Farmers take on the MinesCSG needs better regulation
Farmers are not against coal seam gas exploration but need it to be environmentally sustainable, says Lock the Gate president Drew Hutton.
Is coal-seam gas worth the risk?
THE discovery of the Great Artesian Basin in 1848, paved the way for the opening up of the outback and the development of the nation’s sheep and cattle industries. Vast tracts of arid land in Queensland, and parts of northern NSW and South Australia, finally had access to a reliable water supply. That groundwater remains […]
Coal seam gas sucks up water
AUSTRALIA’S coal seam gas industry could extract an average of 300 gigalitres from groundwater systems every year for the next 25 years, experts predict.
That amount of water would be more than half as much as is presently extracted from the Great Artesian Basin each year.
The “conservative” projection is contained in a submission from the National Water Commission that was among hundreds put to a NSW parliamentary inquiry into coal seam gas.
Talk of no toxicity case
SEAM stimulation sounds like something from a pornographic film. But it’s the new term for ‘fracking’ being used by the coal seam gas industry.
Oil, gas licences ignite demands for overhaul
Under the present process, when exploration licences are granted, there is no requirement for specific environmental issues to be addressed in detail, with no public exhibition or consultation requirements, he said. ”Title renewals are equally problematic, with no clear, objective tests which the minister must apply and no public consultation requirements. There should be a rigorous process introduced to apply before titles are granted with full public transparency.”
An estimated 5.5 million hectares of petroleum exploration titles have expired with no information available on the status of these licences or how they are assessed for renewal.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/oil-gas-licences-ignite-demands-for-overhaul-20110918-1kg5i.html#ixzz1YuzycQlr
Carcinogens found in CSG project
The Queensland government is investigating a gas field west of Brisbane after the discovery of traces of cancer-causing chemicals at five bores. Benzene, toluene and xylene were discovered during routine tests of 14 bores used to monitor the company’s coal seam gas (CSG) dams at the Tipton West and Daandine gas fields near Dalby, Arrow […]
Put 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.
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.”
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.