BLOCKADE: Fullerton Cove Community Blockade Against Dart’s CSG

A community blockade has been established at a coal seam gas pilot drilling site on Fullerton Cove Road, near Newcastle.

Construction is already under way and soon a drill rig will be brought in, but a drive through Fullerton Cove shows you that Dart do not have a social licence to operate coal seam gas in the area. Almost every home along the main road has a “Lock the Gate” triangle nailed to its front fence, declaring the property off-limits to coal seam gas.

The Fullerton Cove Residents Action Group wrote to Dart Energy last week questioning the lawfulness of the proposed drilling and asking that no further construction occur until it has been tested in court.

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Are fugitive emissions from coal seam gas being underestimated?

Fugitive emissions from coal seam gas drilling may have been substantially underestimated according to a paper released today by The Australia Institute (TAI).

The paper authored by TAI senior economist Matt Grudnoff questions the viability of CSG as a low emission energy source.

“Gas is increasingly being seen by some as a ‘bridging fuel’ in the fight against climate change, yet because we don’t accurately measure the amount of leakage at wellheads we have no way of knowing if we’re actually reducing our emissions by switching from coal to coal seam gas,” said Mr Grudnoff in a statement.

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Community to study health impact of coal and gas in north-west NSW

On the weekend I visited Gunnedah to attend a health forum convened by the North West Alliance, a coalition of community members and groups concerned about expanded coal and gas across the north west region of NSW.

The forum heard from a range of speakers and pledged to establish a Health Impact Assessment, which will gather data on health and extractive industry.

Independent Member for New England Tony Windsor opened the forum, pledging his support for the community-led health study. Windsor told the hundred strong audience that “human health should be paramount”.

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Gunnedah Basin Coal and Gas Health Impact Study initiated by community

The Gunnedah Basin in the north-west region of NSW is seeing a massive expansion of coal and coal seam gas operations, with the area covered by exploration licences or existing mines. The plans for further coal and gas operations in the region have led to some members of the community initiating a study to look at the impact of these industries on human health.

The Maules Creek Community Council (MCCC) will be partnering with UNSW’s Centre for Health Equity Training, Research and Evaluation (CHETRE) to conduct a Health Impact Assessment.

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Who should pay for tests to monitor coal seam gas operations?

The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) recently issued two $1500 fines to Eastern Star Gas, and a formal warning to Santos, for discharging polluted water from its coal seam gas operations into the Pilliga forest. The penalties were issued after environment groups sought and paid for independent water and soil testing with samples from the area surrounding coal seam gas operations in the Pilliga forest.

While the EPA decision vindicates the anecdotes of concern from those who live locally or have visited the site regularly, it also raises the question: why did it come down to environmental groups to raise the alarm, conduct the testing, and foot the bill for regulating coal seam gas operations in a state forest?

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Lock the Gate United States Frack Finding Tour

On 14 July Lock the Gate President Drew Hutton will be travelling to the United States to spend a few weeks touring the coal seam gas and shale gas fields of Texas, Wyoming, Colorado, New York and Pennsylvania.

You can follow Drew’s trip on Storify and watch the Twitter hashtag #ltgfracktour.

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Eastern Star Gas fined, Santos warned over pollution in the Pilliga Forest

This afternoon the NSW Environment Protection Authority announced it is issuing fines to Eastern Star Gas for discharging polluted coal seam gas water into a creek in the Pilliga forest last year.

The coal seam gas project in the Pilliga is now operated by Santos who the EPA issued with a formal warning over an incident involving a discharge that contained elevated levels of ammonia in December 2011.

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