National Day of Action to defend water against coal and coal seam gas

From the Lock the Gate Alliance website

MEDIA RELEASE  

14 October 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Clean, Sustainable and Green? Coal Seam Gas is not what it claims to be.

The movement against Coal Seam Gas (CSG) is gaining ground and on Sunday October 16 there will be National Day of Action to defend Australia’s water against coal mining and CSG developments.  The Conservation Council of SA supports a halt to the further development of CSG and other unconventional gas projects until all health and environmental impacts are understood, and its true greenhouse impacts properly quantified.

Acting CE Julia Winefield commented, “The extraction of CSG requires large volumes of water and the process can pollute water sources with toxic and carcinogenic chemicals. Unconventional gas is not clean from an environmental perspective.”

“When you take into account the energy required and the methane leakage that can occur during extraction and processing, you quickly realise it is not clean from a greenhouse perspective either, and the industry and governments should stop describing it as such.

“While the largest CSG deposits and projects are based in the Eastern states, South Australia will not be ignored by mining companies. With deposits in the north of the state, CSG and other unconventional gas development could be on our doorstep sooner than we would like to think.

“We know that companies are looking to extract unconventional gas in the Simpson Desert, one of the most pristine wilderness areas anywhere in the world, and will use water from the Great Artesian Basin to do it. We are deeply concerned about this, not only because of the environmental impacts but also the impact to communities. For many communities in regional South Australia, the Great Artesian Basin is their only source of water. It also has great cultural significance to local indigenous communities.

“It is not only the north of our state that may be at risk. We know too little of the connectivity of our aquifers, the Great Artesian and the Murray-Darling Basin.

“We don’t know enough about the impact of unconventional gas extraction to allow it to proceed in the face of these risks. We cannot and should not risk our vital and irreplaceable water resources for short-term economic gains.

“But after hearing what has happened in NSW and Queensland, we are very worried that development could proceed in advance of the necessary knowledge and risk management processes. The government needs to call a halt to this industry before it irreversibly damages Australia’s water supplies,” said Ms Winefield.

150 concerned South Australians recently attended the forumFrom the Ground Up: Are we fracked? on 29 September at the Bradley Forum to hear from an expert panel about the impacts of the CSG industry.

For further information and a report on the September CSG Forum, go to  http://www.flickr.com/photos/dibell/sets/72157627807250988/, www.hurrysavetheMurray.com

Release Ends

 

For further information on the Blueprint for a Sustainable Future go to:

http://www.conservationsa.org.au/blueprint.html

 

For additional media information or to arrange an interview please contact 

Noriko Wynn, Policy and Communications Officer on 0411 028 930