Indigenous concerns James Price Point is close to as several
Aboriginal sacred sites.
Environment According to
Australian Greens, construction of the port facilities, including the dredging and blasting of reefs and seabed, is expected to result in a "marine deadzone". The involvement by the Australian Greens was criticised by Jabirr
elder Rita Augustine, representing the Environmental and Cultural Heritage Team and Jabirrlabirr traditional owners, who wrote an open letter to
Bob Brown in August 2012. According to one scientist, construction was expected to irreparably damage a large number of fossils unique to the area, including the only example of
dinosaur footprint extant in Western Australia, and reputed to be the largest in the world. Once operating, the plant is expected to discharge some of waste water into the ocean each year. A coalition of 25 international conservation groups raised questions as to how it would impact the area's wildlife, the area providing important habitat for turtles, whales, and seabirds. Broome's coast is home to the world's largest
humpback whale nursery, five species of turtle,
dugong, coral reefs and
snubfin dolphin. The
Environmental Protection Authority of Western Australia (EPA) report on the Browse Liquified Gas Precinct noted that: birthing grounds for the humpback whales were between 60 km and 240 km North of James Price Point; when the whales pass by the James Price Point, 95% of them pass more than 8 km off the point; and that as long as the EPA conditions are met, the protection on whales and turtles at the population level were likely to be met. The
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society disputed the EPA study findings, referring to a documentary by Fair Projects, produced in collaboration with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which purportedly showed video footage of hundreds of whales in the James Price Point area within 8 km of the coast line. On 16 July 2012, the EPA announced that it had recommended the project for "strict conditional approval" and that "the precinct would provide for multiple users to be co-located on a single site, avoiding a number of LNG processing sites to spread along the coast and in more sensitive parts of the Kimberley." ==See also==