversity of opinion after a lengthy period of uncertainty
03:58and no doubt did both the project's detractors and supporters will be working out the next steps from here.
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