Lock the Gate Alliance has claimed its first 
major scalp in the coal seam gas industry as outgoing Chair of Eastern Star Gas, 
John Anderson, admitted that political headwinds and community opposition had 
triggered his company's sale to Santos.
"At the shareholder vote this morning John 
Anderson said that Eastern Star Gas had not been able to prove up its gas 
reserves due to 'political headwinds' and that this had ultimately led to 
financial pressures which had seen them sell to Santos" said Drew Hutton, 
President of LTGA. 
"This is a big victory for community opposition 
against coal seam gas in Australia.  Ordinary Australians all 
around the country are having a massive impact on this industry and its future 
is in doubt."Those same 'political headwinds' referred to by 
John Anderson will bring down Santos and the Narrabri Gas Project in the Pilliga 
Forest. 
Santos has bought a pig in a poke with this gas 
project - they don't have the environmental approvals they need and they will 
never get them if we have anything to do with it.
"We will band together with local communities to 
lock the gate on coal seam gas in the Pilliga forest - a priceless piece of our 
collective natural heritage that belongs to the people of NSW not to 
Santos.
"We will band together with farmers in the 
Liverpool Plains who are today bravely standing firm in their blockade of a 
proposed pilot production well.
 "As the fall of Eastern Star Gas shows us, 
Santos is not immune from the powerful community opposition building against 
coal seam gas development in Australia."
We are here to tell them that we will fight 
them every step of the way and that we will defend our water, our farmland and 
our bushland with all that we have.
Drew Hutton 

 
 
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