Coal seam gas (CSG) exploration and mining has been in the headlines recently as communities air concerns about the potential effects of this industry on water, farmland and the environment and the rights of property owners to deny entry to mining companies
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CSG is set to be in the spotlight again this week, with a forum on food security in Gunnedah hosted by radio personality Alan Jones on Tuesday, and on Sunday, “Defend Our Water” rallies to be held in NSW communities and in Sydney.
In the Mid-Western Region, concern has focussed on the Bylong Valley, where exploration is already underway, an initial test drilling has been completed and further drilling is planned.
However, with demand for gas in NSW predicted to more than treble over the next 20 years and the value of CSG production in the state tipped to increase from $34.5 million to over $1 billion by 2025, Bylong is unlikely to be the only part of the Mid-Western Region affected by exploration in the future.
As the Mid-Western Community Action Network (MWCAN) has pointed out in its submission to the parliamentary inquiry into the effects of CSG extraction, the industry is relatively young and its full effects on vital resources such as water are not known.
The MWCAN and Bylong Valley Protection Alliance (BVPA) submissions are just two of many - including the State Government’s own - that have called for a precautionary approach to the CSG industry.
The NSW Government would do well to take notice of the BVPA plea to “understand first, act only then”.
Mudgee Guardian Editorial
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