GAS might be the bridge between the coal-fired present and the clean, green future, but if that bridge is to be built it’s going to need firm foundations.
Those foundations are the subject of bitter debate all over Australia, with communities demanding guarantees that industry and government won’t recklessly expose them to irreversible environmental and social damage in pursuit of the prospect of quick wealth.
A ‘‘national day of action’’ planned this weekend suggests the scale and extent of concern, with a number of Hunter communities preparing to participate.
In NSW – where gas companies are feverishly drilling test wells and planning pipeline routes – the government has established an inquiry into the industry. The parliamentary website discloses at least 640 submissions to the inquiry.
The government’s own submission strongly backs the rapid development of the industry, predicting about 5000 gas wells in the state by 2025 and urging the community to get used to the idea of gas and agriculture working side-by-side.
While nobody can deny that gas extraction royalties would be useful to the government, the case for tempering enthusiasm with caution is strong.
Newcastle Herald
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