MEDIA RELEASE
28/08/2024
INQUIRY ESTABLISHED INTO LEAKY, POLLUTING GAS WELLS OFF VICTORIA’S COAST
The Victorian Greens have successfully established a parliamentary inquiry into gas decommissioning that will investigate the hundreds of old rusted oil and gas wells that sit off the coast of Victoria, potentially leaking methane into the atmosphere and gas into the oceans.
The inquiry comes just one week after new research indicates that one in four oil and gas wells will fail, and just months after two retired Esso and Exxon Mobil gas wells leaked huge amounts of gas into our oceans and atmosphere in Victoria.
There are currently 400 rusty old oil and gas wells scattered across the Victorian coast and over 23,000km of gas pipeline onshore that are at huge risk of leaking which not only damage the environment but have serious health implications and cost taxpayers billions.
The cost to clean up gas and oil wells across Australia is estimated to be $60 billion and both the state and federal Labor governments currently have no plan to force fossil fuel corporations to pay or clean up after themselves.
In her speech to the Legislative Council, Dr Mansfield identified the opportunity for Victoria to lead the way when it comes to holding fossil fuel companies responsible for cleaning up their mess. The Inquiry will provide a clear and transparent platform to identify the work that needs to be done to reduce the environmental risks of ignoring decommissioned oil and gas infrastructure off Victoria’s coastline.
Quotes attributable to Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell:
“It’s not right that there are currently hundreds of gas and oil wells scattered across Victoria that fossil fuel corporations have just left there to leak gas and oil into our oceans.
“What’s worse is the Government has no idea of the size and scale of the problem or how much dangerous methane is leaking into our oceans and atmosphere, destroying our climate.
“We need a plan to fix this and for the Victorian and federal Labor governments to force fossil corporations to clean up after themselves.”
Quotes attributable to Greens Member for Western Victoria and Co-Deputy Leader, Dr Sarah Mansfield:
“It should not be up to the taxpayers to pay for the mistakes of fossil fuel giants. The industry should be held accountable for their actions, and Labor needs to make sure they clean up after themselves.”
“With Labor committing to more gas infrastructure in the Otway Basin, the problem of managing old fossil fuel infrastructure is not going away. The recent oil leak we’ve witnessed in Gippsland could happen any day off Western Victoria’s coastline, which could be catastrophic and must be prevented.”
“Abandoned, leaky, and corrosive infrastructure in our oceans threatens our climate and marine life. Our oceans are the lungs of the earth, not a dumping ground for the destructive legacy of fossil fuel infrastructure.”
