Residents and business owners in Hunter Valley reiterated its call for the
New South Wales (NSW) government to ring fence the region from coal seam gas
(CSG) exploration and production.
The call was made again with the approach of the renewal deadline for
Petroleum Exploration Licenses (PEL) in the region. It was made by the Hunter
Valley Protection Alliance (HVPA) and the Hunter Valley Wine Industry
Association (HVWIA).
PELs are renewed every six years. The NSW Petroleum Act of 1991 specifies
that the area of the PEL for renewal must not exceed 75 per cent of the area
currently being explored. AGL's PEL 267 would lapse on Jan 19, 2012.
The two groups asked NSW Premier
Barry O'Farrell to remove viticultural lands and tourism regions from existing
PELs similar to actions taken by the state government of South Australia and Western Australia. The move seeks to
protect and maintain the integrity, landscape and global reputation of
winegrowing areas in the Barossa Valley, McLaren Value and Margaret River.
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