MP urges independent testing of coal gas wellsPut brakes on CSG, Windsor urges
“If you don’t know the scientific realities of the relationship between coal seam gas and groundwater and the mixing of aquifers, maybe you shouldn’t go there in the first place.”
Heffernan calls for no-go farmland zones
LIBERAL senator Bill Heffernan has suggested prime farmland be set aside as “no go” areas for the coal seam gas industry, creating a new political headache for Opposition leader Tony Abbott.
Alan Jones comments on protecting our land
In Alan Jones’ interview with Tony Abbott on Friday, Abbott said two things: he said that if you don’t want something to happen on your land, you ought to have the right to say “NO”. And he also said, as Opposition Leader he was obliged to be “the Voice for the Voiceless” – two great […]
An almighty clash of values above and below ground
“But this issue of CSG and coalmining has brought a new dimension. CSG involves many wells and hydraulic fracturing, which means pumping huge volumes of a water-chemical-sand mix into the seams to release the gas. The coalmining involves ripping up good farmland for a vast open pit scar on the landscape.”
Senate hearing spotlight on coal seam gas
“Why should our ratepayers be threatened with legal action, why should their lives be disrupted, why should our beautiful farming lands be ruined, and why should we have to put up with this because of government’s gross mismanagement?” Ms Humphries said.
Debate rages over coal seam gas plans
“We have this dreadful meddling from governments that have grossly mismanaged the whole economy and I understand they need the mineral resources to balance the books.
But in 20 years’ time there’s no point in having the books balanced and the people starving, it’s ridiculous.”
Landholders unite against coal seam gas companies
“These companies are threatening to force into court landowners who don’t wish to have these companies on their property,” he been said yesterday.
The cold hard fracks
“We have the largest pure water source in the world. In fact, the Great Artesian Basin covers a vast area of our land mass (almost one quarter in total), and Australia is one of the few countries where it is safe to drink the tap water at home. How can we even consider putting our fresh water supply at risk?”
CSG mining causes cancer, experts warn
Coal seam gas (CSG) mining can cause cancer and harm unborn babies, according to a group of medical experts giving evidence to a Senate committee.
The six experts, who include a Queensland government epidemiologist, say the state’s ban on the use of cancer-causing chemicals collectively known as BTEX in CSG mining doesn’t protect the community from health risks.
Rural inhabitants up in arms over wanton destruction
The plight of Jondaryan and its people has become a metaphor for the deliberate destruction of the Darling Downs by state and federal governments and their lapdogs at the Toowoomba Regional Council.
For them, farmers and communities have become inconsequential in the rush for coal and gas royalties and, with a brand of bureaucratic bullying borrowed from the Soviets, farmers have seen their sovereignty stripped while they are driven off their land.