COAL SEAM GAS MINING AND THE RISK TO HEALTH

A study into the relationship between aerial pollutants from unconventional gas mining and health problems on Queensland's Darling Downs was recently reported in the International Journal of Environmental Studies. That report confirms that Northern Rivers residents dodged a massive bullet when people power forced the NSW government to end gas exploration here.

The report is highly critical of the government for allowing “unchecked expansion of unconventional gas companies into the Darling Downs”, with “a remarkable lack of substantive investigation into potential human health impacts”.

The fact that “no baseline environmental studies, human health risk assessments or health studies were undertaken before large-scale extraction took place”, is also criticised as does the failure of state-based research organisations to undertake any substantive research or investigation into the health impacts reported by gas field residents. Those impacts - nosebleeds, rashes, respiratory symptoms, and paraesthesia - were widely reported, with the industry vigorously denying any responsibility.

With no base-line data identifying the cause was always going to be difficult, with one study, the 2010 Australian Research Council's, “A Human Health Risk Assessment for developing CSG water resources in Queensland”, reportedly aborted when the industry partner, Santos, withdrew funding.

US studies have linked an increased rate and severity of asthma attacks, cardiac, neurological, and skin conditions; an increased incidence of congenital heart defects; childhood leukaemia; low birth weight and early infant death with the presence of the unconventional gas industry.

The Darling Downs Hospital and Health Services report that between 2007 and 2014, respiratory admissions rose from 1,247 to 3,051 and circulatory admissions from 2,198 to 5,141.

During that time the combined airborne emissions (kilograms) self-reported by QGC, Origin, Santos, and Arrow, saw the following increases:

Carbon monoxide – 754,000 to 6,800,000.

Nitrogen oxides – 1,704,000 to 10,048,000.

Total Volatile Organic Compounds – 153,400 to 670,600

ParticulateMatter10 – 33,350 to 5,572,422.

Particulate Matter 2.5 – 1,210 to 301,113

Formaldehyde – 25 to 160,420

Sulphur dioxide – 1061 to 12,976

The Northern Rivers dodged the bullet, but other areas, such as the Pilliga, are still fighting for their right to clean air and water.

- John Edwards

 This article was originally published in the VOICES FOR THE EARTH column in The Daily Examiner on February 5, 2018.

CAN THE NSW GOVERNMENT BE TRUSTED TO KEEP THE NSW NORTHERN RIVERS GASFIELD FREE?

Late in 2015 the NSW Government reached agreement with gas-mining company Metgasco about a buy-back of its petroleum exploration licences in the Northern Rivers of NSW.  This followed years of community protests against coal seam gas and unconventional gas mining with major campaigns at Glenugie near Grafton, Doubtful Creek near Kyogle and which culminated in massive protest at Bentley close to Casino and Lismore.

The agreement with Metgasco effectively meant that the Northern Rivers became gasfield free.  This was what community groups like Gasfield Free Northern Rivers, Lock the Gate and the Knitting Nannas Against Gas had been aiming for in the Northern Rivers area.  And local National Party MPs like Chris Gulaptis, Member for Clarence, assured the community that the area indeed was and would continue to be gasfield free.

However, since then community members have learnt about a number of developments that cast considerable doubt on these assurances.

On February 9 2016 the Lismore-based paper The Northern Star published a story about NSW Mining Minister Anthony Roberts stating that the NSW Government intended to unlock new coal seam gas reserves "to local mining companies that will supply into local markets rather than export".

In support of this plan Minister Roberts claimed that NSW last year had come within a hair's breadth of "catastrophic" gas shortages because of a lack of a local supply.

This is a repetition of the spurious arguments that were used by the Government during the Northern Rivers community campaign to declare this part of the state gasfield free.  It completely ignored the fact that NSW had a very plentiful supply of gas from interstate and there was no danger of gas shortages, catastrophic or otherwise.

The next development which caused concern was the release of the NSW Department of Planning's Regional Plan.The Draft North Coast Regional Plan which was put on exhibition in March is the "proposed blueprint" for the next 20 years.  According to the foreword it "outlines a vision, goals and actions that focus on a sustainable future for the region as it grows that protects the environment, builds a prosperous community and offers attractive lifestyle choices for residents." 

The Draft Plan also states clearly that gas mining in the Clarence -Moreton Basin is still on the agenda.  "The North Coast also includes areas of the Clarence-Moreton Basin, which has potential coal seam gas resources that may be able to support the development and growth of new industries and provide economic benefits for the region..." It also states that the NSW Department of Industry is mapping coal and coal seam gas resources in the region.

If the two developments above were insufficient to cause community concern about the government's intentions, early in May the community learned of another indication of the government's desire to restart gas-mining in the region. Marketing material, prepared by NSW Trade and Investment bureaucrats, was presented in March to a mining conference in Toronto attended by thousands of mining investors from more than 100 countries.

Investors were told that a 16,000 sq km area of the Northern Rivers, the Clarence-Moreton Basin, "has very good petroleum potential" and that almost all the wells drilled have yielded gas or oil.

Was the marketing promotion a "bureaucratic error" as claimed by some local politicians? In the very unlikely event that it was, it indicates that the Government is performing very poorly in communicating its policies to the bureaucracy.  Presumably the inclusion of gas-mining in the Draft Regional Plan was also a "bureaucratic error".

The Northern Rivers community has good reason to be very suspicious of the Baird Government's commitment to a gasfield free Northern Rivers.

GASFIELD FREE RALLY IN LISMORE - November 1 @ 10 am

With the State Election due in March next year, Gasfield Free Northern Rivers wants to put more pressure on all state politicians to ensure that the Northern Rivers is kept gasfield free. The November 1^st Lismore Rally is an important part of this campaign.  Below is an abridged version of an email from Gasfield Free Northern Rivers.

 

 

 

For more information see http://csgfreenorthernrivers.org/news/gasfield-free-northern-rivers-rally-november-1st/

Whilst Bentley was a great win, our region is still NOT SAFE from invasive gas mining! Active licenses still cover most of the Northern Rivers and Metgasco plans to start drilling as soon as they can if the current suspension at Bentley is lifted!

With a state election looming NOW is the time to remind our politicians that we are determined to keep our region GASFIELD FREE by keeping this issue on everyone’s agenda.

Will you help us make the BIG RALLY in Lismore on November 1st one of the most powerful events in our region’s history?

 

On November 1^st the communities of the Northern Rivers will be taking the momentous step of declaring our whole region GASFIELD FREE! We will also be calling on the NSW Government to take decisive action to support our declaration by CANCELLING all the gas licences that cover our region.

 

Here’s how you can join us in making the November 1st rally a truly momentous event and help to make gasfields history in the Northern Rivers:

-Show up at 10am at Riverside Park, Lismore on Nov. 1st for the march, rally and declaration

-Pledge to bring FIVE of your family, friends or work colleagues on the day

-Spread the word

The movement for a Gasfield Free Northern Rivers has grown from strength to strength in the last four years because people like you care enough to take action.

Let’s keep building the momentum for decisive action from government by making the rally an event our politicians can’t ignore!

 

 

 

 

GAS MINERS' ORGANISATION CLAIMS CSG NO LONGER AN ISSUE

According to newpaper reports, the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) claims that coal seam gas (CSG) was a non-issue in the 7th September Federal Election in seats in places like the NSW Northern Rivers.

An exit poll was conducted by Crosby-Textor for APPEA in 20 seats.  These included Page and Richmond in NSW and eight seats in Queensland.  400 people were polled spread evenly across the 20 seats.  According to an article in the Clarence Valley's  The Daily Examiner the poll "found natural gas scored zero per cent as an influencing factor, even when respondents were prompted." 

Whatever the Crosby-Textor might say, the poll was scarcely a significant sample on which to base the assumptions about the attitudes in these 20 electorates. In the electorate of Page over 83,000 votes were cast and numbers in other electorates would have been similar. 

The article went on to say that APPEA "also analysed the results in a number of seats where CSG development had been touted as a  key election issue."

In  APPEA's media release  it was claimed that "Australians rejected (the) message" of those campaigning "heavily against gas extraction".

Their analysis of Page results was based on their claim  that both the incumbent Labor MP (Janelle Saffin) and the Greens candidate (Desley Banks) campaigned against CSG and both had swings against them. They forgot to mention that the National candidate (Kevin Hogan) who won the seat, also took a strong stand against gas mining in the Page electorate - as did the rest of the minor candidates. So the claim that the swing reflected attitudes to gas mining are spurious.  It is obviously another case of spin from the gas mining public relations machine.

Just where will these people go next with their propaganda as they attempt to manipulate public opinion ?

CSG MINER METGASCO'S NEW PR PUSH

After a quiet period following the drilling at Glenugie and Doubtful Creek, coal seam gas (CSG) company Metgasco has embarked on a public relations campaign.

Late in July it claimed it had broad community support in the NSW Northern Rivers for its CSG mining activities. The claim in Lismore’s Northern Star was based on a poll conducted by Richmond River Council in the Casino area.

In the poll respondents were asked, “If the Coal Seam Gas industry in the Richmond Valley resulted  in increased employment, economic welfare for the region and was adequately regulated and proven to be environmentally safe, how supportive would you be of Richmond Valley Council working with CSG stakeholders and regulators to ensure the community benefit from this industry?”

Boudicca Cerise, spokesperson for  CSG Free Northern Rivers, rejected Metgasco's claim saying the poll was a "blatant example of push polling, a method where  the pollster attempts to influence the outcome by asking leading questions that 'push' the respondent towards adopting a particular position."

Ms Cerise compared the results of this dubious poll with the community-run surveys of more than 20,000 residents in the Northern Rivers in which there was a 95% "yes" response to the question "Do you want your roads/lands gasfield free?"  This level of response was also recorded in the Richmond River Council area.

Ms Cerese also referred to Metgasco claims that it would return to the region with a focus on 'conventional gas prospects' as a "similar illustration of the company's reliance on spin  and misinformation to push their corporate agenda of making a quick profit at the expense of local communities and the environment."

She pointed out that many of the gas-bearing sandstone structures in the area are 'tight gas reservoirs' that "are likely to need extensive fracking to be commercially viable" and that Metgasco is very well aware of this.  Furthermore, she said that the local community would not be fooled by these claims relating to 'conventional gas'.
 
In another move to influence public opinion Metgasco wrote to north coast schools offering to send staff members to the schools as well as providing them with documentaries about the energy industry. According to the  ABC report on this, the NSW Education Department policy document states that "discussion of controversial issues is only acceptable when it clearly serves educative purposes and is consistent with curriculum objectives".  So it's unlikely that Metgasco will be able to spread its message through school students.




It will be interesting to see what other tactics Metgasco will use to attempt to convince the Northern Rivers community that its CSG mining will benefit the area.