Black Mountain's conclusion that its drilling will not affect water resources is without foundation, and threatened species and National Heritage are at risk, according to the Federal environment department.
A company with less than $5 million in the bank and a boss who lives in the US will soon get a red or green light from WA's environment watchdog.
The Belisama project inland from Dongara could supply up to 20 per cent of WA's demand from 2029.
Chevron's disregard for requirements to use WA labour where practical, and to insist its contractors do the same, has been blasted in WA's Parliament.
Labor upper house member Kyle McGinn has lashed US gas giant Chevron for its plans to move Australian engineering jobs to India despite its Gorgon and Wheatstone gas export projects being required to use local labour whenever practical.
McGinn, a member for the mining and pastoral region, told the Legislative Council that Chevron's plans to transfer Australian engineering roles overseas were shameful.
The US oil and gas giant is spending $US1 billion ($1.6 billion) to have 600 engineering and other professionals working in India by the end of 2025 to "support projects across Chevron’s enterprise."
"Chevron are flying in the face of the Barrow Island Act 2003, which requires Chevron to employ local workers wherever possible," he said.
The Barrow Island Act governs Chevron's Gorgon project. A State Development Agreement imposes almost identical local content provisions on Chevron's Wheatstone project.
For work on both projects, Chevron is required to use local labour when practical and to impose similar conditions on its contractors.
McGinn said it was clearly practical for Chevron to employ Australian engineers: "They have been doing it for two decades."
"I am sick and tired of hearing companies like Chevron gloating about their profits, pretending that sponsoring an event and putting your badge on something is a social license" he said.
Chevron, which made an $8 billion profit in Australia in 2024, plans to cut its global workforce by 15 to 20 per cent by 2026, which, if applied to its about 2000 employees in WA, would result in 300 to 400 redundancies.
Chevron is expected to tell its WA employees within weeks which roles will go with the global job cull. Engineering roles transferred to India will result in further job losses in Australia later in the year.
However, this week, Boiling Cold revealed that the US major is not just ignoring the requirement to use local labour, it is insisting its contractors send a minimum level of work - as high as 55 per cent - to low-cost countries.
"Chevron are fixated on the bottom line, on maximizing short-term profits and exploiting our natural resources without putting much back into developing job opportunities or improving the lives of West Australian workers," McGinn said on Tuesday evening.
McGinn, a worker and union member in offshore oil and gas before his election in 2017, also took a shot at Liberal Senator Michaelia Cash for "demonising unions."
'The real law breakers are the white collar elites with their armies of HR bosses, accountants and lawyers," he said.
'These companies use their unlimited resources to avoid paying tax, cut corners on OHS and rip off workers, and the best in the business is Chevron."
McGinn also lashed Chevron for its attempt to use excessive interest rates on inter-company loans to minimise tax paid in Australia and for allowing the use of sham contractors on its work sites.
McGinn, whose term in Parliament will end this month, said he looked forward to action being taken against "untrustworthy grubby companies like Chevron."
Read all of Boiling Cold's exclusive coverage of Chevron offshoring Australian engineering jobs:
Peter Milne
Peter Milne
Peter Milne
Since the first story:
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