FARMERS at Bellata in the State’s north are banding together to block the fast-encroaching spread of coal seam gas exploration.
The Moree Plains Shire Council last week implemented a moratorium on all seismic exploration for 60 days and landholders have vowed to do all they can to deny the license holder access.
More than 300 people packed the Bellata Golf Club on Sunday to formulate the beginnings of a plan to safeguard the area’s prodigious food production capabilities.
The first stage is to “lock out” the exploration company, which is believed to be a subsidiary of the Narrabri-based Eastern Star Gas.
Its attempts to gain access, by negotiation with individual landholders, has been denied.
A legal team has repealed two cases where landholders were allegedly “bullied” into granting access.
“You can smell the fear in the air,” said local durum grower, Doug Cush, Bellata.
“Landholders are terrified.”
The State moratorium on new exploration licenses does not apply to the existing license on Bellata – license 427, held by Orion Petroleum Limited, and operated by Eastern Star Gas.
Landholders are hopeful forthcoming new legislation from the State government regarding prime arable land will protect them.
The Nationals member for Barwon, Kevin Humpries, attended the meeting but failed to allay fears.
He declined to “rule a line in the sand” in terms of the region’s agricultural worth and left those at the meeting in the belief he was “pro-development” and “pro coal seam gas”.
He declined to adopt a private members bill, drafted by Mr Cush, to include the Bellata exploration area under the 60-day mining moratorium.
Following the meeting, he told local media the new government was working on a proposal, to be made public in coming weeks, for more stringent conditions concerning aquifers.
He said CSG was “probably OK” for some areas but it should “jump through some serious hoops” to proceed at Belatta.
Mr Humpries, in a statement to The Land, said the Government will “remain focused” on its “key goal” of protecting the integrity of prime agricultural land, where minerals and gas exploration (and extraction) are concerned.
“Local media coverage of the Bellata community meeting on Sunday highlights both a significant concern about the potential introduction of a coal seam gas industry in the North West and a general lack of landholder and community knowledge about the industry,” he said.
“The community concerns are justifiable (and) if any entity seeks to undertake alternate land use activity in our area, including coal seam gas, this needs the support of the community landholders.”
The NSW Government is planning a pre-development approvals process that seeks to both inform the community of any proposed development and respond to their concerns.
“I do note the clearly expressed community sentiment that all exploration licences – both current and future – be placed under the moratorium until a proper planning and assessment process is introduced,” Mr Humphries said.
Councillor John Tramby, Moree Plains Shire, said he rushed its moratorium through last Thursday night having learnt it had the authority to extend or deny consent for exploration, under the State Environmental Planning Policy (Mining, Petroleum Production and Extractive Industries) 2007.
It was Mr Tramby’s understanding the exploration company at question was claiming exemption from this under the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) 1997.
“The Act states categorically it overrides any previous instruments, the only exemptions being major projects, rainforest, or coastal wetlands,” he said.
“They are claiming exemption from a development application under the EPA and I am asking, through council, why we have (possibly) lost consenting powers on this.”
Mr Tramby, a farmer and ag supplies retailer, said this was his biggest fight in 15 years on council.
“The Moree Plains Shire is the most productive shire in Australia,” the former mayor said.
“People have to decide whether they want to eat or send gas to China.”
Email a friend