Woodside sold the project to an insubstantial company to avoid a few hundred million in decommissioning costs: now it and its competitors will pay the price.
WA Premier Mark McGowan warned Alcoa to lift its game or face curtailed mining, but his successor Roger Cook slashed water supply protections after a possibly empty threat from the US miner.
A budget for a gas-led recovery is delaying inevitable and necessary change. Eventually, Australia will be forced to catch up to the EU, China and a post-Trump USA.
Fortescue and Mitsui appear to have agreed massive emissions cuts with WA's environmental watchdog that is now looking at Woodside and Chevron LNG projects.
Angus Taylor's 'anything but wind and solar' path to low emissions focusses on long term solutions to problems that can be tackled now with existing technology.
Chevron's ambitious injection of Gorgon CO2 shaped the $US54B LNG project and a year after starting up 2.5 years late its long-term performance remains to be proved.
Droughts could be twice as long and severe in the greenest parts of South West WA from 2050 onwards if greenhouse gas emissions are not controlled, and some WA farms may become unviable.
Chevron has been denied a two-year free pass on Gorgon greenhouse gas emissions by the WA Government that could cost it more than $80 million, and there may be a future bill for Wheatstone as well.
As Environment Minister in 2006 Mark McGowan led the way to ensure gas projects offset some of their emissions. Now as Premier he may need to choose between climate credibility and the interests of WA's most powerful man.
Shell's giant $US17B Prelude floating LNG is late, expensive, dirty and so far unreliable. An exclusive look at how a failed investment for Shell is a terrible deal for Australia.
