For the most part, mining operations are undertaken in the more arid and desolate areas of the country. Coastal mining however has become more prevalent in recent times and Coal Seam Gas (CSG) is its latest controversial contender. It seems to be a game changer when the environment at risk is not the less inhabited rural areas but the doorsteps of urban cities. But is it really all as daunting as it sounds?
The NSW Legislative Council Committee adopted a cautious approach in its report of recommendations for regulating CSG in NSW.
In delivering its 35 recommendations the Committee pressed for a continued moratorium on production licenses in CSG until a more formal legal framework is developed.
The key recommendations include:
- a push for greater community consultation on CSG projects at the exploration license and operational stages;
- strengthening landholder rights through the development of a balanced land access scheme;
- mandating a certain portion of gas produced to be devoted to domestic consumption;
- compulsory water testing and monitoring measures during exploration and a stricter Code of Practice for CSG miners;
- prohibiting open storage of produced water; and
- keeping hydraulic fraccing off limits until more light is shed on its potential side effects.
The ban on production doesn't affect exploration licenses which are recommended to continue in the interests of gathering more information on the impacts of CSG.
The proponents of CSG argue the benefits of a resource which purportedly produces a lot less Co2 than coal while its opponents insist it's a newly green washed acronym representing the same harmful practice.
What's certain is that if CSG mining has a future in NSW it will certainly be a heavily regulated one.
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