Grassroots victory: A swell of community concern over potential coal seam gas exploration has lead to a mining company officially amending its exploration licence application. Toongabbie residents Tracey Anton, Sophie Shippen, Maria Johnson, Ray Pollard and Carmel Shippen helped lead the charge in November
A mining company has moved to alleviate community concerns, officially withdrawing its intention to pursue coal seam gas deposits in a mining exploration licence application covering the Toongabbie area.
In a public notice published in The Express (19 March), Commonwealth Mining announced it had amended the application to exclude coal bed methane, months after it came under significant concerns about potential CSG extraction in the area.
"Following consultation with the Department of Primary Industries, the company has agreed to withdraw from the application the rights to any coal bed methane as a target mineral for exploration," the announcement said, adding it was never the intention to explore for CSG.
Commonwealth Mining, a 100 per cent owned subsidiary of Lakes Oil NL, which is involved in on-land gas exploration in south and central Gippsland, filed an application to the DPI in October, listing 'coal bed methane' along with brown and black coal as the commodities the company was interested in locating.
A Toongabbie-based action group, 'Community Over Mining', formed off the back of the licence application said potential CSG extraction in Gippsland was one of its chief concerns, while friends of the Earth spokesperson Cam Walker challenged the company to alleviate community concerns.
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Latrobe Valley Express
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