Why am I concerned? Well, it would appear that most of the area around where I live (Toowoomba) has already had exploration rights for CSG and other types sold to different mining companies (actually now all part of one):
(Toowoomba Coal Mine Action Group : http://twmbacmag.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/epc.jpg)
For a list of the actual suburbs affected, see http://permaculturemackay.org/what-the-frack.php. It makes for interesting reading - particularly since this is one of the most productive primary agriculture areas in Queensland. Why would you mess with that?
What needs to be understood, is that regardless of how much you paid for your land, be it residential or rural, you actually don't own more than the top layer of soil - everything below belongs to the government, which has been selling us out for a fair bit of money. And make no mistake - the Government has made a lot of money - not the farmers (or our children and grandchildren) being sold out. Essentially, if you don't want a well sunk in your backyard, you have the option of fighting it and going to court and losing, or signing a lease for a ridiculously low amount of money.
The process of Coal Seam Gas mining is one which automatically makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up - and not much does that. What they do is dig a shaft down into the rock (passing through the aquifer on the way), pump water filled with toxins and other unseemly and carcinogenic chemicals in at a high pressure until the rock cracks and the gas is released. Sounds safe right? The process is called Hydraulic Fracturing, or 'Fracking' [wikipedia link]. The CSG companies say that the chemicals are safe - that they're essentially found in most kitchens today. I challenge the CEO of any of the CSG companies to drink a mix of those chemicals - prove to us all that they're safe. My bet - no one will. The danger is that the chemicals will seep into the groundwater and surrounding earth. If this happens (and there are indications it's happening already [link - SMH]), the water will be poisoned, the dirt which our crops depend on and get their nutrients from will become toxic and our children and our children's children will suffer for it.
In my Twitter link following - I came across GasLand - @gaslandaus (http://twitter.com/#!/GasLandAus), a documentary created by an American who wanted answers about what the CSG companies wanted to do to his land. His search unearthed some very scary stuff:
For more about the documentary, please go to: http://www.gasland.com.au/. Follow GasLand on Twitter, Like it on Facebook and tell your parliamentarians that you'd like your kids to be able to drink water from the tap. Oh, and to eat food grown in Australia.
