The appeal against the approval by the Planning Assessment Commission (PAC) of AGL’s coal seam gas development in the Gloucester-Stroud Valley is set to commence in the Land & Environment Court in Sydney on Monday 17 October. The appeal has been lodged by the Barrington-Gloucester-Stroud Preservation Alliance with the support of the Environmental Defenders Office.
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 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.
A BGSPA spokesperson said “These issues have widespread currency and concern and this will be a ‘Landmark Case’ in the battle against coal seam gas development in Australia. Many individuals and groups have expressed support for BGSPA since the appeal was announced. There is significant interest in the case and I expect large attendance at the hearings. To have a packed court room on every day of the hearing will send a powerful message to governments, especially following so closely on the heels of the National Day of Action Against Coal Seam Gas rallies.”
Additional hearing days have been scheduled on Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20 October.
Email a friend