The coal seam gas industry in Queensland is growing rapidly but without research to understand the impact on rural communities and the environment, a group on the Darling Downs says.

 

The Dalby-based Basin Sustainability Alliance (BSA) has launched a blueprint for sustainable coal seam gas (CSG) operations which outlines the concerns and expections of rural landholders and regional communities.

 

The blueprint, entitled “Not at any cost”, recommends conditions around managing water, land, salinity and social impacts, and proposes the adoption of more rigorous drilling standards to help ensure aquifer integrity.

 

It calls on the Queensland Government to appoint an independent commissioner to review existing CSG access and compensation agreements that are considered unfair by landholders.

 

Alliance chairman Ian Hayllor said that despite the group’s repeated calls for a moratorium on the escalation of CSG development across the Surat Basin many major CSG projects were still being approved.

 

There was a serious lack of understanding of the long-term impacts because the necessary research had not been done.

 

“The government’s baseline assessment of existing water levels and quality has not taken place,” Mr Hayllor said.

 

“The Queensland Water Commission ground water model which is supposed to predict groundwater impacts is still being developed, and there is also a lot of uncertainty about how the millions of megalitres of groundwater being extracted and millions of tonnes of salt being produced are going to be managed to ensure minimal environmental harm,” he said.

 

“The protection of groundwater and the fertile farmlands of Queensland is critical for future generations.”

 

Mr Hallyor said landholders and communities were struggling to understand the potential long-term impacts of the CSG industry because of the lack of research.

 

“They want answers and certainty that their businesses and lifestyles will not be unduly affected.”

 

Mr Hayllor is encouraging all stakeholders, including CSG miners, to use the BSA blueprint to find some common ground.

 

He said the alliance was committed to ensuring government policy and legislation protected the environment and agricultural production, while allowing the development of a sustainable CSG industry.

 

The blueprint can be downloaded at www.notatanycost.com.au