55 Years of Failure: a Timeline of ExxonMobil in Southern Australia
ExxonMobil has been pulling fossil fuels out of the Bass Strait for more than half a century. In that time there have been fires, explosions, leaks, spills, workplace safety violations and industrial disputes; much of it in the last decade. This interactive timeline is a live document, outlining the company's various environmental and workplace violations since 1970. If you or someone you know has heard of a violation that hasn't been captured, please get in touch. A hyperlinked bibliography for the timeline can be found here.
Recently the offshore oil and gas regulator NOPSEMA has directed ExxonMobil Australia to clean up their oil and gas fields in the Gippsland Basin. Decommissioning an offshore field properly is expensive and offers no return on investment. Cutting corners saves money, and saving money is good business. As the timeline shows; ExxonMobil knows how to cut corners.
After decades of making a mess and not paying their fair share the company has announced its intention to abandon tens of thousands of tonnes of industrial waste at the bottom of the Bass Strait.
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