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The news that AGL has suspended operations at its Gloucester CSG (coal seam gas) test well site (The Australian, January 28) should give Moree landowners pause for thought.
The reason given for AGL pausing operations is the detection of petroleum-related chemicals BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes) in flow-back water around the well site.
These are the same volatile organic compounds that cause the kind of central nervous system damage we usually associate with petrol-sniffing.
The likelihood that the chemicals may be ‘naturally occurring’ is not so reassuring as it first sounds.
Salt is naturally occurring too, but I don’t see anyone queuing up to sow it into their fields.
Even under ‘naturally occurring’ conditions, CSG fracking brings up chemical compounds from 600m underground to the surface, where they filter back into catchments and groundwater.
For this reason alone, it’s clear that good neighbours don’t let neighbours allow CSG fracking on their farmland.
When a company comes knocking on your door with a fat contract to sign, just ask yourself whether you’d let them spread barrels of petrol or salt over your fields, or those of your neighbour’s - because that is the real price of CSG.
Mercurius Goldstein
Northern Tablelands Greens candidate