The Wire

Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek approved 116 new coal seam gas wells for the Surat basin in western Queensland yesterday afternoon.

The new gas projects are part of an ongoing gas extraction scheme from Santos.

This greenlight comes while Plibersek and the Labor government are in the process of reforming the safeguard mechanism legislation, focused on curbing emissions.

Several members of the crossbench have come out in opposition to the proposed changes, citing Labor’s promised 43% reduction in emissions as contradictory to this decision.