This is what we're working to prevent. Here you see our productive Fassifern Valley on the left and, on the right,  you can see what has already happened at Tara/Chinchilla, only a couple of hundred kilometres from us. The webs of gas wells and pipelines, an average 800m apart, extend for miles. There are currently about 3000 gas wells in Queensland - our Government wants 40,000.

We can stop this in our Scenic Rim, if we stand united.

 

An overview of coal and coal seam gas in the Scenic Rim:

More than 80% of the Scenic Rim Shire (just south of Brisbane and tucked in behind the Gold Coast, south east Queensland) is covered by exploration permits for coal and coal seam gas. Test drilling is well underway and resource company plans are progressing rapidly. 

Opposition to this mining onslaught remains firm, with concerns that if full scale mining goes ahead it will industrialise our area, destroying our peaceful rural lifestyle, clean air and water, threatening both agriculture, tourism and other existing businesses.

Coal seam gas production also involves extracting significant quantities of underground water, raising fears of depletion of reserves, critical for agriculture.

In the Scenic Rim, Arrow Energy has also already conducted the controversial hydraulic fracturing or fracking process, just south of Beaudesert,  within 100m of the Logan river, which is also the source of the town's water supply.  ‘Fracking’ is  under a temporary ban in NSW, the UK, South Africa and parts of the US, with a permanent ban in France. Fracking is also banned in New York's water catchment while the risk to drinking supplies is assessed.

Scenic Rim exploration permit holders are also eying-off our region for another controversial gas process, which has already contaminated an aquifer and livestock in Queensland. Underground coal gasification (UCG) is done under a coal permit and involves setting fire to the coal seam underground and harvesting the produced gas. We are especially concerned about Linc Energy and other permits over and around the proposed Bromelton Industrial Estate because of the potential for a UCG/CSG fired power station. The draft Bromelton Strcture Plan makes provision for a privately funded power plant, so we believe this issue must be addressed and ruled out for the safety of the community living nearby and also the future of our region.

What are we doing to protect our area?

Keep the Scenic Rim Scenic working hard to ensure the newly elected LNP government keeps its promise to protect our region from CSG and coal mining.  Prior to the Queensland election, the LNP, Jon Krause and Campbell Newman repeatedly said there would be no coal seam gas production and coal mining in our region.

KTSRS remains hopeful this planned no-go zone will be maintained, however - in the face of lobbying on Government from the mining industry - we are aware of the need to continue  to maintain a strong front to keep our region free of CSG and coal mining and also to secure wider protection of underground water supplies and other rural communities.

Updates - 

Arrow Energy still wants our gas: Arrow Energy CEO Andrew Faulkner  last week confirmed his company is discussing potential future gas production in our Scenic Rim with Queensland's new Government.

Arrow CEO Andrew Faulkner told ABC Radio
"the Scenic Rim is obviously an extremely large area ...  so I think one of the questions we will be discussing with the Government is how best we can try and find a win-win there -- obviously a win potentially for the Australian and Queensland population around domestic gas, but also understanding the pressures of the local environment." 

Hear more of the interview with Andrew Faulkner or read a transcript.

Natural Resources and Mining minister makes contact with KTSRS:

Mining Minister Andrew Cripps Minister wrote to KTSRS this week, responding to our letter to his department (sent February 2012). The minister referred to -
  • developing a plan for the Scenic Rim to rule out mining and CSG extraction 'in areas deemed to be inappropriate'.
  • upcoming 'extensive consultation' with Scenic Rim Regional Council and the community
KTSRS continues to have strong concerns about the use of the word inappropriate, which has yet to be defined by the LNP.  We will continue to maintain pressure to ensure there is no watering down of Jon Krause and Campbell Newman's pre-election promise to keep our region free of CSG and coal mining.

Arrow Energy responds to our questions about fracking beside the Logan River, upstream from the water intake for drinking water for Beaudesert , Jimboomba and surrounding areas :

Responding to our letter from February, last week, Arrow replied, stating in part -  

  • They have never 'deliberately withheld' information' about fracking in our region. Arrow stated the issue was 'discussed' at a 2010 Boonah information session. KTSRS has reviewed Arrow's transcript of the session, but we find no reference to fracking, hydraulic fracturing, stimulation or any other associated term. The document does refer to a pilot test and pilot wells, but not all pilots are fracked, so mentioning of pilot/production testing did not tell those present that the operation involved fracking.
  • Deliberate or not, we are yet to find any direct public reference by Arrow to fracking in the Scenic Rim, aside from those made recently in response to our release of information contained in newly released reports to Government. If Arrow Energy can refer us to prior publicly-available statements on this issue, we would be happy to distribute them and correct the above. (We note Arrow said the information was contained in its Well Completion reports - this is a requirement under the P&G act, not volunatry disclosure and the documents remain confidential for 2.5 years and in some cases 5.5 years, and when released are difficult to access.)
Given the controversy which surrounds fracking and the potential for contamination of aquifers, we believe the subject should have been raised by Arrow at its last public information session in 2010. We question what other major aspects of their operation is Arrow not revealing, until confronted by community-uncovered evidence?
  • Fracking chemical aquifer contamination -  in its letter, Arrow stated there was 'no relevant comparison' between Australian CSG fracking and contamination of a US aquifer with the same fracking chemical used in the Scenic Rim. Arrow correctly stated the US situation refered to shale-gas fracking, but our research shows the contamination risk is still there. Fracking for all types of Unconventional Gas (the umbrella term for difficult-to-extract-gas, such as CSG, shale gas and tight sand gas) has similar environmental and health consequences. Expert-advice widlely concludes the exposure pathways to toxins are virtually identical. We are also not alone in concluding the problems in shale gas fracking also have relevance to CSG mining in Australia, especially when done in a drinking water catchment.
There remain numerous questions still to be answered by Arrow in relation to fracking just south of Beaudesert. KTSRS will follow up these and other newer issues with the mining company and others in the coming weeks.  Read Arrow's letter to KTSRS in full.

Linda Weston - the case continues

After numerous adjourments, an Ipswich magistrate has finally set Linda Weston's case down for a full day's hearing on Friday February 3, 2012 -- an unusual move, given  Linda has still not entered a plea to her charge of obstructing a mining company during a flash blockade of a drill rig at Silverdale in January. The hearing was proposed by the magistrate after police failed to produce some of the key information requested by Linda's lawyers - information which we believe would need to have come from Arrow Energy.  Linda is only the second person to face prosecution under Qld's P&G Act - a charge which has to be requested by the gas company and a move we perceive was aimed to intimidate protestors at last January's Silverdale and Kerry Blockades, especially given the maximum fine of $50,000.

We encourage you to put August 3 into your diaries and make yourself available on that day for a strong show of support for Linda at Ipswich Magistrates Court. KTSRS is most interested to see if Arrow will produce the required information. The hearing also provides an opportunity for Linda's barrister to ask other questions of Arrow and to suppoena those in charge.




We cannot match the mining company war chests, but all over Australia communities are mobilising to stop mining and coal seam gas in inappropriate areas and slow the process down to allow experts to assess the potential risks to our underground water supplies, health and wellbeing. A  community working together to stand up for its rights is a powerful force.





 

 

 This page was refreshed May 17 2012

Phone: 07 5544 3233
Fax: 07 5544 3233
Email: keepthescenicrimscenic@gmail.com



What you can do NOW! ...

      This campaign costs money!

       PLEASE CONSIDER DONATING NOW

Thanks for your ongoing support to Keep the Scenic Rim Scenic -  we have appreciated the many, many significant  messages of positivity and encouragement for our actions on the Kerry Blockade, as well as our ongoing commitment to this fight against coal seam gas and coal, and most importantly to protecting our water and existing industries in the Scenic Rim, including agriculture and tourism. With little steps, we can do this: we are doing it! 


Report drilling rigs or approaches to you or your neighbours from gas and coal companies.


Put a sign on your gate or fence - Send a clear message to passers by and your neighbours.  It's important to show we're all on the same side.  Get your signs for $2 and bumper stickers for $1. Click HERE to find out where you can buy them. When you've put your sign up, send us a photo for our our photographic submission to highlight our opposition to the State government.

4.   Join the email list

Join the Keep the Scenic Rim Scenic email list and keep up to date with the campaign.  You can also be part of Keep The Scenic Rim Scenic  on Facebook. This is the place where you'll find lots of new information and discussion relevant to our area and other similar campaigns across Australia.

5.  Help spread the word

Tell people what's going on and get them involved.  Email us to offer help or ask us to talk to your group.

6. Donate to the campaign

This is an expensive exercise for a volunteer community group: your support is needed for it to succeed.  Help us cover more than $10,000 in costs for information brochures, up-front payment for printing of signs and stickers, other materials used at public meetings, costs of Protestors on Peaks. The labour required for this campaign is being kindly donated by volunteers. If you're interested in helping please send us an email. Every dollar you donate  will help safeguard our homes, our children’s future, our farms, our food growing regions and the special place Queenslanders, interstate and international visitors come to relax, unwind and explore. 

Direct Deposit or EFT

Account Name: BOSS (please reference KTSRS)

Bank Name: Bendigo Bank

BSB: 633 000

Account number: 133 633 826

Cheque or money order

Cheques and money orders can be made out to ‘BOSS' and posted to:

Keep the Scenic Rim Scenic

1093 Upper Logan Rd

Mt Barney, QLD 4287


Links & Resources

Rod Andersen's Final Stand at Kerry. When you open this you-tube, you will also find lots of the Kerry Blockade news coverage and other clips show in the column on the right hand side.

Video: ABC Four Corners - Great Barrier Grief:  Marian Wilkinson travels to Queensland to assess claims that at least six major Coal Seam Gas/Liquid Natural Gas export developments - either being planned or currently underway - could potentially put the Reef in jeopardy and destroy industries, like fishing, that rely on their proximity to it.

Lock The Gate: A national alliance of 90 community, industry and environmental groups fighting CSG.

VIDEO: ABC Four Corners: Investigative documentary on coal seam gas mining and the cost to farmers and the environment.

VIDEO: Ch9 60 Minutes - Undermined: "It's happening in our backyard. And it's our laws and our politicians who are letting it happen."

Gasland Australia: See the trailer for the Oscar nominated documentary, plus the latest news on CSG.

Where to from here?
Research: KTSRS is maintaining its detailed investigations of past and planned future drilling activities in our region, including assessing Well Completion Reports as they are publicly released and checking compliance.  Expert and legal input is also being sought on some issues.


CSG-Free areas - a model to send a stong united message and keep the Scenic Rim free of gas and coal mining.

As Northern NSW continues to inspire groups across Australia, with mass declarations of CSG-Free areas, many in the Scenic Rim are suggesting we also should copy this approach, to firmly state our united stance at a time when our new Government may be under pressure from mining companies to weaken its proposed protection of our region.

The you-tube clip above brilliantly sums the CSG-Free community model up - prepare for goose bumps as you see clearly the wide-reaching positive impacts that a united approach to CSG can have on communities.  The Channon and Keerong pioneered the CSG-Free concept, surveying communities and declaring them CSG-Free when over 99% of residents sign a commitment to keep their properties and roads mining free.

To help other communities, the model is also now available online at www.csgfreenorthernrivers.org. Please email us at keepthescenicrimscenic@gmail.com if you are interested in co-ordinating your a CSG-Free Declaration for your street or area, using the Northern Rivers kit. This is also a fantastic awareness-raising tool.


 

Statements and opinions contained on this website are given in good faith.  In the preparation of this information, Keep the Scenic Rim Scenic has relied on information including resource company reports (available on-line), resource company and Queensland Government websites, as well as numerous other sources. We believe, on reasonable grounds, this information is reliable and not misleading, however, we are aware the resource industry is constantly changing, as are company structures and ownerships.  We strongly advise you also do your own research into all coal seam gas and coal related issues and draw your own conclusions from all information available.