News
Santos operations report 'a horror movie'
23-Feb-2012
AAP via Courier Mail
A REPORT by coal seam gas mining company Santos about its operations in the Pilliga East State Forest reads like "an environmental horror movie", green groups say.
After buying Eastern Star Gas in November last year, Santos carried out a review of its drilling operation in northwest New South Wales.
In a report to the NSW Government, Santos said there had been more than a dozen instances of pollution, including leaks and spills, many of which were not reported.
Lock The Gate Alliance president Drew Hutton said the report showed there was a need for a full moratorium on CSG "or Barry O'Farrell can expect all sorts of trouble in the years ahead".
The report pointed to toxic spills of produced coal seam gas water, excessive clearing of precious bushland and salt-laden water discharged into creeks.
Santos to upgrade Pilliga Forest CSG project
23-Feb-2012
ABC The Business
Mining giant Santos says it will scale back CSG operations at the Pilliga State Forest while it spends $20 million to improve its facilities
Events
Media Releases
Lock the Gate to shut down Acland coal dump
19-Feb-2012
Drew Hutton
The Lock the Gate movement will be shutting down the coal loading facility of New Hope Coal's Acland mine tomorrow (Monday 20 February).
The Lock the Gate Alliance is planning to march on the Acland mine coal dump situated at the edge of the Jondaryan township. This facility has been accused by Jondaryan residents of polluting their town and causing serious health problems.
Undermining Our Foodbowl - Tim Duddy
Voices from the frontline on how CSG & mining are threatening future food.
Hear about the fight against mining and coal seam gas from leading activists in the prime agricultural region of the Liverpool Plains, as well as from Doctors for the Environment.
More than half of NSW is covered by titles for coal, mineral or CSG exploration or production however the question of what this means for food production is yet to be answered.
Our land, our water, contaminated by CSG
Date: Thursday 09 February, 2012 12:07
By: Jacinta Green
Lock The Gate Alliance has recently received news of independent soil and water sample results from contaminated zones in the Pilliga forest near SANTOS's Coal Seam Gas operation.
Drew Hutton, President of Lock The Gate "The testing (commissioned by environment groups, but tested by an independent laboratory) contains disturbing information about the true impacts of CSG, and the appalling attitude of the Coal Seam Gas companies."
Mr. Hutton continued "The results are incredibly disturbing. SANTOS reported that these areas were contaminated by a spill that occurred over 6 months ago, and have been blaming the spill and the subsequent cover up on the previous operator, Eastern Star Gas, while conveniently forgetting that at the time they owned a 20% stake in ESG. But over that 6 months the region has had over 600mm of rain, so these results must be incredibly diluted and a pale shadow of the initial impact."
"Arsenic was found at twice the Australian drinking water guidelines, chromium at almost 4 times the level, lead - 5 times, nickel - 8 times. These are compared to levels that are considered safe for humans to drink, but that is only part of the story. Copper - used extensively in testing as it is highly toxic to invertebrates, was found at levels 136 times the Aquatic Ecosystem Guidelines."
"What were the initial concentrations of toxins in the ‘spill'? Why does the public have to rely on environmental groups to get testing done? This is the Government's job, and until the government has the resources to safeguard the people, the ecosystems and the water of Australia, they should shut this industry down. How many times do accidents have to happen before the government realises that the CSG companies do not have the best interests of Australia at heart?" He continues.
Jacinta Green, Vice President of Lock The Gate Alliance, who recently visited the Pilliga said "What has happened in the Pilliga is a disgrace, pilot production should never be allowed, anywhere, under an exploration licence. Companies should no longer be able to get away with saying ‘but it's just exploration' - 90% of the population of NSW is covered by an exploration licence. This is why ALL CSG activities need to be halted until a Royal Commission investigates all the impacts of CSG."
The LOCK THE GATE Alliance is a national alliance of over 120 community, industry and environmental groups and over 1000 supporters concerned with the devastating impact that certain inadequately assessed and inadequately-regulated fossil fuel extraction industries are having on our short and long term physical, social, environmental and economic wellbeing. We are particularly concerned with the damage caused by the coal and coal seam gas (CSG) mining industries.
We believe that neither we, nor our governments (at all levels), are sufficiently well informed about these industries, about their true role in our economy and their impact on our health and welfare as a nation and within the diverse communities that constitute our nation. We are concerned that the short-term greed associated with these industries (including that of governments through royalties and other returns) is compromising the welfare of future generations of Australians and our future ability to thrive in a new world driven by renewable energy sources.
We believe that the interaction of these industries with our governments and the extreme imbalance between the way their rights are measured against the rights of others in the community is indicative of a system that is no longer working for all Australians and that has lost a moral and ethical compass.
Our mission is to hold our governments to account for past decisions regarding the operation of destructive fossil fuel industries and ensure that future decisions incorporate the rights of current and future generations of Australians to sustain their communities, pursue their livelihoods, enjoy and realise the potential of their assets (natural, cultural and economic) and operate within a healthy natural environment. In doing so, we wish to encourage our vision of a model of government decision-making that is properly informed, inclusive, far-sighted and morally and ethically based.
