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19/06/09Have your say on the Gladstone liquefied natural gas project
The Queensland Government is calling for public comment on an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the $7.7 billion Gladstone Liquefied Natural Gas (GLNG) Project.
Minister for Infrastructure and Planning Stirling Hinchliffe said the Coordinator-General would advertise the EIS tomorrow, with eight weeks of public consultation beginning on Monday.
"The GLNG project could potentially boost jobs and provide economic benefits in key mining and industrial regions at a time they need it most," Mr Hinchliffe said.
"This joint venture between Santos/Petronas would extract coal seam gas from the Bowen and Surat Basins and pipe it to a plant on Curtis Island near Gladstone for liquefaction.
"It could then be shipped to Asian markets and beyond, enhancing the state's international reputation as a reliable provider of high-quality energy resources.
"The Gladstone LNG Project could generate more than $6 billion a year in exports, employ up to 4800 people during construction and another 1200 people during its operation.
"And it would stimulate further investment in the expanding coal seam gas industry, which is steadily increasing its share of the Australian energy market."
Coordinator-General Colin Jensen said the EIS for the project would be available from tomorrow and he looked forward to public comment.
"I encourage interested parties to lodge a public submission on the EIS over the next eight weeks," Mr Jensen said.
"The release of the EIS is not an indication of support for, or approval of, the project. It is an opportunity to provide feedback to the government on whether the EIS adequately addresses and manages the impacts of the project.
"The EIS must identify ways of avoiding or mitigating all foreseeable adverse impacts including impacts on fauna, flora, agricultural land, marine environments, air quality, noise, traffic, waterways, cultural heritage and social infrastructure."
As well as Queensland Government scrutiny under various laws, the project will also need to be assessed by the Federal Government under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
An executive summary of the EIS can be viewed at www.dip.qld.gov.au/projects or the full EIS at www.glng.com.
All public submissions must be in writing and received by the Coordinator-General by 5pm, Monday 17 August, 2009. For information on the EIS process contact the Department of Infrastructure and Planning on SantosLNG@dip.qld.gov.au or 3234 1380.
Media contact: 07 3224 8750
Last Updated 03 November 2009
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