Glenugie locals and members of the Lock
the Gate alliance are furious that gas company Metgasco has commenced drilling
at Glenugie without consultation with nearby landholders or any public
notification that they had received approval for the works.
Local Sarah Fletcher is anxious about
the potential impacts of the drilling operation on her property which lies
downstream of the site on Avenue Road, just east of the Grafton Regional
Airport and within the catchment of the important Coldstream wetlands.
“I was shocked to learn that drilling
commenced yesterday,” Mrs Fletcher said. “According to workmen at the site, a 6
metre hole has already been drilled and a pad established for future drilling.
“This has come from out of the blue. We
had a promise from Steve Gallop, Metgasco’s manager of Health, Safety and
Environment, that all neighbours would be notified in writing but this has not
occurred,” she said.
Mrs Fletcher will be joining other
locals at a protest vigil outside the site today.
Lock the Gate’s Northern Regional
coordinator, Ian Gaillard, who will also be joining today’s protest at the
site, shares the locals’ concerns about the lack of transparency and
communication in the process which has approved this work.
“Approval of this drill site is based
on a consent given in 2010 for a well-site then proposed for an undisclosed
location in Coaldale – 50 km to the north-west of the current site.
“Apparently an amendment to the review
of environmental factors (REF) has been assessed for this new site – but this
amendment and the new approval are not currently available on the Department of
Resource and Energy’s website.
“We are calling on the NSW Government
to address the community’s real concerns regarding the lack of consultation
with relevant stakeholders in the planning and decision-making processes,” he
said.
“With the shroud of secrecy clouding
the approval process, is it any wonder that there is widespread lack of
confidence in the Government’s promises to protect our water and air from
pollution arising from the drilling process?
“We are calling for an immediate stop
to all drilling for unconventional gas in the Clarence Valley. Recently
released data on methane emissions from gas fields at Tara highlight the urgent
need for baseline studies to be done before this industry proceeds any further
in our region,” he said.
- Media Release issued 21st November, 2012.
