Coal Seam Gas Mining Overview
By our Environmental Editor Aug
2012
Coal seam gas mining involves
drilling deep into the earth to extract methane held in a coal seam. In order to
extract the gas, large volumes of salty water contained in the coal seam need to
be brought to the surface.This water is the major waste product from coal seam
gas mining. Methods used to extract the gas include hydraulic fracturing or
lateral drilling. Both of these methods represent risks to groundwater.
As well as the underground impacts described above, coal seam gas mining has
severe surface impacts. It requires large numbers of wells to extract the
volumes of gas that are sought – in Queensland in 2010/2011 some 18,600 gas
wells were approved. Along with gas wells come roads, pipelines, tracks,
compressor stations and water storage ponds – which altogether results in an
industry which spreads out across the landscape and caves up rural landscapes
into giant industrial zones.
CSG Mining Risks:
There is mounting evidence that CSG mining poses substantial risks. These risks
include:
Depletion and contamination of underground and surface water systems and
supplies
Lack of any safe method of disposal of the large quantities of polluted
wastewater brought
to the surface in the extraction process;
Leaking of methane from wells and pipelines and off-gassing of volatile organic
componds
from wastewater storages and compressor stations;
Human and animal health impacts from air, water and soil pollution;
Loss of agricultural land and native vegetation from the large surface footprint
of CSG
operations; and Risk of seismic activity from fracking and aquifer re-injection.
Over 25% of NSW is covered by Petroleum Exploration Licences (PELs). Both
exploration and production projects have been given the green light, despite
evidenced risks, insufficient research and growing community concern about this
industry. Repeated calls by community groups, environment groups and the
farmer’s organisations for a moratorium on the coal seam gas industry to allow
for comprehensive scientific investigation and analysis of the threats posed by
the industry have been ignored by government.
Concern about these risks from landholders and communities across the Northern
rivers is why we call for the immediate cessation of all unconventional gas
mining activities in the Northern Rivers.
What is CSG and how is it mined?