With a glut of gas coming onto the market, huge upfront capital costs and wary customers, CSM projects, such as the one Santos hopes to exploit from the Liverpool Plains foodbowl area, are looking less economically viable than ever.Financial viability and technical feasibility of CSM, and CSM for LNG in particular, has of course been questioned before by market analysts and other players in the LNG market, like Woodside’s CEO.  Santos’ response to these shakier market conditions has of course been a marketing splurge, including sponsorship of the Australian cycling Tour Down Under with Santos’ latest tagline “Not just an energy company, a company with energy”.

Or more accurately: an aquifer-draining energy company with a low quality, polluting carbon source no one wants to buy! (Shhhhush don’t tell the shareholders!!)

On his way to visit Liverpool Plains farmer Cam McKellar, whose farm is “a world leader when it comes to carbon capture in soil“, Tony Abbott MP had this to say against mining on the Liverpool Plains: “Okay, well plainly the big issue as Senator Williams has just alluded to is the prospect or the threat, if you like, of mining in some of Australia’s best agricultural land. Now obviously we support the mining industry as we support the agricultural industry. It’s important that we have a strong agricultural sector just as it’s important that we have a strong mining sector. The message I am getting loud and clear from locals is that they don’t want to destroy this agricultural breadbasket with mining and the position that the Coalition parties have adopted in the federal parliament is that there is … Read More »

A large contingent of farmers and other land owners will be rallying in Canberra on 2nd February in support of property rights which are being systematically dismantled by the State and Federal governments.Please go along if you can – details of transport arranged for the Liverpool Plains region can be found here.  For more details see the NSW Farmers website https://www.nswfarmers.org.au/ .

The Thoroughbred Breeders of The Hunter Valley have taken up the battle against the ever-encroaching, never-enough, land-and-water-grab industry that is coal mining as currently practiced in NSW.  

During 2010 and beyond, they will be educating the NSW government about the significant contribution the race horse industry makes to the NSW economy.  For example, employing 65,000 people and that regional areas generate over 40% of the industry’s $5 billion contribution to Australian GDP.

This industry is also now under threat from over-expansion of mining.  We offer our support. For more details see here or their website:  https://www.htba.com.au/protectourindustries .

“Nationals Senate leader Barnaby Joyce said his party would not back away from its opposition to creating carbon forest sinks through tree planting on prime agricultural land.

“People are very touchy about removing prime agricultural land, whether for mining or carbon sink forests or anything else, as you can’t replace it,” Senator Joyce said.

“Carbon sink forests aren’t just an issue for people in the country. They’re an issue for people in Sydney. If you want to start planting trees everywhere they grow fruit, and everywhere they grow vegetables, and where you get the predominant inflow of affordable food into your life, well, you know what’s going to happen to your cost of living.”

Senator Joyce said farmers supported carbon sequestration.“We’ve been doing it for years; it’s called no-till farming,” he said.”Quoted from The Australian 20/01/10. Full story here.

Meg and Colin Campbell of “Rockgedgiel”, Bundella were awarded first place in the NSW 2009 Dryland Wheat Competition with a wheat yield of 5.95 tonnes to the hectare and Julie & Michael Prowse of Gwendalan, “Blackville” first place in the durum wheat section.  The competition organisers acknowledged that most of the wheat champions had been from Liverpool Plains over the years, underlining the area’s tremendous, sustained fertility even without the support of irrigation. Commenting on the area, the government agronomist and competition Judge, Paul Parker, said “anybody who would want to dig this country up for mining needs to have their heads read”.  

CCAG extends its congratulations to the winners and like many in the country and city, agrees wholeheartedly with Mr Parker’s sentiments!