Clarence Valley comes a step closer to locking the gate against coal seam gas mining

Clarence River

CLARENCE VALLEY COUNCIL RESOLUTION – 14.005/12 at the Ordinary Monthly Meeting on 26 June 2012:

That :

1. Further to its resolution of 12 July 2011 and 21 February 2012, Clarence Valley Council calls on the NSW State Government to immediately place a moratorium on all coal seam gas (CSG) exploration including all forms of unconventional gas extraction within the Clarence Valley local government area until appropriate State Legislation is enacted.
2. The State Government is urged to adopt appropriate policies and implement land use legislation which will effectively control and regulate the CSG industry and safeguard water, food and environmental security for future generations.
3. Development of such policy and legislation be predicated on:-
a) Gaining accurate scientific data on CSG extraction impacts;
b) The Government’s prompt and diligent consideration and implementation of the 35Recommendations contained in the 1 May 2012 CSG Report of the Legislative Council General Purpose Standing Committee No 5; and
c) Appropriate consideration of submissions received to the Draft Strategic Regional Land Use Plans for the Upper Hunter and North West of NSW.
4. Council notes the list of roads handed to Mayor Williamson at the regional rally on 12 May 2012 in Lismore by residents of the Ewingar district declaring the road reserves CSG free viz a viz Japara Road, Valley View Road, Bulldog Road, Grand View Road, Hunters Road, Peckham Road, Ewingar Road and Plains Station Road.

Voting recorded as follows:
For: Councillors Williamson, Comben, Dinham, Howe, Hughes, McKenna, Simmons, Tiley and Toms
Against: Nil

The Daily Examiner 2 July 2012:

ROSS Wilkinson, a fourth-generation farmer in the South Tabulam-Ewingar area of the Clarence Valley Shire and son of Isabel Wilkinson, renowned historian and author of "The Forgotten Country", has locked his gate against coal-seam gas mining.
At a community celebration on Saturday, June 16, a Gas Field-Free Road sign was erected on Plain Station Rd at the northern end of the Clarence Valley Shire where Ross lives.
"I've lived beside the Clarence River all my life; that's my life: the land and the river," he said.
"Without good water you've got nothing."
"You can't grow anything, you can't live. You'd have to walk off your place.
"There are hundreds of tonnes of cereal and leguminous crops grown in the area as well as thousands of head of cattle.
"We went through 12 years when it never rained and we had to irrigate all through it."
"Without being able to irrigate we've got nothing."
Mr Wilkinson is also worried about his grandkids' future, saying: "We don't own the land, we only look after it for the next generation and we've got to make sure it's in better order for them."
And he won't accept that this form of mining is safe until the mining companies prove it beyond reasonable doubt.…