MEDIA RELEASE - 2 October 2013

The Greens NSW spokesperson on mining Jeremy Buckingham called on the O’Farrell Government to honour its promise not to allow coal seam gas within 2km of residential areas and reject a proposal lodged by AGL yesterday to frack four coal seam gas wells in the Gloucester Valley.  

AGL lodged a ‘Fracture Stimulation Management Plan’ to frack four wells in the Gloucester Valley in the first fracking operation proposed since the government lifted its moratorium on fracking. The coal seam gas wells are only 600 metres from homes at Forbesdale, near Gloucester.

“This proposal breaches Barry O’Farrell’s promise to stop fracking and drilling within 2km of residential areas and the government should reject this plan and tell AGL to keep more than 2 kilometres away from people’s homes,” said Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham.

“All citizens of NSW, including the people of the Gloucester Valley deserve the protection that Barry O’Farrell promised in February this year with the 2 kilometre buffer zone between coal seam gas and homes.

“The Greens are concerned about the use of chemicals in the fracking process which AGL admits ‘may present a risk to human health and the environment should they be released directly to an environment where exposure may occur’. (p.97)

“The Greens are also concerned about potential to contaminate underground and surface water, such as the Manning River.

“Emissions from these four wells are estimated by AGL to be 65,000 tonnes of CO2e. That’s the equivalent of 13,000 cars driving around for a year. Venting and flaring will also release volatile organic compounds, which are a concern for human health.

“This is not a clean energy, it is not appropriate to frack coal seam gas near people’s homes and the government should reject this application,” he said.

The project application can be downloaded here.

Contact: Max Phillips - 9230 2202 or 0419 444 916