Palmer blasts ‘poisonous’ coal seam gas industryABC NEWS (QLD) 13/8/2010
Why won’t the govt. release the test results for toxins found in Kogan Creek?
Methane danger in CSG, scientist says
The coal seam gas (CSG) industry being developed in Queensland could create huge amounts of the potent greenhouse gas methane, a Climate Institute scientist says.
“With thousands of potentially unregulated, unmonitored bores coming on-line in the next few years, we could see a massive spike in Queensland’s methane emissions.”
Methane is many times more potent a greenhouse pollutant than carbon dioxide CSG . . and will hugely increase the amount in the atmosphere.
Ancient Mound Springs Under Threat
The mound springs of South Australia are a unique groundwater discharge feature of the Great Artesian Basin (GAB), a deep regional groundwater system that covers 22% of the Australian continent. They are the principal sources of surface water in the arid to semi-arid inland heart of Australia, and have great ecological, scientific, anthropological and economic […]
Downs farmers challenge CSG water claims
Members of the Basin Sustainability Alliance say at least two Queensland Government documents show that CSG water is extracted directly from the Walloon Coal Measures, which is an aquifer of the Great Artesian Basin.
The same document also identifies that the amount of water available for allocation from the Walloon Coal Measure under the Resource Operations Plan is zero megalitres.
A December 2008 scoping study on the ground water impacts of the Coal Seam Gas development was commissioned by Queensland’s Department of Infrastructure and Planning and shows the Walloon Coal measures will be “dewatered” as part of the planned Coal Seam Gas industry developments
Queensland government to ban BTEX chemicals
An underground coal gasification (UCG) pilot plant at Kingaroy, 210km northwest of Brisbane, was closed down earlier this month after traces of the cancer-causing chemicals benzene and toluene were found in bores near the plant.
“It is our commitment to legislate to ban them from ever being used in Queensland,” he said. “The message is very clear, no one is allowed to use these chemicals in the extraction of coal seam gas.
Water Commission lacks expertise to protect Great Artesian Basin
THE Bligh Labor government today all-but confirmed it lacked the technical expertise to monitor the impact of gas exploration and extraction on the Great Artesian Basin.
Drawing on the Great Artesian Basin
Four years ago, the late great water warrior, Professor Peter Cullen, made some pertinent comments on ABC in an interview with Julia Harris.
“If you just have a free for all, grabbing at whatever ground water’s there, they’ll all dry up. So I think a prudent government should be managing a resource like this to make sure that this wonderful natural asset that you’ve got, is there for the future and future generations,” he said.
“I’m advocating a national approach to managing our ground water seriously and that means controlling who can take it and measuring how much they take.”
Garrett stalls Qld’s coal seam gas projects
Gladstone Regional Mayor George Creed also says he is pleased the EIS process for the proposed LNG projects is thorough. Cr Creed says if Mr Garrett believes it is necessary for an extension of time to achieve that result, then that is the way it should be. He says he believes that Mr Garrett would […]
Underground coal gasification plants must be shut down
The Queensland government has shut down the underground coal gasification (UCG) project by Cougar Energy at Kingaroy, due to the discovery of carcinogenic chemicals in surrounding bores. UCG is a ludicrous technology where coal seams underground are set on fire and the resulting gas is extracted. The State Government is conducting an uncontrolled experiment with the environment of Queensland with both UCG and coal seam gas
It is unbelievable that the thought of proceeding with this technology could be entertained.
Gas Trial shut down over chemical concerns
The viability of underground gas production is being questioned with a pilot project in Queensland’s South Burnett region ordered to shut down.