New coal seam gas rules in NSW fall short

NSW groups opposed to the rollout of coal seam gas mining in the state have said new rules for the industry fall far short of what is needed to protect water reserves, farmland and communities from toxic contamination.

The changes, announced on July 21, put a moratorium on fracking until the end of the year and ban the use of evaporation ponds to dispose of toxic wastewater from the coal seam gas mining process.

It also banned companies from using the so-called BTEX chemicals (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes) in coal seam gas drilling and required companies to have a licence to extract more than 3 million litres of groundwater each year.

Stop CSG Illawarra spokesperson Jess Moore said on July 23: “These changes mark small steps in the right direction, and reflect the strength of the community campaign to date, but are completely inadequate.”

Moore said the new rules do not apply to existing projects. “If the government acknowledges the need for a moratorium on new fracking projects — given the risks it poses to water and agriculture — it should declare a moratorium on all fracking, because the same concerns apply.

“This industry cannot be adequately regulated until the full impacts of coal seam gas mining are known. For that we need a full moratorium until the outcome of a Royal Commission.”

Moore called the banning of BTEX chemicals “a positive step”, but “the fact remains that BTEX can occur naturally in coal seams and be present in water that must be drawn out of the seam to access the gas”.

She also said fracking was not the only concern with the coal seam gas industry.

“We are worried because all CSG mining involves contaminated water, not just fracking,” she said.

“The extraction of gas draws water out of the coal seam that is highly saline and can contain toxic and radioactive compounds, heavy metals and endocrine disruptors.”



The Caroona Coal Action Group said on July 22 the government’s changes were a step forward, but warned coal seam gas mining still posed a problem for farmers and communities in the Liverpool Plains area.

Group spokesperson Rosemary Nankivell told ABC news: “With the fracking process there are other processes that achieve the same effect, such as ‘acidisation’ and cavitation.

“Both processes are very heavy on chemicals and achieve the save results as fracking, so it’s not just fracking that they have to be careful of.”

Thirteen anti-coal seam gas and environment groups released a letter addressed to NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell on July 29. The letter asked O’Farrell to ban coal seam gas mining in important water catchment areas that supply much of the drinking water for Sydney and Wollongong.

It called “to have the Sydney Catchment Authority Special Areas and the nearby State and National reserves and green corridor areas declared coal seam gas exploration and mining exclusion zones.

“This call is made in the public interest to ensure water security, biodiversity, environmental conservation and tourism growth for the Illawarra, Sydney and the Wollondilly.”

The letter was signed by the RiversSOS, Stop CSG Illawarra, the Illawarra, Macarthur and South Sydney branches of the National Parks Association of NSW, the Sutherland Shire Environment Centre, the Sutherland Climate Action Network, the Wollongong Climate Action Network, the Northern Illawarra Sustainability Alliance, the Illawarra Residents for Responsible Mining, Otford Eco, Sydney Residents Against CSG and the Lock the Gate Alliance.

The letter concluded: “Please support this call to comprehensively protect the drinking water catchments, green corridors, iconic escarpment, national parks and state reserves of the Illawarra and Wollondilly. These areas are too important to allow mining companies to continue to gamble with their integrity.”