The Chair, Dr Chris Pigram, welcomed members of the Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Coal Seam Gas and Large Coal Mining Development (IESC) to the meeting. 1.1 Acknowledgement of country The Chair acknowledged the traditional owners, past and present, on whose land this meeting was held. 1.2 Declaration of interest Before the meeting commenced, IESC members completed the Meeting Specific Declaration of Interest and an Advice Specific Declaration of Interest for Wallarah 2 Coal Project. No actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest were recorded for this meeting. 1.3 Confirmation of agenda The IESC endorsed the agenda for Meeting 52. 1.4 Action items Ongoing items were noted and an update was provided on the timing of completion. 1.5 Confirmation of out-of-session decisions The IESC noted minutes of the IESC’s fifty-first meeting on 11 April were confirmed and agreed for publication out of session. 1.6 Correspondence The IESC noted the status of correspondence to 4 May 2018. 1.7 Forward planning agenda The IESC noted the forward planning agenda. It was agreed the next meeting would be scheduled for 20 June 2018, following the IESC Research Symposium on 19 June 2018. 1.8 Environmental scan The Office of Water Science provided an update on developments since the April meeting, including: lifting of the Northern Territory’s Moratorium on Fracking; the Australian Government’s announcement of a Geological and Bioregional Assessment of the Beetaloo Sub-basin; and release of the Santos’s Response To Submission Report regarding the Narrabri Gas Project. Dr Chris Pigram provided an update from his meeting with the Secretary of the Department of the Environment and Energy, Mr Finn Pratt on 8 May 2018. Dr Glen Walker provided an overview of his presentation of the IESC Information Guidelines to the 2018 APPEA Conference and a CSIRO workshop on Environmental Tracers. 2. Advice on projects referred by governments 2.1 Wallarah 2 Coal Project New Development – The IESC was requested by the Australian Government Department of the Environment and Energy to provide advice on the Wallarah 2 Coal Project in NSW. The project is a new underground coal mine, located approximately 25 km of Newcastle, NSW. The proposed project will cover an area of approximately 3700 ha and extract 5 million tonnes per annum of run of mine coal, over 25 years.
The Chair, Dr Chris Pigram, welcomed members of the Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Coal Seam Gas and Large Coal Mining Development (IESC) to the meeting. 1.1 Acknowledgement of country The Chair acknowledged the traditional owners, past and present, on whose land this meeting was held. 1.2 Declaration of interest Before the meeting commenced, IESC members completed the Meeting Specific Declaration of Interest and an Advice Specific Declaration of Interest for Wallarah 2 Coal Project. No actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest were recorded for this meeting. 1.3 Confirmation of agenda The IESC endorsed the agenda for Meeting 52. 1.4 Action items Ongoing items were noted and an update was provided on the timing of completion. 1.5 Confirmation of out-of-session decisions The IESC noted minutes of the IESC’s fifty-first meeting on 11 April were confirmed and agreed for publication out of session. 1.6 Correspondence The IESC noted the status of correspondence to 4 May 2018. 1.7 Forward planning agenda The IESC noted the forward planning agenda. It was agreed the next meeting would be scheduled for 20 June 2018, following the IESC Research Symposium on 19 June 2018. 1.8 Environmental scan The Office of Water Science provided an update on developments since the April meeting, including: lifting of the Northern Territory’s Moratorium on Fracking; the Australian Government’s announcement of a Geological and Bioregional Assessment of the Beetaloo Sub-basin; and release of the Santos’s Response To Submission Report regarding the Narrabri Gas Project. Dr Chris Pigram provided an update from his meeting with the Secretary of the Department of the Environment and Energy, Mr Finn Pratt on 8 May 2018. Dr Glen Walker provided an overview of his presentation of the IESC Information Guidelines to the 2018 APPEA Conference and a CSIRO workshop on Environmental Tracers. 2. Advice on projects referred by governments 2.1 Wallarah 2 Coal Project – New Development The IESC was requested by the Australian Government Department of the Environment and Energy to provide advice on the Wallarah 2 Coal Project in NSW. The project is a new underground coal mine, located approximately 25 km of Newcastle, NSW. The proposed project will cover an area of approximately 3700 ha and extract 5 million tonnes per annum of run of mine coal, over 25 years.