GLOUCESTER residents have taken a protest against coal seam gas (CSG) to the streets of Sydney in a bid to prevent any further mining in the valley.
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Dozens of protestors stood outside the annual general meeting of energy company AGL last week holding placards and chanting slogans opposing CSG.
They represented various lobby groups from Taree, Gloucester, Sydney, Camden, Dalton and the Hunter Valley, all places where AGL has CSG interests.
Two members of the Manning Clean Water Action Group (MCWAG) were also able to gain access to the meeting to ask questions of AGL chairman Jeremy Maycock and chief executive officer Michael Fraser. Both men reinforced the company’s position that AGL was committed to its CSG projects and that the practice could exist side by side with agriculture.
President of the MCWAG Chris Sheed said he had asked the AGL board whether the State government had required the company to put in place a security bond as insurance against any mishaps taking place. It had.
“It seems that the NSW Department of Trade and Infrastructure is less confident about CSG being low risk,” he said.
“I asked how much the bond was and was told by Mr Fraser that it was ‘less than $10 million’.”
For more photos from the rally click on the link below: