Alarm at Coal Seam Gas application on the Northern Tablelands

Armidale Action on Coal Seam Gas has raised alarm bells after  discovering that an application has been submitted for a Petroleum  Special Prospecting Application over the entire Northern Tablelands.The  group has now moved to organise a number of events to rapidly inform the  local community about the risks of coal seam gas.

The news comes on the very day that the NSW Upper House is set to debate  a bill for a moratorium on coal seam gas mining across NSW.

“We were alarmed to discover this week that an application for coal seam  gas ‘prospecting’ has been submitted across a vast area including the  New England Tablelands and towns such as Armidale and Walcha” said  Carmel Flint, spokesperson for Armidale Action on Coal Seam Gas and a  regional co-ordinator with Lock The Gate Alliance.

“We will be gathering outside the government information session on the  draft Land Use Plan (to be held at the Armidale Library from 4pm-7pm on  the 29th March) to protest against this flawed proposal and to encourage  people to make submissions opposing it.

“This application may be the beginning of a process which leads to  exploration and mining of coal seam gas across our region, and in light  of that we are encouraging all political parties to support the coal  seam gas moratorium in Parliament today.

“We now also feel an even greater urgency about informing local people  about the severe risks that coal seam gas mining poses to our water, our  food producing land and our natural areas.

“In response to the news about the application, we are organising a  number of events for the local community to get informed, including a  Coal Seam Gas Forum at 7.00pm, 2nd May at the Armidale Town Hall (to be  confirmed) and a tour of the Pilliga coal seam gas exploration field  from the 13th-15th April.

“The Forum on the 2nd May will include a number of expert speakers  including Dr Mariann Lloyd-Smith who will talk about the health impacts of coal seam gas mining and geologist John Polglase who will talk about  the risks to water resources.

“Our concerns are heightened by the serious failings of the draft  Strategic Regional Land Use Plan released by the NSW Government last  week, which will not protect one square inch of our region from coal  seam gas mining.