Stab Magazine | Surfers Reign Supreme Over Big Oil As Equinor Pulls The Plug On Great Australian Bight Project

Live Now: Chapter 11 Mini-Documentary With Dane Reynolds

661 Views

Surfers Reign Supreme Over Big Oil As Equinor Pulls The Plug On Great Australian Bight Project

Victory’s never tasted so salty-sweet!

news // Feb 25, 2020
Words by stab
Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Never doubt the power and determination of the Australian people.”

That was the message from David Ritter, the CEO of Greenpeace Australia Pacific, announcing that the Great Australian Bight is much safer today than it was yesterday.

After a long, public battle to save the Bight from oil exploration, it appears all the energy and passion have paid off. Norwegian oil company Enqinor announced Tuesday that they would be discontinuing their $200-million plans to search for oil in the turbulent southern waters.

In a statement, Equinor ceded that their plans were “not commercially competitive.”

In other words, they couldn’t make the numbers work. It’s worth noting, that attempts from other oil companies in this region have also met a similar fate. BP abandoned plans to drill the bight in 2016. Chevron followed suit in 2017.

“We will engage with the federal and state authorities regarding our decision to discontinue the exploration program,” continued the statement.

Ritter calls it “an incredible win for people power and nature.”

It took a massive commitment from the Australian people to stop the proposed development. As recently as last December, things were not looking promising. At the end of 2019, Equinor received environmental approval to drill 372 km south of the Nullarbor coastline. But the battle persisted, and for now, the good guys have won.

“Just got the news through that Equinor have pulled their plan for the Great Australian Bight and are currently kicking a can back to Norway. Best Tuesday news I’ve had in a long time,” wrote surf scribe Sean Doherty on Instagram. 

Doherty, along with cohort Heath Joske, have been at the forefront of the “Fight For The Bight” movement. 

“For every single person who paddled out around the country, and for all you legends down there in the Bight who’ve been fighting this for years, take a moment to fully appreciate what you’ve done,” continued Doherty. “By paddling out and speaking up and fighting this colossally stupid idea, you’ve kept the Bight wild and free and saved it for future generations.”

It took the whole country rallying around the cause to stop the petroleum madness in the Bight, but for now, there’s much to toast to at the local pubs.

In his essay “Civil Disobedience,” Henry Thoreau wrote, “There will never be a really free and enlightened state until the state comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all its own power and authority are derived.”

It’s safe to say the politicians and decision makers in Australia just learned this lesson.

Comments

Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.

Already a member? Sign In

Want to join? Sign Up

Advertisement

Most Recent

Watch: What Happens When A Brand Takes Its Youth Team To A CT Event?

A: Good things, typically.

Mar 29, 2024

Full Frame: Scandinavia Is Surfing’s Next Frontier

A 30-hour drive, bathymetric maps, and 10 years of searching yield surfing's newest discovery.

Mar 29, 2024

Watch: João Chianca Had A Remarkable Hawaii Season Before His Injury

Plus an update on his condition.

Mar 28, 2024

Pittar’d And Feathered

Do the WSL judges deserve the internet's wrath? We asked the man of the hour.

Mar 28, 2024

Robbo, Pickles, And Tyler Wright Become The Underdogs Breakfast At Uninspiring Winkipop

The foreboding blade sharpens and inconsistent judging prevails on Day Two in Torquay.

Mar 27, 2024

“I Don’t Always Win Heats, But When I Do, I Try To Beat John John”

Slater shines and the axe begins its descent on Day 01 at Bells.

Mar 26, 2024

Back Against The Wall: The Ramzi Boukhiam Redemption

Morocco's first CT surfer on speaking six languages, having no coach, and snatching Fil Toledo's…

Mar 25, 2024

Will Kirra, Babies or JJF Stop a GOAT Winning at Bells?

Bluesky BOAG advice from a Superman specialist and former Trials winner.

Mar 25, 2024

Bells Preview: The WSL’s Victorian Sword Dancing Equinox Ritual

Will a Brazilian crack the Top 10 at Bells?

Mar 25, 2024

69 Shin Bones Later + the Anticlimactic State of Big Wave Record-Breaking

Lucas Chumbo might have surfed the biggest wave ever this year. But how will we…

Mar 23, 2024

Watch: ‘Fresh and Fried’ Ft the Quik Kids

How taxing is it to tackle the Gold Coast’s Triple Crown in a single day,…

Mar 23, 2024

The Popular Vote: The People’s Stab In The Dark With Kolohe Andino Champion

Which board looked best — to you —under Kolohe's talons?

Mar 22, 2024

Six Key Learnings From Portugal

Three CT events in, what do we know? 

Mar 21, 2024

‘Zipper’ Is Going On Tour, Here’s Where You Can Watch It  

Dates, times + locations for the Venice, Encinitas, Sydney + Byron premieres.  

Mar 20, 2024

Dane Reynolds On His Future, His Past, And Chapter 11’s Raison D’être

Our 9-minute plunge into the collective psyche of Ventura's pillar(s).

Mar 20, 2024

From ‘Blue Ribbon Cross Country Runner’ to Vogue – How Steph Again Is Back With A Rip Curl Remix

Everything we know about the she-GOATs sponsorship boomerang.

Mar 18, 2024

Stab Interview: Darren Handley Explains Why You Can’t Buy The Winning Stab In The Dark Model

And his decades-long standoff with Slater.

Mar 17, 2024

Griff Embraces Portugal’s Eternal Time Loop To Vanquish Medina + Ewing, Defay Delays The Inevitable

A redeeming closing act at Supertubos.

Mar 16, 2024
Advertisement