The Australian Government has moved on the issue of coal seam gas mining by creating an independent panel to provide Commonwealth and state approval agencies with scientific advice on mining licence applications for large-scale coal seam gas mining projects.
Because this federal government does not have the outright constitutional power to ban coal seam gas mining or significantly limit its expansion and its current plan is dependent on state co-operation, now is the time to pressure National Party MPs on the NSW North Coast to support this panel.
Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities:
Federal environment minister, the Hon Tony Burke MP, has approved the appointment of an expert panel to advise him on coal seam gas water management, for Queensland coal seam gas projects approved and conditioned under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.Those projects include the Queensland Curtis LNG project, the Santos Gladstone LNG project, and the Australia Pacific LNG project. The expert panel will provide advice on the adequacy of water management plans which the companies must submit under the conditions of approval.
The members of the expert panel are:
- Professor Paul Greenfield AO, Vice Chancellor, University of Queensland
- Professor Chris Moran, Director, Sustainable Minerals Institute, University of Queensland
- Dr Richard Cresswell, Sinclair Knight Merz
- Ms Jane Coram, Geoscience Australia
- Associate Professor Heather Chapman, Griffith University.
Several major gas/petroleum companies are pursuing projects to extract CSG from the Bowen and Surat Basins in Queensland, and other CSG producing areas in NSW. The Queensland projects would feed export-oriented LNG plants in the Gladstone area, the majority on Curtis Island off the coast opposite Gladstone. The projects involve significant capital expenditure and would operate over a long period……There are uncertainties of groundwater and surface water impacts from the extraction of significant amounts of CSG water including the risk of impacts to aquifers and groundwater quality which may lead to impacts on matters of national environmental significance protected under the EPBC Act.
The Government has listened to community concerns, and will:
· * Provide $150 million to establish a new Independent Expert Scientific Committee that will provide scientific advice to governments about relevant coal seam gas and large coal mining approvals where they have significant impacts on water; oversee research on impacts on water resources from coal seam gas and large coal mining projects; and commission and fund water resource assessments for priority regions.
· * Establish a new National Partnership Agreement with the states through COAG, agreeing that the Commonwealth and states have to take into account the advice of the Committee in their assessment and approval decisions.
· * Provide $50 million in incentive payments to the states to deliver this outcome.
· * Mandate that the Independent Expert Scientific Committee publicly disclose its advice to ensure local communities have all the best information available to them.
Page MP Janelle Saffin today welcomed the Federal Government’s move to ensure that all future decisions about coal seam gas projects are based on the most rigorous scientific evidence available.
“I’ve made many representations to Federal ministers and the Prime Minister on CSG, about what can be done at the Federal level to address community concerns. It is not an easy area, as so much is under the power of the states.
“I had asked the Minister for the Environment, Tony Burke, to explore the nature and extent of his power vis-à-vis the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC) and the Federal Water Act.
“I’m pleased that the Government has listened to the representations and the concerns of the community, particularly in regard to the impact of CSG on our water.
‘The Government recognises that the community can only have confidence if all environmental approvals and licensing decisions are made on the basis of transparent, objective scientific evidence.
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