- Massive coal and coal seam gas projects given go ahead

Federal Labor has just sent a very clear signal it is prepared to abandon the environment in the lead up to this year’s federal election through its approval of four major coal and coal seam gas projects, Greens MP and environment spokesperson Cate Faehrmann said today.

“Today is a very black day for the environment in NSW. And it is a very black day for communities across NSW already bearing the brunt of a coal industry out of control,” said Ms Faehrmann.

“Labor has given in to the might of the coal industry and sold out communities and the environment across this state.

“These approvals will literally change the face of the township of Gloucester as well as the small community of Maules Creek near Narrabri in the state’s north-west.

“The Maules Creek and Boggabri proposals were referred to the Federal environment minister Tony Burke because they are going to wipe out critically endangered forest which is home to many threatened species. How can any Environment Minister in their right mind approve this?

“The Maules Creek coal mine alone will emit the same amount of carbon emissions each year as New Zealand during its proposed 30 year life span. This is disgraceful and it’s why communities everywhere are starting to call on the government to transition away from coal and towards a secure renewable energy future.

“I have visited the site of the proposed Maules Creek coal mine recently to see the forest firsthand and saw a koala up close in the forest. Tony Burke has just approved a coal mine which will wipe out a small and vulnerable koala population

“The farmers who have been fighting coal mine proposals in Leard State Forest for years will continue to fight for the protection of their forest,” said Ms Faehrmann.

Gas companies want to drill and frack for coal seam gas under homes and communities in Western Sydney.

The Greens oppose coal seam gas mining and think the people of Western Sydney should be not be used as guinea pigs by this industry. The State Government should follow Queensland’s lead and prohibit mining in urban areas. 70% of Australians oppose coal seam gas mining in cities and towns according to a poll conducted by Galaxy Research.

There are three coal seam gas exploration areas that cover the Western Sydney area.

1) AGL has a exploration area stretching from Bowral to Richmond.  It currently has an active coal seam gas field at Menangle Park with plans lodged for a new gas field in the Camden Scenic Hills and under Campbelltown.

2) Dart Energy’s exploration area covers the rest of the Sydney Metropolitan Area.  Dart planned to drill a gas well in the inner city suburb of St Peters, but were vigorously opposed by local residents.

3) Apex Energy has an exploration area in Sydney’s drinking water catchments around Warragamba Dam and on the Illawarra Plateau.

Sign up to the campaign to stop coal seam gas mining in Western Sydney

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Concerns about coal seam gas include:

Pollution of ground water - drilling, fracking and extracting gas can contaminate aquifers with chemicals used in the extraction process and chemicals naturally found in coal seams.  The depressurisation of  aquifers, as well as the fracking process itself can result in new connections between aquifers and drops in water levels.

Pollution of surface water - extraction of salty water from deep underground, and the chemicals used in the extraction process can spill or leak into creeks and rivers.  AGL is drilling gas wells only 40 metres from the Nepean River!

Air pollution - Gas wells can leak methane gas, as well as volatile organic compounds causing air pollution.  Monitoring and health statistics in areas of gas extraction in the United States indicate gas wells create significant air pollution and there are increased rates of asthma and cancers.

Toxic fracking chemicals - Fracking or hydraulic fracturing involves injecting water, sand and a cocktail of chemicals deep underground under enormous pressure to fracture the rock.  Fracking can increase gas production by up to five times and wells can be re-fractured if the start to dry up.  There is concern that fracking can cause the drilling and fracking chemicals, as well as gas and naturally occurring chemicals in the coal seam, to leak into other layers of rock, aquifers or into the atmosphere.  It has been blamed for contaminating water to the point where the water can catch on fire.  Watch this video of a flaming tap from the film Gasland.

Not clean Energy - unconventional gas production has a high-level of fugitive emissions.  This means that coal seam gas might even be worse for climate change than burning coal.

Industrialisation of the suburbs - a gas field is a heavy industry.  It involves dangerous chemicals, heavy equipment, truck traffic, drill rigs, pipelines, compressor stations, high voltage power lines and other industrial infrastructure.  Turning suburban or rural areas into the a gas field means industrial noise, lights, pollution and traffic.

Falling property prices - No one wants to live near gas wells.  In the US many home owners have experienced dramatic falls in the value of their property.

Why is Barry O’Farrell putting your health, safety, environment and property values at risk by allowing coal seam gas mining near your home?

What you can do?

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Contact Premier Barry O’Farrell and tell him to stop coal seam gas in Western Sydney.

Email him office@premier.nsw.gov.au or call 9228 5239 or send him a letter:

The Hon. Barry O’Farrell, MP
GPO Box 5341
SYDNEY NSW 2001

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Community Groups:

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Stop CSG Sydney 

stopcsgsydneywatercatchment.org.au

Write your own letter here.

Download a PDF of my letter here.

I saw this Koala in the forest that the ANZ-financed Whitehaven will be ripping up for a massive coal mine.

Remember Barbara from Bank World in the ANZ advertising campaign? Barbara dismisses customer complaints with “not my problem” “not my department” and “whatever”.

Well, ANZ has created a big problem for our much-loved friend the koala.

ANZ is providing finance of $1.2 billion to Whitehaven Coal, a company in which Nathan Tinkler has a major stake. The finance will enable Whitehaven to destroy koala homes for a massive open-cut coal mine in Leard State Forest at Maules Creek near Narrabri. If the mine goes ahead 2,800 football fields of precious forest will be destroyed, including endangered woodland and homes to 26 plant and animal species threatened with extinction.

Thousands of tonnes of dangerous coal dust will shroud local farms and communities. The Environmental Impact Statement for the mine says that greenhouse gas emissions from the mining, transport of the coal and end usage of the coal is expected to be 30,028,092 tonnes per annum for the intended 30 year life of the mine. The Planning and Assessment Commission “acknowledges that the mining and downstream use of the coal would generate greenhouse gas emissions that will contribute to climate change”. No kidding!

I visited the bushland in Leard State Forest set to be razed to make way for the coal mine and I saw one of the koalas that could soon be homeless. It was sleeping contentedly, oblivious to the destruction that is coming its way. With ANZ finance this threatened species is about to become even more threatened.

So, will ANZ “do a Barbara” and tell us that the massive environmental consequences of their investment are “not their problem”?

With Nathan Tinkler’s financial woes filling the newspapers in recent weeks, this last minute injection of finance from ANZ is crucial to his project going ahead. ANZ has made this pending environmental catastrophe their problem.

Please ask ANZ to pull out of the financial arrangement with Whitehaven Coal so that the koalas and other threatened species and wildlife in the forest can keep their homes.  And if you’re a customer of ANZ, make sure you tell them.

Use this form to easily send ANZ an email. Or even better, take a moment longer to send your own hard copy letter using the suggested points below.

Michael Smith
Chief Executive Officer
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited

Dear Mr Smith

I am writing to let you know how disappointed I am to learn of your investment in Whitehaven Coal which will help finance their proposed open cut coal mine at Maules Creek.

This massive mine will destroy nearly 2000 hectares of forest and woodland habitat for threatened species including endangered woodlands and habitat for the koala. Leard Forest is the single biggest remnant of intact woodland in the Liverpool Plains area and one of the largest and most intact stands of the endangered Box Gum Woodland remaining.

The dust and emissions from the coal will present a health risk to local communities and a climate risk to the planet.

It is unclear to me how you can square your investment in this mine with the Equator Principles for the environmental and social impacts of the projects you invest in.

I respectfully request that you withdraw your finance for this project which will be environmentally damaging on so many fronts.

Environmental issues are a priority concern for me and my family and we do not like to do business with a banking institution that invests in environmentally damaging projects.

Yours sincerely

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Write to ANZ: 

Michael Smith
Chief Executive Officer
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited
ANZ Centre
833 Collins Street
Docklands VIC 3008

Points you might like to make in your letter:

• The Maules Creek coal mine does not comply with the Equator Principles for Financial Institutions in relation to cumulative assessment, biodiversity conservation, health, occupational safety, cultural heritage, land conservation and the promotion of renewable energy.

• The mine will destroy nearly 2000 ha of forest and woodland habitat for threatened species including 544ha of the critically endangered Box Gum Woodland.

• The ecologist hired by the company to examine the impacts of the mine states that “The Project has the potential to have a substantial impact on the ecology of the area” and they express concern for threatened species of bird and bats dependent on tree hollows.

• This is the single biggest remnant of intact woodland in the Liverpool Plains area and one of the largest and most intact stands of Box Gum Woodland remaining. It is a vital wildlife refuge in a heavily modified landscape.

• The dust the coal mine will generate will present a health risk to local communities and the carbon emissions the mine will generate will present a climate risk to the planet.

• The ANZ website states that “Companies not responsive to climate change are unlikely to be profitable in the long term and our business reputation can suffer if we support clients who do not manage their environmental impact responsibly”. Let them know that you do not consider Whitehaven Coal to be an environmentally friendly nor climate responsible company.

• If you are an ANZ customer you may wish to let them know that you will take your business elsewhere.

Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke can also stop the mine – write him a letter here.