May 13, 2013 – 12:07AM
Sarah-Jane Collins
Sydney Morning Herald

A controversial mining proposal slated for prime agricultural land on the Liverpool Plains in northern NSW fails to meet basic environmental standards, an independent assessment of the project has found. A subsidiary of Chinese mining giant Shenhua, Shenhua Watermark Coal, is seeking environmental approval for its proposed Liverpool Plains coalmine and has filed an environmental impact statement as part of the process.

If they get this wrong they could poison two thirds of the Murray-Darling system. But farmers and agricultural groups paid for an independent review of Shenhua’s EIS and say the report exposes significant problems with the proposed mine. The report, by consulting group Earth Systems, found the mine would likely breach a prohibition on open-cut mining on the Liverpool Plains.

It also found that the mine’s risk assessment lacked detail, and there were … Read More »

MEDIA RELEASE
24 APRIL, 2013

Accompanied by leader of the Greens, Christine Milne, Cate Faehrmann, who is aiming to win a seat in the Senate in the September Federal Election, and Jeremy Buckingham returned to the Liverpool Plains today to hear the concerns of farming families in this unique area.

When bad weather recently caused Jeremy to abandon a planned helicopter trip to the Liverpool Plains, he promised to return. Today shows he is clearly a man of his word.

Representatives from several local groups gathered at a woolshed in the Mullaley district to welcome the Greens representatives.  Set high on the western slopes of the Liverpool Plains with a panoramic view to the east, the venue offered a perfect backdrop for those present to hear what Christine had to say.

“In a short and well received address, Christine Milne spoke of her … Read More »

Media Release
17.4.2013

Communities across the North West of NSW have come together to protect their groundwater, farmlands, urban areas and the environment in which they live from Coal Seam Gas mining. A simple survey is being conducted “Do you want your land and road CSG Free?”

“With  an  overwhelming  majority  of  95.9%  of  community  members  rejecting  CSG  across  local districts comprising 515,000 Ha on the Liverpool Plains, the results are pouring in. More results are expected soon.” said Phil Laird from the Lock the Gate Alliance.

“Road  signs  that  state  “CSG  FREE,  Protected  by  the  Community”  are  being  raised  on  our regions  roads  as  house  by  house,  road  by  road,  community  by  community  the  people  of  the North West declares the region to be off limits to Santos and their drilling program for coal seam gas” he said.

“The  ‘People  Power’  within  … Read More »

The Premer Field Day was well attended this year, with NSW Farmers President Fiona Simson addressing the group and iterating the importance of the Association as an advocacy voice for rural and regional NSW. She stressed the importance of the times ahead in having our voice heard in Parliament and ensuring that the decision makers on Macquarie Street have a proper understanding of the issues in our area.

Fiona had made a special effort to be sure she was home this year for the annual event which sees the presentation of the illustrious Premer Shield for best sorghum crop, which went to the Tourle family at Quirindi.

An Environmental Consultant has been employed by the Caroona Coal Action Group to review Shenhua’s EIS and prepare a submission for our Group. Personal submissions are also essential in ensuring the communities concerns are raised formally.

SUBMISSION TEMPLATE APRIL 2013 Version1

As we have stated before, there are many concerns with the proposed mine at Breeza. Some of these concerns being dust, noise, flora, fauna, water, aboriginal heritage, social impacts, traffic, hazards, soils and loss of agricultural land to mining just to name a few.

To assist you prepare your personal submission, a guide submission template has been prepared. The guide provides the format and compulsory information that is required by the Department of Planning for a hard copy submission. The guide also includes some of the concerns raised at a recent public meeting at Breeza as well as suggestions from members. The concerns … Read More »

The final report of the Namoi Water Study is finally here.

Download the full report: https://www.namoicatchmentwaterstudy.com.au/client_images/1085523.pdf

The water study meetings held on Tuesday 31st July were well attended. Approx. 60 people attended the session at Gunnedah with a similar number attending in Quirindi. The presentation by Schlumberger Water Services (SWS) was easy to understand and included various scenarios showing the risks to our water resources with the current mining development and proposed mining developments. SWS identified data gaps in a number of areas within the catchment as well as a lack of water quality data which obviously impacts the results they have presented.

We need to acknowledge the efforts of the Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG) led by John Lyle. The commitment these community members made to the study was phenomenal. They attended the many meetings over the life of the study as well as review the presentations and technical reports prepared by SWS. The group worked tirelessly … Read More »

– How CSG and Mining Industries are Threatening Our Food Bowls
CCAG Spokesperson Tim Duddy and Rosemary Nankivell Chairman of the CCAG CSG Committee recently spoke at the Sydney Food Fairness Alliance Forum on how CSG and mining industries are threatening our food bowls. The Sydney Food Fairness Alliance (SFFA) is a network of consumers, rural producers, health professionals, community workers and community-based advocates active in promoting food security and developing a socially, economically and environmentally sustainable food system in the Sydney region. Other speakers at the Forum included Helen Redmond from Doctors for the Environment with Costa Geordiadis the new host of ABC’s Gardening Australia chairing the event. It was a wonderful opportunity for CCAG to get our message out with a great deal of sympathy in the room for the Liverpool Plains. Thank you to SFFA for inviting us … Read More »

CSG production is still continuing in the Pilliga even though there is a risk that the recent 10,000 litre spill is not a one-off spill and may be still continuing in one of the last of the great temperate woodland left in NSW. Environmentalists are not only calling for the NSW Government to shut down the Santos operation at Pilliga but to suspend all coal seam gas exploration licences following the saline spill. Soil and water samples taken six months after the Pilliga spill show a high level of lead, arsenic, chromium, salts and petrochemicals. Hear more on the toxic spill by accessing the following links.

On Sunday 20th November the SOS Liverpool Plains Group showed the documentary Gasland to 70 people at the Quirindi Royal Theatre. Following the movie Rosemary Nankivell spoke on CSG at a local level. Kirrily Blomfield President of SOSLP was very happy with attendance numbers. Kirrily was delighted that many of the audience stayed after the showing of the movie to enjoy refreshments and to discuss the startling facts about CSG that this movie exposes.