Greens MP Cate Faehrmann Visits Keerong Coal Seam Gas Site
Photo Drill rig at Keerong courtesy Sue Stock
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Cate Faehrmann Greens MP visited the Northern Rivers last weekend. One of
Cate's activities was taking a first hand look at the coal seam gas
drilling at Keerong near lismore.
Addressing a group of Northern rivers Greens and concerned residents, Cate
said that an independent inquiry is needed to decide whether mining
companies can safely drill for coal seam gas without putting communities
and their water supplies at risk.
Greens want a Moratorium on Coal seam Gas Drilling
Cate went on to stress that the coal seam gas industry was so new, that Australian governments did not yet fully understand how it worked or its environmental implications. The Greens want a moratorium on coal seam gas drilling until it is proved safe.
See more of Cate in the video
Nationals Supporting Coal Seam Gas Exploration
by Sue Stock Nimbin Good Times
The Sydney Morning Herald of January 2nd has reported that Eastern Star Gas, headed by former National Party leader John Anderson has been favourably mentioned in speeches by two National Party MP’s in NSW State Parliament. Other NSW Nationals, the SMH said, had also been busy lobbying the NSW government for support for the expansion of the coal seam gas industry in NSW to a level similar to that in Queensland. There are already 4000 coal seam gas exploration wells in Queensland. Eastern Star had also donated over $22,000 to the Coalition in 2009 according to the Election Funding Authority.
Where does the Coalition Stand on CSG?
In an earlier article in December, the SMH also reported that another coal seam gas company, Aston Resources, was chaired by another former National Party leader, Mark Vaile. It will be vital to know the details of the Coalition’s policy on coal seam gas mining, if as expected they come to power after the next State election in two months time. We urgently need to know the views of our local National Party representatives here in the Northern Rivers.
Overseas experience as seen in the movie ‘Gasland’, has shown that CSG presents significant environmental risks to water supplies and can have a devastating impact on productive farming lands. The NSW Greens say that the environmental risks associated with CSG can include surface and groundwater pollution, land use impacts from surface infrastructure, greenhouse pollution from leached methane in addition to human health impacts. Methane is 72 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide and significant amounts escape into the atmosphere during the gas mining process.
Pollution from Coal seam Gas Extraction
Substantial volumes of water are often pumped from the coal seam to allow the gas to be released. This water is highly saline and will often contain chemicals used in the drilling or fraccing processes and can also contain other chemicals naturally occurring in the coal seam. Recent monitoring in Queensland has identified BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes), traces in water samples from several CSG wells. These Volatile Organic Compounds are known to cause central nervous system disorders and cancer as well as other health and environmental impacts.
Local residents and environmental groups like the Northern Rivers Greens are very concerned about the explosion in exploration of coal seam gas mining in our region eg at nearby Keerong, and its impact on farmers, prime agricultural land and our aquifers.
The Greens believe there are currently unacceptable risks associated with CSG mining. These risks are not adequately addressed by regulation. There is also very little community consultation, limited strategic assessment of costs and benefits, and no overall environmental oversight on this. The Greens are calling for a moratorium on all CSG mining in NSW.
