Last night, Prime7 (Orange) ran a story on the fight to protect the Bylong Valley.
Even though it was essentially a repeat of a story run late-ish in 2011, it’s still great coverage.
Summary and link below:
The Bylong Valley is home to some of the most productive agricultural land in our region.
But locals reckon that could change as miners dig underground in search of coal & gas.
Calls to have mining exploration banned in the area have so far - fallen on deaf ears.
But farmers are fighting on.
http://au.prime7.yahoo.com/n3/news/a/-/local/12488079/farmers-fight-to-protect-bylong-valley-video/
(link courtesy of “Save Gloucester” team)
All the best,
CRAIG
Secretary
Bylong Valley Protection Alliance
Showing posts with label food production. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food production. Show all posts
January 4, 2012
December 3, 2011
Bullying the blind?
Sharon Munro has posted another telling story on her Blog. I'll post a few excerpts below - to read the full story on Sharon's Blog, click here.
Last Tuesday I and a bunch of other people from all walks of life and areas stood in hot sun outside Singleton Court House, or retreated to the shade behind for respite.
We held up home-made signs and chanted ourselves dry while the media recorded our anger and frustration: ‘No NuCoal!’ — ‘Save our Water, Save our Land!’ — ‘Enough is enough!’
Why were we there? Because inside that Court House, Jerrys Plains cattle farmers Ian and Robyn Moore were battling it out against NuCoal Mining, after unsuccessfully ‘negotiating’ with them since July 2010.
To read the full story on Sharon's Blog, click here.
Last Tuesday I and a bunch of other people from all walks of life and areas stood in hot sun outside Singleton Court House, or retreated to the shade behind for respite.
We held up home-made signs and chanted ourselves dry while the media recorded our anger and frustration: ‘No NuCoal!’ — ‘Save our Water, Save our Land!’ — ‘Enough is enough!’
Why were we there? Because inside that Court House, Jerrys Plains cattle farmers Ian and Robyn Moore were battling it out against NuCoal Mining, after unsuccessfully ‘negotiating’ with them since July 2010.
Ian is legally blind; he can only work his farm, inherited from his father, because he has known it for so long. He couldn’t cope with new obstructions like the exploration drilling, couldn’t move to another property and he wouldn’t be able to farm here, blind or not, if NuCoal happened to wreck his underground water sources.
While the hearing proceeded, outside the building, speakers from other areas, like Deidre Oloffson (right) from coal-trashed Camberwell and Stuart Andrews (left) from coal-threatened Bylong shared their concerns. Hunter Communities Network’s Bev Smiles and Lock the Gate’s Drew Hutton kept the talk and the chants flowing.
To read the full story on Sharon's Blog, click here.
October 13, 2011
LANDMARK CASE AGAINST CSG DEVELOPMENT SET TO BEGIN
Read what's happening in an area not so far from our own and if you happen to be able to attend the hearing in Sydney, it is great to be able to show your support of other communities in a similar predicament.
From: BGSP Alliance <bgspalliance@yahoo.com.au>
Date: 7 October 2011 10:53:54 AM AEDT
To: coal communities <coalcommunities@lists.nsw.greens.org.au>
Subject: [CoalCommunities] LANDMARK CASE AGAINST CSG DEVELOPMENT SET TO BEGIN
Reply-To: BGSP Alliance <bgspalliance@yahoo.com.au>
As you will be aware, in February the Planning Assessment Commission (PAC) gave approval for the overall Concept Plan and Stage 1 development of AGL's coal seam gas project in the Gloucester-Stroud Valley. The project is to extract gas from within an area of approximately 210 square km between Barrington and Stroud Road, to process the gas at a facility in Stratford and transport the gas via a pipeline of approximately 100km in length to a delivery station at Hexham. In total the plan will include: a minimum 330 gas wells; gas and watering gathering lines, treated water ponds; salt evaporation ponds; water treatment plant; means of disposing of treated water; 15 megawatt power generation facility; connection to the electricity grid; access roads; temporary construction facilities and work camps.
The Gloucester-Stroud Valley's life depends on agriculture, tourism and life-style settlement. Tourism is a particularly strong and growing industry. Many in the community are deeply concerned that the proposed industrialisation of the valley will seriously harm or destroy its lifestyle and economic base.
In addition, the valley is particularly vulnerable to environmental damage by gas extraction because of the valley's unusual geological formation which has resulted in a complex pattern of geological faults and shears that create exceptionally high risks of gas migration and water table damage.
The Barrington-Gloucester-Stroud Preservation Alliance, with the support of the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO), has lodged an appeal in the Land & Environment Court against the project's approval. The case will focus on the PAC's consideration of the environmental impacts resulting from the project. Key issues are: risks to surface and groundwater quality and quantity when the gas wells are drilled; lack of data about groundwater impacts given the highly fractured geological structure of the the valley; uncertainty about the disposal of polluted waste water produced during the extraction process and uncertainty about the nature and impacts of the chemicals used in the fracking process.
These issues have widespread currency and concern and this will be a "Landmark Case" in the battle against coal seam gas development in Australia.
The case has been set for hearing in the Land & Environment Court in Sydney on 17, 19 and 20 October. The EDO has advised that numbers of people attending the hearing has the potential to assist the case. We are urging members of other communities that are facing the threat of coal seam gas development to come along and attend the hearings. To have a packed court room on every day of the hearing will send a powerful message especially following so closely on the heels of the CSG National Day of Action rallies. The Land & Environment Court is at 225 Macquarie Street and the daily court list is posted on the Ground Floor.
Graeme Healy
Chairperson
Barrington-Gloucester-Stroud Preservation Alliance
Posted for Fiona
September 14, 2011
September 10, 2011
Australian Human Rights V's Coal Seam Gas
ALL ORGANIZATIONS. PLEASE MAKE THIS A CHAIN MAIL
ALSO CUT AND PAST AND...
send to "Attonery General Robert McLelland"
URGENT: Greetings Robert McLelland,
I am proud of Australia and what we have made it today since the pioneer days in the early 1800's. We are the "Lucky Country".
There is a massive growing movement against Coal Seam Gas Exploration and Drilling in Australia.
You would know that a great amount of organizations are being formed daily against this invasion on our soil in Australia. The everyday person once informed of the practices of this industry are hugely opposed to CSG entering at all and profiting at our expense.
We have just been awarded in Melbourne as the most liveable city in the World. With Sydney and Brisbane being in the top 10? I say absolutely well done to your department, government and our system and the people of Australia, every one of them.
My question fundamentally is why are we changing what is currently a working framework? We are presently a great example for the rest of the world!
Why then I ask, do we have to ruin this? Why then do we have Coal Seam Gas Drilling here on our continent? Can we have an early election? This issue will change how people vote most definitely.
My thoughts are that we will collapse our excellent food, water, tourism and health sectors and overload to breaking point our many charitable organizations in 5 years if CSG continues. I know, and I think you do to that this is not worth allowing and should be stopped immediately. Can we afford to import all our food and water? Many of us will die.
There is no return from this scenario. No plan to clean up the damage. I am advised that there is around an estimated 49% of gas available underground that International Mining CSG companies want to extract for profit to send to China and India and wherever else in the world. Abbott Point in North Queensland for example has a 99 year lease of crown land just granted in North Queensland. This is not very public information but a controlling factor in exports also.
There are plenty of documented cases in America of the health issues and environmental damages created by the current practices of CSG extraction. Will there be a huge class action legally in the future from the citizens of Australia against the Australian Government for negligent action and non transparency? I think so.
I am desperately begging that you consider this issue, please save what we are so lucky to have today. Please save our future and take action.
Please step in and cut the red tape, all contracts relating to CSG and export agreements to other countries, address parliament and advise every citizen of Australia urgently the direction that will save the paradise that the rest of the world considers Australia is.
I leave it in your expert hands as to whether an early election is a viable solution. I leave it in the hands of you and your department to help preserve Australian soil and citizens lives.
I believe you must take action NOW.
Your most sincere and concerned resident of Australia
Source: Lock The Gate Alliance <info@lockthegate.org.au>
ALSO CUT AND PAST AND...
send to "Attonery General Robert McLelland"
URGENT: Greetings Robert McLelland,
I am proud of Australia and what we have made it today since the pioneer days in the early 1800's. We are the "Lucky Country".
There is a massive growing movement against Coal Seam Gas Exploration and Drilling in Australia.
You would know that a great amount of organizations are being formed daily against this invasion on our soil in Australia. The everyday person once informed of the practices of this industry are hugely opposed to CSG entering at all and profiting at our expense.
We have just been awarded in Melbourne as the most liveable city in the World. With Sydney and Brisbane being in the top 10? I say absolutely well done to your department, government and our system and the people of Australia, every one of them.
My question fundamentally is why are we changing what is currently a working framework? We are presently a great example for the rest of the world!
Why then I ask, do we have to ruin this? Why then do we have Coal Seam Gas Drilling here on our continent? Can we have an early election? This issue will change how people vote most definitely.
My thoughts are that we will collapse our excellent food, water, tourism and health sectors and overload to breaking point our many charitable organizations in 5 years if CSG continues. I know, and I think you do to that this is not worth allowing and should be stopped immediately. Can we afford to import all our food and water? Many of us will die.
There is no return from this scenario. No plan to clean up the damage. I am advised that there is around an estimated 49% of gas available underground that International Mining CSG companies want to extract for profit to send to China and India and wherever else in the world. Abbott Point in North Queensland for example has a 99 year lease of crown land just granted in North Queensland. This is not very public information but a controlling factor in exports also.
There are plenty of documented cases in America of the health issues and environmental damages created by the current practices of CSG extraction. Will there be a huge class action legally in the future from the citizens of Australia against the Australian Government for negligent action and non transparency? I think so.
I am desperately begging that you consider this issue, please save what we are so lucky to have today. Please save our future and take action.
Please step in and cut the red tape, all contracts relating to CSG and export agreements to other countries, address parliament and advise every citizen of Australia urgently the direction that will save the paradise that the rest of the world considers Australia is.
I leave it in your expert hands as to whether an early election is a viable solution. I leave it in the hands of you and your department to help preserve Australian soil and citizens lives.
I believe you must take action NOW.
Your most sincere and concerned resident of Australia
Source: Lock The Gate Alliance <info@lockthegate.org.au>
August 22, 2011
Our food bowls should not be sacrificed to mining
Article by Timothy Duddy
National Times August 17, 2011
Australia is the driest continent on earth and as we push towards an ever increasing population we must be mindful of the fact the less than 9 per cent of our continent's surface is arable land: a far smaller portion of that is prime agricultural land, and an even smaller portion of that has underground water resources.
This limited area for producing food for the nation is under threat from coal seam gas mining and so far the pendulum has been firmly tilted towards the miners' interests. There is a way the two industries can co-exist, but it will require a moratorium on further mining exploration while a regional plan is formed.
I cannot overstate the importance to the country of our food producing areas. The Liverpool Plains in the north-west of NSW, where I am from, is an area of just 1.2 million hectares that produces about 37 per cent of the nation's cereal crops. After 185 years of working the land, locals now use some of the most advanced broad-acre farming practices in the world, while local irrigators led the state in water reform.
National Times August 17, 2011
This limited area for producing food for the nation is under threat from coal seam gas mining and so far the pendulum has been firmly tilted towards the miners' interests. There is a way the two industries can co-exist, but it will require a moratorium on further mining exploration while a regional plan is formed.
I cannot overstate the importance to the country of our food producing areas. The Liverpool Plains in the north-west of NSW, where I am from, is an area of just 1.2 million hectares that produces about 37 per cent of the nation's cereal crops. After 185 years of working the land, locals now use some of the most advanced broad-acre farming practices in the world, while local irrigators led the state in water reform.
July 30, 2011
Coal barons sowing the seeds of unrest - SMH 30 Jul 2011
For top farming land only a few road hours from Sydney, the Bylong Valley came late to settlement. Its remoteness imposed by the surrounding sandstone curtain and the national parkland that separates it from the Hunter Valley, this canyon riverbed is as productive and as versatile as it gets when seasons are good. But rain has been poor this year.
Peter Grieve, whose grandfather and father took up the 1300 hectare Talooby in 1937, has been cursing the dry only half as loudly, however, as that other intruder he considers the valley's greater affliction.
"I've nothing against coalmining," says Grieve, who is helping to spearhead the Bylong Valley Protection Alliance, one of dozens of landholder groups springing up around the bush in a spirited but mostly futile resistance to the Great Coal Rush. "On principle, I don't believe country like this, or the Liverpool Plains or the Darling Downs, should be turned over to mining. This country was made for food production."
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