A statement read out in parliament by Senator David Pocock alleging a giant oil firm Santos on the deaths of dolphins near the oil slick. Santos earlier denied the issue of dolphin deaths caused due to oil spilling from its Varanus Island.
When the oil firm was asked last year in April, it stated to WA Today newspaper that the oil spill caused no environmental impact and was minor.
In November, Santos said, “dead dolphins were found quickly after the oil spill, argued it was too early for dolphins to get affected by the spill.”
But the Senator countered the company’s statement by saying: “the company couldn’t claim their statement as it did not enquire into the deaths of dolphins nor they send any environmental experts to the island until a week after the oil spill incident.
Senator David Pocock, on Thursday, read the statement by a Santos employee. The statement says, “sea snakes had writhed in agony, and marine life had suffered after some 25,000 litres of condensate leaked from an underwater hose.” The Senator asks if it is negligible.
Santos’ actions, in this case, are misleading and are against the code of conduct and, possibly, the law. The Senator added that other employees also expressed their sorrow.
Mr. Pocock said he found the testimony and footage “very disturbing.”
“It is important for regulators to make real incidents as an example. Small penalties cannot prevent corporate firms from causing environmental damage,” Maggie Wood said. She was unhappy as the allegations had only come to light a year after the incident, that too after raising a voice in parliament.
- Published By Team Australia News
