No coal seam gas mining rally in Newtown - September 2011

Defend Our Water – National Day of Action - This national day of action against coal seam gas mining organised by Lock the Gate will happen during National Water Week.  A recent article in the Herald said, “Australia’s coal seam gas industry could extract an average of 300 gigalitres from groundwater systems every year for the next 25 years, experts predict. That amount of water would be more than half as much as is presently extracted from the Great Artesian Basin each year. The “conservative” projection is contained in a submission from the National Water Commission that was among hundreds put to a NSW parliamentary inquiry into coal seam gas.”  http://www.theherald.com.au/news/local/news/general/coal-seam-gas-sucks-up-water/2299995.aspx

In another recent article “Governments & scientists are questioning the impact that tens of thousands of coal seam gas wells will have on the environment. In the next 10 or 20 years regional Queensland will see the number of wells rise from 4,000 to 30,000.  One key question is what to do with an estimated 30 million tonnes of salt, a by-product of extracting briny underground water to get at the gas hidden in the coal seams.  …. over a 30-year period coal seam gas extraction could produce 10% of the annual salt production of the world. The tens of thousands of coal seam gas wells are likely to extract up to 300,000 megalitres of water each year for up to 30 years.”

The use of such massive amounts of groundwater is not the only problem.  There is also the issue of the cancer-causing chemicals used in fracking.  When you deliberately break up the ground hundreds of feet below the surface, the chances of leakage is high.  Lateline recently reported that something like 1 in 150 coal seam gas mines have an accident, therefore the cumulative effects can wreak irreparable environmental devastation. Remember, in Queensland alone, they are planning to drill at least 30,000 sites.  Once groundwater is contaminated there is nothing that can be done to fix it.

Defend Our Water – National Day of Action

  • Sunday 16th October 2011
  • No Gas Mining in Sydney will hold an event in Martin Place, Sydney CBD
  • 12MD – 2pm
  • There will be guest speakers, music, stalls & activities.
  • All the other events around Australia will be sending their details to the Sydney event.

Fundraiser event for community group No Gas Mining in Sydney

  • Saturday 22nd October 2011
  • Town & Country Hotel – corner of Unwins Bridge & Campbell Roads St Peters
  • 8pm to late
  • Entry $5 or donation

You can find more information about the impacts of coal seam gas mining & join the mailing list for No Gas Mining in Sydney at – www.nogasmininginsydney.com

This google map shows 4kms from the Dial a Dump site in a number of directions. Dart Energy have said that they could drill up to 6kms from the St Peters site. Click to enlarge.