A contaminated pond in Pilliga State Forest. Photo: Isabel MacIntosh
Last week’s reports of contaminated soil in northwestern NSW – the result of a saline spill over six months ago – have fueled further concern over coal seam gas (CSG) drilling in St Peters, the site of the first approved well in the Sydney Basin.
Although Dart Energy, which controls CSG production in St Peters, was not involved at the site of the Pilliga Forest spill, the threat of a similar accident in a much more populated area has become a new rallying cry for groups seeking the cancellation of Dart’s exploration licence and a one-year moratorium on CSG in NSW.
Erskineville resident Isabel McIntosh has been involved in the Stop CSG campaign. “The story we’re told about the St Peter’s well is that it’s ‘exploration only’ but if you look at the Pilliga you can see that’s not going to be true at all,” she said.
Dart Energy’s licence to drill in St Peters but is under a renewal process that exempts it from stricter regulations introduced last year.
Alternative Media Group
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