Mixed responses to Queensland Water Commission’s #CSG groundwater report

Queensland Water Commission has released a report which should please the coal seam gas (CSG) industry, although response to the report has been mixed.

Only 2.5% of bores across the Surat Basin will be affected by CSG activity, according to the Commission’s draft underground water impact report, which was released on Thursday.

However, the management of water associated with coal seam methane has long been a controversial issue, and despite the low effects stated in the report, industry opponents remain unconvinced.

Agriculture association AgForce responded with a released entitled ‘Bores to be devastated by CSG’. But surprisingly, strongly anti-CSG group Lock The Gate has so far released no comment on the issue.

Conversely, major CSG producer Santos welcomed the results of the report, with a statement stating ‘Almost all of the landholder bores within our operating areas will not be adversely impacted,’ according to Ninemsn.

Responses across Government have similarly been mixed. Scenic Rim Regional Council Mayor John Brent is already vowing to block any coal seam methane expansion.

Bob Katter, the leader of Katter’s Australian Party has called for an immediate moratorium on coal seam drilling, for fear of what he says could be ‘irreversible destruction of our water resources’.

Greens Senator Larissa Waters was quoted saying “While we welcome this modelling about the long-term water impacts of CSG, it’s disgraceful that the Queensland and Australian governments gave coal seam gas the green light before the science is in.”

The Queensland Government gave a favourable response, with Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney saying ‘This report provides some very inconvenient findings to some of the alarmists out there whose real agenda is to attack the fossil fuel industry per se’.

Queensland Water Commission’s General Manager of Coal Seam Gas, Randall Cox, will present at Australia’s leading event for the industry, Coal Seam Methane World. He will speak about ‘Establishing an effective water management strategy’ on July 30th in Brisbane.

Click here to find out more about QWC’s presentation and all of the big name speakers. And click here to register your team for this important conference.