The ABC’s Investigation unit has the story, which is based on FOI documents released to the Environment Centre NT, which revealed that Santos’ gas export hub in Darwin has been leaking methane gas for almost twenty years. In case you need a reminder – that is not great.

The Greens are writing to the environment minister and the minister responsible for the CSIRO, Tim Ayres to ask what’s up.

They will also write to the auditor-general requesting “a review of how federal regulators conducted themselves in investigating this leak, so the public better understands why no actions were taken against a politically protected gas corporation”.

The Greens will also use the Senate this week to order the production of relevant documents from regulators overseen by federal Ministers.

Waters:

These revelations are very disturbing. I commend the Environment Centre NT for uncovering what is either a spectacular failure of regulators or a deliberate cover up by successive governments to protect a gas corporation’s profit margin. 

The responsible Ministers must urgently explain why their regulators knowingly allowed Santos to leak methane, an extremely potent heat-trapping gas that has a higher global warming potential than carbon dioxide, for almost two decades. 

Ministers Bowen, Ayres and King must also explain if they were aware of what their regulators knew. Their climate credentials are on the line.

The International Energy Agency has already revealed that Australia is underreporting methane emissions by at least 64% because coal and gas corporations are allowed to guess their methane emissions instead of actually measuring them. The Climate Minister agreed to fix this absurd loophole in negotiations with the Greens in the last parliament, but no progress has occurred. Methane is more than 80 times more damaging to the atmosphere over 20 years than carbon dioxide.

Furthermore, Minister Bowen must immediately assure the public that Santos will be compelled to repair the leak. Anything less would be unacceptable for the Darwin community and the climate.”