Biologists warn species at risk from new field

[Colin]

Biologists warn species at risk from new field

Biologists warn species at risk from new field
Ben Cubby
October 24, 2011

ENDANGERED species such as pygmy possums, bats, mice and striped wallabies will become extinct in northern NSW if the state's largest gas field goes ahead as planned, biologists have warned the federal government.
A planned coal seam gas operation near Narrabri would put at least 110 gas wells and 1000 kilometres of pipelines through the Pilliga woodland area, according to a plan being put forward by Eastern Star Gas.
Eastern Star said it was positive that this could be done with minimal impact on plants and animals and said it welcomed the independent wildlife survey.

But the study, commissioned by the Northern Inland Council for the Environment, found 20 endangered species living in the area slated for the gas field, only some of which had been identified by the company's own research.
A report will be forwarded to the federal Environment Minister, Tony Burke, who will be required to assess the gas field's impact on endangered fauna.
The team of 15 biologists and volunteers who completed the study on a pro bono basis said vulnerable animals would be severely affected.
''These animals will become locally extinct … exotic species will proliferate instead - foxes, goats, feral pigs,'' a director of the consultancy Landmark Ecological Services, David Milledge, said.
''This is 4000 square kilometres of forest and woodland. It is very important for these species.''
A spokesman for Eastern Star Gas, which is about to be taken over by Santos, said more than 2800 hours had been spent over the past year gathering information about the area's plants and animals.
''ESG's proposals … are meticulously planned to avoid areas of high ecological value, minimise impacts where possible and undertake to rehabilitate fully, with a significant amount of this rehabilitation occurring immediately after the construction phase,'' the spokesman, Peter Fox, said.

Pygmy possums, bats, mice and striped wallabies will be threatened if Eastern Star Gas's plans for 100 gas wells go forward, biologists warn. Photo: Dean Sewell

 

[waruikazi]

What is worth more to the country, endangered species or CSG? That is what will solve this dispute.

 

[Colin]

Conservationists back Windsor on CSG

Conservationists back Windsor on CSG
November 1, 2011 - 4:36PM

A conservationist group has welcomed federal independent MP Tony Windsor's push for a regional assessment of the impact of proposed coal seam gas and mining.
But it does not support his move to block the mining tax unless tighter controls are put on coal seam gas extraction.
Mr Windsor, who represents New England in northern NSW, wants $400 million a year set aside from mineral resource rent tax revenue, which would fund assessments of the effects of coal seam gas and other mining practices on farm land.

He also wants greater Commonwealth powers over approvals of mining projects, now the domain of the states and territories.
The Nature Conservation Council of NSW welcomed Mr Windsor's call, arguing that it highlighted the failure of state governments to protect Australia's water supplies.
"Australia is the world's driest continent and we need firm leadership to ensure the conservation of our precious aquifers, rivers and streams," the council's chief executive Pepe Clarke said in a statement.
Mr Clarke criticised the NSW government for fast-tracking Shenhua's proposal for an open-cut mine near Gunnedah in the state's north before the completion of the Namoi water study.
He called on the state government to place a moratorium on coal seam gas activities until there was a clearer mapping of groundwater systems.
The Gillard government has yet to win crossbench support for its mining tax before introducing legislation to Parliament this week

 

[jedi_339]

From my understanding of the issue, and it has been explained to me by an enviro officer on an existing CSG site in QLD, the issue in NSW is with the separation of the CSG and the water tables.

In some of the QLD sites, least the one I visited, there is a very distinct separation between ground water so there is no problem.
However in NSW gas fields there is no separation, or a very indistinct separation which can, and in my opinion probably will lead to fracking problems and overall ground water pollution.

There is much less impact from CSG operations opposed to an open cut mine, however I'm not sure the operation and extraction procedures are as advanced as they could be to prevent environmental harm.

 

[wokka]

Does Australia really need to dig up more energy to export? Will there be anything left for Australians to use in 50 years. At least we can eat possums and wildlife. Will the international mining companies send Australians food parcels after the Australian mines run out and our land is ruined?

 

[longqi]

I have zero knowledge of this mining procedure

In saying that most open cut or strip mines remove every living plant from where they cut
Given that many Aussie trees and bushes take a very long time to reach maturity even replanting the area will take a long time to provide a similar habitat??

Or maybe Im completely wrong??

 

[GeckPhotographer]

They left out a few species that people on this forum might care about, including Hoplocephalus bitorquatus, and a myriad of other frogs and reps less endangered but still relying on Pilliga as one of the very very very few areas in this part of the world that hasn't already been destroyed by agriculture or other mining.

 

[jedi_339]

A large part of the problem with CSG (other then ground water) is not the wellheads themselves, it's the tree clearing for maintenance roads, pipelines and camps that causes habitat fragmentation, dotted around are small cleared wellhead sites no bigger then 1ha when first drilled scattered in a rough grid about 600-800m apart, but these are all connected by roads plus the main pipeline usually beside the roadway (so a wider pathway). I'm fairly neutral at the moment because it has pros, but it also has cons. I'd definitely prefer it to open cut by a long way.

 

[Raymonde]

the thing is... Will coal seam gas mining ACTUALLY bring in more money and jobs than other safer alternatives? Its not just biodiversity and nature that are going to be harmed by coal seam gas mining, its people and farmer as well...

 

[jack]

gonna take a lot of fracking to kill off as many species and destroy the fabric of ecosystems as well as agriculture has

 

[browny]

do some research into CSG mining, it will do a huge amount of damage to not only wild life, ecosystems etc etc but also endanger ground water being usable period, I can't believe they seriously want to do this it proves they care only about what money they can make now with total disregard for any consequences.