❓ Hon Sophie McNeill questions the Department of Mines, Petroleum and Energy (DMPE) regarding Buru Energy's transportation and storage of oily hydrocarbon sludge, focusing on approvals, environmental risks, and compliance actions.

(1) What date did the Department of Mines, Petroleum and Energy (DMPE, formerly DEMIRS) first become aware that Buru Energy Ltd was conducting, or was planning to conduct, a transportation program involving the trucking of oily hydrocarbon sludge from its Wyndham oil export facility in the East Kimberley to its Ungani oil production facility in the West Kimberley?(2) Did DMPE discover Buru Energy’s oily hydrocarbon sludge transportation plan before or after it had commenced?(3) If DMPE discovered Buru Energy’s transport of the oily hydrocarbon sludge from Wyndham to Ungani after it had commenced, did this constitute a breach of Buru Energy’s licence conditions applying to the operation of the Ungani oil production facility and/or Buru Energy’s petroleum transport and export licence?(4) If yes to (3), did DMPE take any regulatory action:(a) if no to (4), why not?(5) When did DMPE approve Buru Energy’s transportation and storage plan for the oily hydrocarbon sludge?(6) How much oily hydrocarbon sludge did DMPE approve for transport and storage by Buru Energy Ltd, in litres and tonnes?(7) What date did the first load of sludge depart from Wyndham?(8) What date did the last load of oily hydrocarbon sludge depart Wyndham?(9) How many truck loads of oily hydrocarbon sludge were required to transport the oily hydrocarbon sludge from Wyndham to Ungani?(10) Under what statutory approval provisions and in what documentary form did DMPE approve Buru Energy’s transport and storage of the oily hydrocarbon sludge from Wyndham to Ungani?(11) Were any conditions attached to or applied to DMPE’s approval of Buru Energy’s transport and storage of the oily hydrocarbon sludge?(12) If yes to (11), what were those conditions?(13) Will DMPE table any approval or licencing documents relating to Buru Energy’s transport to and storage of the oily hydrocarbon sludge at Ungani:(a) if no to (13), why not?(14) For what time period was Buru Energy licenced by DMPE to store the oily hydrocarbon sludge in open facilities at Ungani?(15) Did DMPE approve the storage of the oily hydrocarbon sludge in open ponds or dams for several months over the Kimberley wet season:(a) if yes to (15), why?(16) Was the open facility at Ungani designed for the storage of oily hydrocarbon sludge over a Kimberley wet season?(17) Was the open storage facility at Ungani licenced for the storage of oily hydrocarbon sludge:(a) if yes to (17), will DMPE table the licence; and(b) if no to (17), why not?(18) What final disposal method did DMPE approve or licence in relation to the oily hydrocarbon sludge?(19) Did DMPE approve or licence Buru Energy to dispose of the oily hydrocarbon sludge by pumping it underground down one of its injection wells at Ungani?(20) Did Buru Energy discuss this as a disposal method with DMPE:(a) if yes to (20), what was DMPE’s response?(21) Did DMPE formally advise the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) of its approval of the transport and storage of the oily hydrocarbon sludge:(a) if yes to (21), when did it do so, and in what form; and(b) if no to (21), why not?(22) In total, for how long was the oily hydrocarbon sludge stored in an open pond or dam at Ungani?(23) Did DMPE conduct any monitoring of the oily hydrocarbon sludge stored in an open pond or dam at Ungani throughout the period it was stored there:(a) if no to (23), why not?(24) Did DMPE conduct any environmental or pollution risk assessment in relation to the storage of oil hydrocarbon sludge in an open pond or dam over a Kimberley wet season:(a) if no to (24), why not?(25) If it did conduct a risks assessment, will DMPE table that assessment:(a) if no to (25), why not?(26) What has been the final fate of all the oily hydrocarbon sludge stored at Ungani?(27) What compliance action has DMPE taken, for example through penalties, changes to licence conditions, more frequent inspections or any other regulatory action to ensure an incident like this does not happen again?(28) In relation to (27), if DMPE has done nothing, why is that?