Workers will spend locally; batteries in the hardware shop, beers in the pub, takeaways and fuel.

Local contractors and accommodation providers may benefit briefly, but it will be minimal as AGL plan their own workers camp. It will be short term gain for the few and long term pain for the rest of us.

The risks to the environment from coal seam gas (CSG) and fracking are so high as to be unacceptable to the Gloucester community and the 75,000 downstream users in the Manning and Great Lakes who depend on the Manning River for their water supply.  

Opposition to CSG is not coming from a bunch of 'greenie tree huggers'. 

MidCoast Water are "disappointed" and Gloucester Council "angry" with AGL’s approvals and the Greater Taree City Council wrote to AGL in 2013 asking them to withdraw CSG operations from Gloucester.

Meanwhile, the State of Victoria maintains a moratorium on fracking and the practice has been banned in France, Germany and New York State to name a few. Opposition to CSG is international.

The NSW government argues that world’s best practice and strict conditions are applied to CSG but this has not improved confidence or reduced the risks.

Santos has already been fined twice for water pollution in the Pilliga before CSG production has even commenced.

Across the USA we have seen an unnerving series of incidents and spills above ground and the subsurface impacts may not be known for decades.

Who will pick up the tab for the remediation in Gloucester, if indeed remediation of a ruined aquifer is possible? AGL will be long gone.

There is no shortage of gas in Australia. BHP has said that Bass Strait gas reserves can meet our needs almost indefinitely.

There is no pressing need for NSW to produce gas. We don’t produce our own cars and we don’t produce our own TVs.

Neither will domestic production reduce gas prices which are set to rise dramatically to reach world gas price parity.

Nicole Foss, Canadian system analyst and expert on sustainability, energy, and finance, noted on Radio National’s Big Ideas program last week that the desperate attempts by energy companies to source unconventional gas - having exhausted easily available oil - is like a drinker who can no longer get an ale over the bar - as the bar is closed - trying to suck spilt beer out of the carpet.

The good people of Gloucester have been ignored and abandoned by their government.

Their local member George Souris is deemed to be 'missing in action'.

The comprehensive and scientific rebuttals of AGL’s spin by Gloucester Groundswell has been ignored by the Office of Coal Seam Gas and the ministers. 

Groundswell says the fight is not with AGL but with a government that colludes with the mining industry to allow them to unleash corporate assaults on unsuspecting communities.

This is evidenced by the recent approval by Planning Minister Pru Goward of changes to the State Environmental Planning Policy to specifically facilitate fracking by AGL at Gloucester without an Environmental Impact Statement.

If AGL continues at Gloucester, the adverse publicity will lead to a decline in their customer base and an increase in risk.

If they leave now the risks will disappear and the kudos gained from a graceful departure will give AGL additional customers.

If they stay, AGL risk being forced into an embarrassing and costly back down when people power prevails - as it usually does.

Chris Sheed is the president of the Manning Clean Water Action Group.