Stop CSG Sydney released the statement below on May 10.
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Stop CSG Sydney welcomes the ASX announcement today that Dart Energy will not drill in St Peters. However, after 18 months of dealing with Dart Energy they remain cynical and will not abandon their campaign until the well is completely off the table.
Jacinta Green, President of Stop CSG, said: “We are used to reading between the lines now and have several concerns about this announcement. In the release they refer to an ASX announcement of July 2011. In the July announcement they only say that is unlikely, not that it has been taken off the table.
“The St Peters site remains the only approved well in the Sydney Petroleum Exploration Licence (PEL), while that remains the case, we will continue this campaign. We note that in their quarterly update posted in April this year, that they have identified several areas in the Sydney PEL suitable for drilling. We would like to know where these areas are, and wonder why this information is not available (in the interests of being open and transparent) on their website.
“We are in the process of drafting a letter to Dart asking them to formally rescind the approved Review of Environmental Factors (REF). We are also drafting a letter to Chris Hartcher asking him to formally revoke the approval for the drill site. Only when the approval to drill at the St Peters site is officially revoked, will we drop our cynicism and then begin to think about a quiet celebration.
“However, we have always been aware that this has been much bigger than a NIMBY issue. While we may have been spared local impacts, we are well aware our drinking water is at threat, with drilling in our water catchments both to the south and southwest, that our fresh food is at threat with developments across agricultural areas of the state, and our state parks like The Pilliga, and even the Wollemi National Park are affected.”
