Aussies Protest as BP Sets Its Sites Down Under

Although this week is the last chance to submit for compensation from BP's $20 billion fund, the bills for the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico will continue to come in long after the deadline. From polluted waters to devastated fishing and tourism industries to loss of marine life, the financial, social and environmental consequences will also continue long after the billions have been distributed.

But while the world was riveted by the unfolding Gulf catastrophe this summer, I'm not sure that some politicians in Australia were really paying attention. After all, Australia is a lot of time zones away.

All the way Down Under, a conglomerate of oil and gas companies, including Chevron, BP, Woodside, BHP Billiton and Shell, are trying to build the world's biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) refinery and port, at a price tag of $30 billion (AUD). While some might tout LNG as a cleaner energy alternative to oil, the process of transforming natural gas into its liquid form is a significant source of carbon dioxide emissions. The Browse LNG Development would be situated in a massive area the size of California. Unlike the Golden State, though, this is a remote, pristine corner of the Australia's northwest coast that hasn't been tainted by offshore drilling.

For now.

Virtually untouched and uninhabited, the dramatic landscape of the Kimberley region is craggy red rocks, creamy white windswept beaches and translucent blue water. The ocean is a cacophony of marine life,  home to coral reefs, mangroves, countless fish species,  and dolphins, including the rare Snubfin. It is a breeding ground for humpback whales and flatback sea turtles. On the land, dinosaur footprints can be found, along with important Aboriginal sites. Ironically, this pristine coastline is unprotected but offers the opportunity for billions in future economic gains through eco-tourism, not LNG, like it's counterpart on the country's eastern shores. Australia's Great Barrier Reef generates $6.9 billion (AUD) annually, much from tourism.

Every year, 1,000 flatback turtles return to Barrow Island to nest, the site of the proposed Chevron Gorgon LNG plant. If successfully built, the company promises a measly $62.5 million (AUD) to offset the irreversible damages to the turtles. Further up the coast, near Broome, is another proposed gas plant. Research on turtles is even thinner, so the effects of this possible development are unknown.

Beyond the potentially devastating threats to marine life, this massive LNG development could drain local water sources, dredge seabeds, generate millions of tons in greenhouse gas emissions, and most importantly, could lead to another disaster similar to the one in the Gulf of Mexico. Although the oil giants perhaps assumed the isolated region would give them cover to build their plant, the move has mobilized Australians up and down the coast and across the country to stop its construction. And, it's not just about the possible LNG plant. If the oil companies get their way this round, then there's the strong chance that wait-and-see coal, uranium and bauxite interests will want to exploit the region's opportunities.

Despite the dangling carrot of more than $1 billion (AUD) in payments to local Aboriginal communities, many Aboriginal leaders are still opposed. Aborigines, conservationists and locals are all fighting to stop this plan. So are environmental groups around the world. 

After the U.S. oil disaster, American citizens and people around the world should stand in solidarity to stop this potential environmental catastrophe. Get involved with the U.S.-based Turtle Island Restoration Network or sign onto several campaigns being run by the Wilderness Society of Western Australia against the plant.

Photo: Broome, WA by Katclay, flickr creative commons

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