FMG, Stokes-backed projects hushed through as WA distracted by lockdown: green groups We’re sorry, this service is currently unavailable. Please try again later. Dismiss Normal text size Advertisement Two major projects expected to blow a million tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere in their first year were approved days before the West Australian government entered pre-election caretaker mode amid a COVID-19 lockdown. Academics, lawyers, farmers and the Conservation Council of WA have battled Mitsui’s Waitsia onshore gas project in the Mid West and Fortescue Metal Group’s gas-fired power station in the Pilbara, appealing the state environmental watchdog’s recommendation for ministerial approval.