The State Government’s approval of 330 coal seam gas wells in the Gloucester-Stroud valley is about to be put to the test in court.
Last February, the NSW Planning Assessment Commission (PAC) gave approval for AGL’s development of a minimum 330 well coal seam gas project in the valley.
The Barrington-Gloucester-Stroud Preservation Alliance (BGSPA), with the support of the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO), has lodged an appeal against the project’s approval.
The case has been set for hearing in the Land and Environment Court in Sydney commencing on Monday.
BGSPA Chairperson, Graeme Healy said the case will focus on the PAC’s consideration of the environmental impacts resulting from the project.
Key issues are: risks to surface and groundwater quality and quantity when the gas wells are drilled and the coal seams fracked; lack of data about groundwater impacts given the highly fractured geological structure of the valley; uncertainty about the disposal of polluted waste water produced during the extraction process and uncertainty about the nature and impacts of the chemicals used in the fracking process.
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Manning River Times
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