In a small-scale poll the majority of Australian respondents support a ban on coal seam gas (CSG) mining while the study of the impact of the industry on the environment intensifies. 68% of respondents said that a moratorium should be put in to place for coal seam gas mining while the environmental impacts were studied.
The Galaxy poll was commissioned jointly by the Australian Greens party and the New South Wales Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham. It was conducted over the last weekend in a three days span and questioned 1,048 people. As per the poll only 18% were against a ban on coal seam gas mining in cities and towns.
Tony Abbott, the federal Opposition Leader said last to last week that farmers should be able to refuse gas mining companies access to their land. He however changed his statement to say that the rights of farmers should be respected on prime agricultural land.
In Queensland, where the Premier, Anna Bligh recently banned coal seam gas exploration in and around urban areas 67 % supported a moratorium on coal seam gas operations until the full health and environmental effects of disrupting water aquifers were known. A government inquiry is looking at the impact of CSG, an industry which has boomed in coal-rich Queensland State in recent years, on the economy and environment.
Mr Buckingham said the results indicated widespread community disquiet about coal seam gas mining. He also urged New South Wales Premier Barry O’Farrel to follow in Queensland’s lead and ban coal seam gas mining.
He found support from mining tycoon Clive Palmer who said that coal seam gas is untested technology that will poison the water table. Mr Palmer said that Coal Seam Gas technology currently used in Australia was lethal and it would kill Australians, poison their water table and destroy the land.
The controversial process of ‘fracking’ brings risk of contamination with benzene, ethylene. toluene and xylene. Known collectively as BTEX these chemicals are used to spit rock seams and extract methane. The Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management is studying the bores to see if the levels of chemicals are naturally occurring or introduced by the company.