Across NSW, dozens of local groups have organised to campaign against coal seam gas (CSG) mining. After years of using official channels of protest, they have been frustrated by the lack of response from the government and feel that they have no choice but to change tactics.
In the Pilliga state forest south of Narrabri, 92 wells have been drilled to explore for CSG. In June last year, 10,000 litres of untreated saline CSG water were leaked into the environment.
The Wilderness Society says gas company Santos wants “to drill 1100 CSG wells in the Pilliga forest which will result in the clearing of thousands of hectares of forest and the fragmentation of at least 85,000 hectares. Pilliga Forest is a crucial habitat for national and internationally protected species”.
Jane Judd from group Friends of the Pilliga told Green Left Weekly they are concerned about the environmental impacts such as clearing of the forest and the impact on wildlife. “There are threatened species, such as koalas and the Pilliga mouse, that use the Pilliga as a refuge in an area surrounded by farmland. The additional pressure and habitat loss could push them over the edge into extinction.
“We wrote so many submissions, the state government have ignored us.”
Mel Barnes
Coal Seam Gas News
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