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Gas Watch 90: Liberal/National or Labour? Who will protect the Upper Hunter?

Date: 23-Jul-10
Author: Hunter Valley Protection Alliance

The Hunter Valley Protection Alliance, the Singleton Council, community groups, local doctors and the people of the Hunter Valley want to know the answer to this question.

We currently have next to no protection from the invasion of the fossil fuel industry in the Hunter Valley and the sacrifice by the Government of the beauty of the Hunter Valley to the fossil fuel industry.

What We Require

  • A Government which will initiate a full, integrated Environmental Assessment of the cumulative impact on the people and the environment of the Hunter Valley,
  • A Government which will place a moratorium on further leases and exploration licenses until such time as the Environmental Assessment is concluded,
  • A Government which will restore balance to the Hunter Valley respecting the vibrant wine, olive and tourism industries which draw over 3 million visitors each year

What We Have Done

  • We have met with former Minister Macdonald asking for the Cumulative Environmental Assessment but we were refused outright.
  • We have tried to meet with Minister Kelly without success.
  • We have met with Member for the Upper Hunter, George Souris.
  • We have met with Shadow Ministers Don Page and Kathryn Kusack.
  • We have met with Shadow Ministers Brad Hazzard and Duncan Gay.
  • We have raised the issues with the leader of the NSW Liberal Party, Barry O'Farrell.
  • We are meeting with Minister Frank Sartor on 29th July, 2010, to plead our case to him.
  • We have asked the same of all of those MPs and, whilst we have received encouraging and supportive remarks from them, we have received no commitment from any of them to protect the Upper Hunter in the way we seek.

What the Government or the Opposition Needs To Do

  • Publicly commit to the immediate initiation of the Cumulative Environmental Assessment.
  • Publicly commit to the required moratorium.
  • Publicly commit to the required legislative change to restore balance to the Hunter Valley.

What YOU Need To Do

In March, 2011, vote for the Party, or the candidate, that gives the commitment we seek, in the interests of our health and our environment.

The Concerns

We of the Hunter Valley, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, are subject to:

  • AIR POLLUTION SERIOUSLY IMPACTING THE HEALTH OF HUMANS AND ANIMALS:
    • Emissions from Power Stations resultant from the burning of coal and garbage
    • Vast quantities of coal, interburden & overburden dust, from large to microscopic;
  • THREATS TO WATER SUPPLY AND WATER WAYS
    • Coal mining impacting water tables and polluting water ways
    • Coal Seam Methane (CSM) exploration by AGL Energy threatening underground fresh water tables
    • CSM exploration pumping thousands of litres of toxic saline water to the surface;
    • AGL storing and using toxic chemicals close to the Wollombi Brook;
    • CSM exploration experimenting with bore holes, core holes and quasi production wells;
  • CONSTANT NOISE POLLUTION DISRUPTING SLEEP AND RURAL SETTING
    • Constant noise from open cut coal mines, trains, machinery and the like;
    • 7x24 noise from AGL's CSM exploration close to the villages of Broke and Bulga disrupting sleep for local families;
    • Defence Forces exploding ordinances, small arms fire, machine gun fire and low flying jet aircraft dropping bombs adjacent to Broke;
  • DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY VALUES AND BUSINESSES:
    • Open cut mining and CSM exploration directly impacting property values and eliminating wine, olive and tourism businesses;
    • AGL CSM exploration turning away prospective buyers;
  • PROPOSED EXPANSION OF VALLEY INDUSTRIALIZATION:
    • Proposals for experimental geothermal drilling 4 kilometres into the earth's crust, with also proposals for further power stations approximating the size of 8 football fields;
    • Proposals to expand existing open cut mines;
    • Proposals to turn the Hunter Valley into a Coal Seam Methane gas field with hundreds, possibly thousands, of wells spaced as little as 200 m apart.

Hunter Valley Protection Alliance
PO Box 120 Broke NSW 2330
www.huntervalleyprotectionalliance.com
July, 2010.
Tel: 0408 234 773

Hunter Valley Protection Alliance