Monday, August 15, 2011

The Twelve Apostles Gas Plant: Lessons Learnt

For anyone who feels threatened by gas company exploration here is a list of pitfalls the unwary should be concerned about.

Here is the start of a Be Informed, Be Wary list:

Be wary of the consultants who will try and make even coal-seam gas mines sound like days spas;

Once they're in, they're in: The original consultant employed by the first gas plant to be built near the Twelve Apostles assured the community that only one plant would ever be built - there are now four;

Ask about issues the proponents will never tell you about - like the numbers of trucks that will be shuttling along narrow country roads to and from the gas plant and the night-time ligthing which will reconfigure the night-scape (the lights from the Twelve Apostles gas plants are so bright at night that they can be mistaken for a town);

Ask how is it possible that gas companies are permitted to self-regulate for noise: the Environmental Protection Authority are understaffed and under-funded. From our experience the EPA is almost powerless in country areas. The gas companies therefore take their own readings about the noise they emit. And if they do, on the off chance, take an excessive reading, the wind, birds, tractors and perhaps the untimely flatulence of one of the gas company employees taking the reading will be blamed;

Your shire will not be interested in your plight: the Corangamite Shire has devolved all responsibilty to the EPA;

The gas companies have a great escape clause in many of their operating licences. This refers to Unplanned Events. Not irregularly does the gas plant near to the home of Mr and Mrs Rogered 'blow up'. A great explosion of sound - like the sound of a fighter jet - shakes houses and results in a flare some 10metres or more high. This is an unplanned event and even if it happens twice a day it will not be regarded as excessive noise;

And about that flare: that 10metre flame is permissible even on days of Total Fire Ban. Hard to believe after the events of Black Saturday. But then, a lot about how gas companies really operate is hard to believe:

And finally, don't fall for the sucker-punch, the lure of the lucre. Gas companies will dole out sponsorship for community programs. At Port Campbell the life savers wear bathers with a gas company logo on them. In this way the companies get under a community's guard: don't let them in. Raise the money the old fashioned way - rally the organisation's troops and cart hay for a farmer or build a farm shed. Keep the integrity of your organisation.

More History of the Twelve Apostles Gas Plant

Mr and Mrs Rogered have at various times in their four-year fight with Woodside and now Origin - the companies control or have controlled a gas plant near the Twelve Apostles and within sight of Victoria's Great Ocean Road - pleaded with representatives of the Corangamite Shire, including its mayor, and the EPA to help them solve the problem of toxic noise which comes from the gas plant.

Mayor Makin was not interested in our situation. The EPA have never taken our plight seriously. Mr and Mrs Rogered's veracity has always been questioned.

In regard to the plight of Mr and Mrs Rogered, below is another history lesson. The first part of the lesson is an excerpt from a 2010 email Mr and Mrs Rogered sent to the EPA:

Dear XXX,
out of sheer desperation I send some figures from Woodside's own recordings in 2009. These recording were taken from near our backdoor

Woodside Readings from Sat 31 Jan 2009

LEQ average: 51.7dBA
L90 average: 40.8dBA

Sun 1 Feb:

LEQ average: 48.3dBA
L90: 40.8dBA

Of course, nothing has ever come of this or anything else

sincerely

Mr and Mrs Rogered

Note: the gas plant is only licensed to emit 35db of noise. Noise is not a linear measurment and the above readings are more than double the licence limit.

For those of you still with the Rogereds here is another historical footnote. It's an extract from The Age (February 2011):

VICTORIANS have lost confidence in the ability of the state's Environment Protection Authority to do its job, according to a highly critical internal review.
It found the EPA had become confused about its role as an environmental regulator, had lost focus on prosecuting businesses and become ''fractured, reactive and inconsistent''.

The internal investigation was ordered last year by EPA chief executive John Merritt after damning external reviews by the Victorian Ombudsman and Auditor-General.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Twelve Apostles Glow

Mr Rogered met a hiker at the Twelve Apostles recently.

The person had just completed the Great Ocean Walk. They asked me if I happened to know what the glow was that they could see from their campground at Princetown, some 20km from the Origin gas plant, at night.

When I told them about the flare and the gas plant that was visible from the Great Ocean Road, they were understandably appalled their sense of an uncorrupted coastal experience had been compromised. Elsewhere, people who live in the valley between the Origin gas plant and Port Campbell hear the Origin plant. Like ours, their lifestyle has been be compromised.

Sustainability is a significant issue for many businesses. It appears to be so for Origin also. I have taken the liberty of borrowing some words from the Origin website: “To Origin, sustainability means managing our business with a view to the future, both of our own business and of those affected by what we do.”

Could Origin please clarify if the above statement applies to everybody who is affected by what Origin does. Or is it just some people?


sincerely, Mr Rogered

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

More Gas Plant Explosions

Lunch time; 28 July 2011

Dear tourists to Port Campbell and the Twelve Apostles,

there is no need to be (too much) alarmed. That noise you just heard - the explosion-like sound - is just one of the gas plants they built near the town enduring yet another meltdown.

The operators, Origin Energy, tell us there is nothing to be concerned about. Origin and Woodside, the company who built the plant, call this an 'unplanned event'. Saves them being accountable to the EPA and the locals.

They're not particularly worried that our house shakes.

sincerely, Mr and Mrs Rogered

Postscript: The gas plant exploded again about an hour later. Two explosions in one day. For some visitors to Port Campbell explosions might go well with a visit to the Twelve Apostles. But explosion 2 might be enough to drive some of the tourists from the town. A helluva memory of the Great Ocean Road

Thursday, July 21, 2011

The Sounds of a Blue Sky Winter

22 July 2011

Winter mornings don’t come any more perfect than the one at Port Campbell this morning.

The sky is blue. There is no wind. For those visiting the Twelve Apostles on the Great Ocean Road it will be a grand day.

The sound of the waves pounding into the sandstone apostles might make a perfectly subtle soundtrack to the visit. We live just north of Port Campbell and have our own soundtrack: the whirring industrial drone of the Origin Energy gas plant. This morning the Origin plant is celebrating the day its own way – by emitting a constant high pitched whirr to go with their 24-hour droning.

Of course neither the EPA or the Corangamite Shire will do anything about this. But it’s not just the locals who have to suffer this industrial indignity. For visitors returning to Melbourne tonight might think they have reached the city far quicker than they expected when they encounter the tragedy of city-like lights, the hundreds (perhaps thousands) of lights blazing from the Origin and TRU Energy gas plants just north of Port Campbell.

And to finish, another blast from the past. Brett Holland was a Woodside employee (Woodside built the fault plagued gas plant that Origin now run) when he visited our place and took a reading of 41.7DBA. “The noise is far louder than I expected,” he said at the time. This is no surprise: it is more than double the noise the Origin plant is legally permitted to emit.

Enjoy your visit to Port Campbell and the Twelve Apostles. Just try and forget any industrial noise and lighting you might encounter (pollution though is often scarring).

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

A Reply from the Federal Member for Wannon

Finally Mr and Mrs Rogered have had a reply - from the Federal Member for Wannon Dan Tehan (it came via his electoral officer but at least someone replied) - in regard to the noise coming from the gas plants built at Port Campbell, with sight of the Great Ocean Road and near the 12 Apostles.

Here's the email:

Good morning,

Dan thanks you for staying in touch and is interested to know if you are still in discussions with Origin Energy about the noise levels.

Thanks and regards,

Pru Neale
Electorate Officer

And Mr and Mrs Rogered's reply:

Hi Pru,

thank you for replying to my email [on behalf of Dan]. Origin Energy has tabled nothing beyond jargoned corporate-speak.

Tragically, my family and I continue to be affected by an industrial noise that no-one is willing to take responsibility for.

sincerely

Mr and Mrs Rogered

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

A Message for Visitors to Port Campbell and the Twelve Apostles

Dear Visitors to Port Campbell and the Twelve Apostles, the following is some information your Lonely Planet guide book can't explain. If you were kept awake by a constant roar through the night of 28 and 29 June there is a simple, though toxic, explanation. The gas plants that were built near the beautiful Great Ocean Road and the Twelve Apostles always roar on days when there is no wind and the skies are blue. For those who were also in Port Campbell Tuesday morning this constant droning might now be a perfect addition to the thunderous explosions that came from one of the gas plants in the early hours of Tuesday.

Port Campbell's Twelve Apostles are visited by some 2million people a year. It makes perfect sense, doesn't it, that gas plants have been built near the town?

sincerley, Mr Rogered

Monday, June 27, 2011

Gas Plant Explosions

Tuesday 28 June

The Rogereds were woken by yet another explosion - a thunderous roar - of sound in the middle of this night. But it appears those at the gas plant weren't satisified with creating just one explosion. There was another - a sustained explosive roar - at around 7.30am.

An exploding gas plant reminds me of this gem of corporate responsibilty from a fella by the name of Rob duncason at Woodside. This is what he once wrote about the Rogered's experiencing noise:

From: ROB.DUNCANSON
When the Plant is operating normally and we are below our reference point this means 1) we are not the source of noise and 2) there is little we can do at the Plant to make things quieter."

Wonder how the gas companies will deflect the noise issues this morning?

Friday, June 3, 2011

Reply to the EPA and the Corangamite Shire

Mr and Mrs Rogered have had some extended correspondence with the EPA and the Corangamite Shire this week. Below is some of Mr Rogered’s email correspondence in regard to Mr and Mrs Rogered's decision to no longer follow the EPA's suggested protocols for reporting noise breaches.

Subject: RE: Gas plant noise
Date: Wed, 1 Jun 2011 14:02:56 +1000

Dear XXXXX, we have been following the EPA guidelines for some four years. Nothing has been achieved.

There has been no admission from anybody, not the EPA, nor the Corangamite shire, nor any of the gas plants, about our loss of amenity. Endless excuses based often on the grey area of the study of noise have been used to question our veracity and deflect responsibility.

We are tired of talk. Tired of inconclusive testing. We need somebody to suggest and implement tangible actions that will relieve the industrial pollution that inflicts our life.
We have long suggested the self-regulatory noise modelling procedures the gas plants employ are inaccurate. Have these ever been re-assessed?

When will there be some tangible action on the issue of noise that emanates from the Woodside cum origin Energy gas plant at Port Campbell? We are not confident it will be any time soon.

We have lost faith in the system. Four-wearing years can do that to a person

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

A Note to Dan Tehan MP

The correspondence from Origin Energy gave Mr Rogered an idea.

So Mr Rogered fired off this email to Dan Tehan, the local Federal Member for Wannon (We have met with Dan on gas plant matters previously and found him to be a genuine fellow. This email will hopefully jog his memory)

Hello Dan,

we last corresponded in regards to the noise from the Woodside now Origin energy gas plant at Port Campbell.

Well, as ever, nothing has come of this. Our amenity is still massively impacted from this noise-polluting monstrosity that is unaccountably visible from the Great Ocean Road.

In desperation we have gone public with our battle and have started a blog which can be found here:
http://twelveapostleswhatagas.blogspot.com/

Correspondence from Origin Energy

In response to Mrs Rogered's email (see earlier blog: Mrs Rogered sends and email to Origin Energy) we've had a phone call from Origin Energy about noise from the gas plant near to Victoria's Great Ocean Road. Mr Rogered has been informed that Origin Energy is willing to investigate ways to eliminate noise at the Rogereds' home. There was no word on what the noise eliminating buffer will be - perhaps a belt of trees on an adjoining paddock as a screen between the Rogereds' home and the Woodside cum Origin Energy plant - but this will doubtless open up a very long time line. We will consider taking bets that nothing is done before Christmas 2022. Sorry, that's a typo. Should read 2019.  No, my fault again, that's meant to read 2012.

Origin Energy also made it clear, keeping in mind this is before any noise eliminating work is done at the Woodside cum Origin Energy gas plant or even any ideas put forward, that Mr Rogered would be asked to sign a legal document advising that Mr and Mrs Rogered will no longer make noise complaints. Mr Rogered has always thought signing his life away a most interesting concept.

Monday, May 30, 2011

Twelve Apostles's Dawn

It's a beautiful morning near the Twelve Apostles on Victoria's Great Ocean Road. The bright blue sky goes brilliantly with the red sky of dusk last night.

Of course, some of us here on the Great Ocean Road have to deal with the industrial droning of the Woodside cum Origin Energy gas plant that was built within sight of the ocean road, one of Victoria's premier tourism attractions.

Some people might tell you industrialism goes well with a pristine coastline and the Port Campbell National Park. But here's a tip for tourists: don't believe them. Even heard a story about a tourist van that followed the lights from the great ocean road to the gas plant - they probably thought the gas plant was a town so bright are its lights. How disappointed they must have been to have found industrialisation on this great south-west Victorian coastline.

If the EPA or anyone were interested in regulating noise from the self-policing gas plants they would know that this is Mr amd Mrs Rogered's billionth noise complaint for 2010-2011.

A Beautiful 12 Apostles' Evening

The sky is blue and tinged with the first of red from the setting sun. There is no wind. The 12 Apostles will be beautiful at sunset tonight. But it's not beautiful at our place. The gas plants (the Woodside cum Origin Energy plant is the worst offender) that can be seen from the Great Ocean Road are roaring away, polluting this perfect evening with their industrail droning.

Of course a sensible person might call the Environmental Protection Agency to complain. But we've got four years worth of emails to them. They once not so long ago told us they need to record excessive noise levels three times in one month before they can make a successful prosecution about noise.

The EPA have never once tested here three times in a month. We invested a lot of faith in the EPA and they have let us down horribly.

But back to that perfect evening. If the tourists at the 12 Apostles are really lucky they might be able to photograph the flame from one of the gas plants that permanently lights up the evening sky. Glows a fine shade of orange.

If the EPA or the Corangamite Shire or Woodside-Origin, anyone who supposedly should have a professional interest, were at all interested they would know this is our 70-odd complaint for 2010-2011 season of noise.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Mrs Rogered sends an email to Origin Energy

Morning of Friday 20th May.

As i was woken with a huge blast of noise and a totally lite up house this morning at 6.25am i had to ponder about your gas plant again as we have for the past 6 years, I could not tell you how many times i am raged with anger to even think about the hours i have wasted angonising over our disrupted life in relation to that disgusting monstrosity that is in our backyard.

 I have heard your gas plant all week throughout the day and in the night - I am sick of all the excuses made and guarantees that all these supposed millions of dollars that have been spend by you to try to eliminate the noise that we hear - great!

We still hear the gas plant and the minute i go and stand behind the shed the noise is mind shatteringly clear. We sent a letter to you in December last year (2010) , we had a meeting with you a couple of months later and only when we have again contacted you and asked for a reply did we finally get one - clearly this letter was a major priority for you as is the care you put into your immediate neighbors, 6 months is a disgustingly long time for someone to have to await an answer on a major issue in their lives - and that answer as far as i am concerned is a load of corporate bullshit.

I am sick of the gas plant, sick of the way we are treated, the lack of respect we are given and mostly about your lousy excuses for noise improvement plans.

I will start with enlisting who ever i can to band with me in my fight with Origin Energy. I will do it as publically and as loud as i can, i will reach out to anyone that will listen to me. Our life is still being impacted by the gas plant and the noise that you create, regardless of what you think or whether you care.


OH IF WE COULD ALL HAVE A GAS PLANT IN OUR BACKYARD.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Smashed by Noise

25 February 2011

Smashed by noise through the night.

If the EPA or the Corangamite Shire or Woodside-Origin, anyone who supposedly should have a professional and moral interest, were at all interested they would know this is our 62nd complaint for 2010-2011 season of noise.

Wonder if the orange glow was visible for the tourists on Victoria's Great Ocean Road and at the Twelve Apostles?

sincerely

mr rogered

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Another Gassing

 The quote below is from a person who lives some three kilometres from the Woodside cum Origin and the Tru Energy gas plants. Both plants are near to Victoria's Great Ocean Road and the Twelve Apostles.

Mr and Mrs Rogered have deliberatley not included the writer's name. They cop enough grief for their stance as it is. One less person having to wear scorn is the way it should be. 

Noise.
"I live some 3km southwest of the plant on the western side of the Port Campbell valley, and frequently hear the noise of the plant operating.
This takes the form of dull grinding sounds, mechanical whirrings, vehicle reversing beeps and occasional explosions of sound which can be quite disturbing. 
This is of course worst on those beautiful calm evenings when I used to like to sit outside and enjoy the evening stillness.  No longer can I do this.
I loved to listen to the crash of the waves on the outside reefs, knowing that tomorrow would bring good surf.  Now I no longer know whether it's the gas plant or the waves that are making the noise.  I find this quite distressing and a hugely negative impact on my life.

When the emergency flare goes off, sometimes waking me in the middle of the night, it sounds like a massive jet engine exploding overhead.  This can be frightening.
Some nights I am forced to wear earplugs to get to sleep.
Surely at 3km distance from the plant I shouldn't be able to hear anything, and certainly not if the plant was operating within its licence conditions."

A Little History

Mr and Mrs Rogered have some four years of correspondence, mostly based on complaints about noise.

No one, not the Corangamite Shire (with the exception of councillor Cummings), Woodside, or the EPA, apart from Michael Fitzgerald, have rarely taken our complaints seriously. None of our neighbours complain as we believe that, nearly to a person, all may have been bought out by the gas companies. Our veracity is constantly questioned.

But below are some interesting figures. The combined noise of three gas plants (Woodside cum Origin, TRU Energy and Sea Gas) is not  supposed to exceed 35 dBA.

Below are some figures a Woodside employee took from near our back door in 2009.
Woodside Readings from Sat 31 Jan 2009

LEQ average: 51.7dB
L90 average: 40.8

Sun 1 Feb:

LEQ average: 48.3dB
L90: 40.8

Of course, nothing has ever come of this or anything else

A Beautiful Day for Industrial Drones


5.45am. 18 February 2011. Near to the Great Ocean Road, Port Campbell, Victoria

It looks like it is going to beautiful morning; the sun is overcoming its shyness and rising out of the black and there is no wind. The country air has been laundered by the night and the occassional bird is moved to song.

But the birds have plenty of competition. The gas plant(s) is roaring. Drilling into our brains. Good morning Port Campbell (we would normally email a complaint to the EPA but considering this would be our 61st complaint for 2010-11 we've given up on doing that.)

About Us


We, Mr and Mrs Rogered (not our real names) live on the coast in south-west Victoria, Australia. We're near to the renowned Twelve Apostles and the Great Ocean Road. For some four years we've been fighting against Woodside and Origin, just two of the companies that were inexplicably granted permission to build gas plants within sight of Victoria's Great Ocean Road (the Woodside cum Origin plant is the only one visible from the Ocean Road). They make our life hell with noise and gas flares and explosions of sound that shake buildings more than a kilometre away.

Of course, as a lone voice it's very difficult to get authorities to listen; not even the EPA seem interested in battling these modern Goliaths. Anyway, enough sop. We thought there must be other people like us who have been rogered by the lies, deceit and mis-placed self-righteousness of big business.

So, if you've been shafted, let us know We'll keep you updated with our fight along the way

sincerely

Mr Rogered

P.S. world-class and iconic and jaw-dropping and beautiful and majestic and amazing and . . . (sorry: pause for breath) are other much-abused words used to describe the Twelve Apostles. We use them here on the remote chance a few more key words will lift this blog from the nether regions of Google et al.