Lots happening in CSG & coal

A lot has happened in the CSG and coal industries since I last wrote on my blog.

Fortunately, this month AGL’s leases over some of the Hunter and Sydney catchment areas have been bought back by the government and the proposed Camden Northern Expansion Project will not proceed.  Hoorah!

Unfortunately, AGL intends to continue with the Gloucester Project, which is in a very wet environment, where within a 100 metre square coal seam, there may be ten major faults running through to the surface. Boo!

Beef Producers NVD Forms

Joe Hill's Angus cattle sale

The contamination of cattle is Joe Hill’s primary concern about CSG. A National Vendor Declaration form (NVD) is filled out by beef producers whenever they sell stock. Question five of the form asks ‘if in the past six months any of these animals have been on a property listed on the ERP database or placed under any restrictions due to chemical residues.’ The explanatory notes say ‘that if you don’t know you must tick yes’ and then nobody will bid on your cattle.

Joe’s concern is that his neighbour is irrigating with RO water and it has twice migrated onto his property, first in a flood and recently when a dam blew out. Other landholders are running beef cattle and have CSG extraction on their properties. If anyone says no to question five and the cattle are found to be contaminated, Joe believes that they will be liable even though they may not have been informed of a spill or any other contamination problem. No government body has confirmed or denied this despite him asking them many times.

Meat, Livestock & CSG

Joe Hill's Angus sale near Miles.
Courtesy of Karen Auty

A summary of a report published in August 2014 by the Meat & Livestock Association (MLA) pointed out the risks coal seam gas operations could have on livestock producing properties. As well as the usual risks to landholders, contamination of livestock on neighbouring properties is possible and the producer may have primary liability.

The Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) published Coal Seam Gas Operations on Livestock Properties in August 2014. The MLA commissioned law firm DLA Piper to prepare the report at the request of the Cattle Council of Australia (CCA) and the Australian Lot Feeders Association (ALFA). A summary of the report was sent out to CCA members and is now online. 

Agriculture & Mining Co-existance

Governments and the resource companies say that mining and agriculture can co-exist, but most farmers and graziers disagree.

About three years ago, after Arrow Energy produced a 6,000 page EIS (Environmental Impact Study), Joe Hill, from Miles in Queensland, attended a meeting at Cecil Plains. ‘Eight so-called experts told us that agriculture and CSG could coexist,’ said Joe. ‘After a while I got up and asked “How many of you know anything about agriculture, farming and livestock?” And not one of them knew a thing about agriculture. “So you blokes are out here telling all these people how we can coexist and you don’t even know how a farm works?” They didn’t know what to say to that. I don’t care who someone is, if they talk a lot of bullshit I get stuck into them.’