The SMH Good Weekend Magazine (13/08/11) has an informative article, What lies beneath by David Leser about the impact of Coal Seam Gas(CSG) exploration & extraction on Australian primary industry.
This article supports the conclusions given in the DVD Gasland, showing that CSG corporations are foreign corporate raiders operating for the sole benefit of their shareholders overseas and likely against the Australian national interest.
I strongly commend this article to all SLA members.
By: Jack Arnold
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All,
By way of introduction, my name is Tom Livanos. I am studying a Bachelor of Sustainability at the University of New England. I am an Armidale resident. I am a member of Sustainable Living Armidale. I have also been elected unopposed/appointed as convenor of the Awareness action group (which I hope to make active towards the end of 2011).
I have read the article recommended by fellow Sustainable Living Armidale member, Jack Arnold. As I see it, it is an excellent overview of the landscape regarding the coal seam gas industry. It has a particular focus on New South Wales.
My understanding of the issue comes from the following sources:
* Sandy Blomfeld, President of the Caroona Coal Action Group, and his presentation at the April 2011 forum of Sustainable Living Armidale. I have also been in contact with him several times by email since then. He is a long time farmer directly impacted by coal seam gas mining on the Liverpool Plains. I have undertaken some activism to Parliament and media outlets with invaluable information coming from this group. Note: it is the Caroona Coal Action Group which setup a blockade of farms in their area to physically block mining trucks from entering. It was initially manned by the community. People then started coming from other nearby areas, then from around Australia, then from around New Zealand, then from places such as Denmark, Canada and the United States of America. It lasted for two years (going 24 hours a day and seven days a week). The short term battle was won but they are using fatigue tactics to wear the farmers down.
* Carmel Flint, long time environmental activist. Carmel presented at the July monthly forum of Sustainable Living Armidale on this issue. She is an informed and tireless environmental activist. She (with others) is organising an excursion to the Pilliga State Forest between 17-19 September 2011. Email: ArmidalePilligaFriends-owner@yahoogroups.com if you wish to learn more/join in. Carmel has already been to the Pilliga forest and attracted media attention there. The excursion in September is not a media event. It will allow people, myself included, to go to the Pilliga (prime forest area) and see the issue playing out first hand. Having heard and spoken to Carmel, she is very informed on this issue and has been active within it for quite some time.
* Watching a 4 Corners report by Matthew Carney. It went to air on Monday 21 February 2011. I watched the report online along with all the extended interviews (you can do the same for now and the medium future).
* Watching the United States of America based film, GasLand. This shows the state of play over there (unfortunately not too different from Australia). It explains how, in 2005, coal seam gas miners were exempted from the decades long (since the early 70s) clean water laws.
The article referred to by Jack Arnold here is, from what I have read/heard elsewhere (i.e. above), an accurate and quite complete description of where this industry is at here in New South Wales. At a couple of points in the article, journalist David Leser writes “At the time this article went to press…..”, so it is as current as you can conveniently get. I have written a summary of the article for my own reference. If anyone wishes to read my summary, send me an email (let me know how you got my email address) to tom.livanos@sustainableforlife.net
On a personal note, I think this is the ugliest example of capitalism run rampant that I have ever come across in my 35 years of life. We (i.e. government and corporations) are, at present, preferencing a one-off extraction of gas to the health and vitality of soils and the water table. That includes the Great Artesian Basin which, from my study in sustainability, is the foundation for life on this continent (the driest inhabited continent in the world). It seems that people power is the only thing stopping the industry from pumping unknown chemicals into the land and water of New South Wales and all of Australia. Quite extraordinary and I wish as much as anybody that I wasn’t living at a time when this mining was being pursued with such energy and vigour.
Jack, I have never met you (or don’t believe so at least!) but thankyou for bringing this article to my attention and that of everyone else.
Thankyou all for your time.
Thankyou and regards,
Tom.