Landmark Court Case begins 17 October

The Barrington-Gloucester-Stroud Preservation Alliance, with the support of the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO), has lodged an appeal in the Land & Environment Court in Sydney against the approval of AGL's coal seam gas project in the Gloucester-Stroud Valley. Members of communities facing the threat of coal seam gas development are urged to attend the hearings on 17, 19 and 20 October.

The case will focus on the PAC's consideration of the environmental impacts resulting from the project.  Key issues are: risks to surface and groundwater quality and quantity when the gas wells are drilled; lack of data about groundwater impacts given the highly fractured geological structure of the the valley; uncertainty about the disposal of polluted waste water produced during the extraction process and uncertainty about the nature and impacts of the chemicals used in the fracking process.

In February the Planning Assessment Commission (PAC) gave approval for the overall Concept Plan and Stage 1 development of AGL's coal seam gas project in the Gloucester-Stroud Valley. 

The project is to extract gas from within an area of approximately 210 square km between Barrington and

Stroud Road

, to process the gas at a facility in Stratford and transport the gas via a pipeline of approximately 100km in length to a delivery station at Hexham.  In total the plan will include: a minimum 330 gas wells; gas and watering gathering lines, treated water ponds; salt evaporation ponds; water treatment plant; means of disposing of treated water; 15 megawatt power generation facility; connection to the electricity grid; access roads; temporary construction facilities and work camps.

The Gloucester-Stroud Valley's life depends on agriculture, tourism and life-style settlement.  Tourism is a particularly strong and growing industry.  Many in the community are deeply concerned that the proposed industrialisation of the valley will seriously harm or destroy its lifestyle and economic base.

In addition, the valley is particularly vulnerable to environmental damage by gas extraction because of the valley's unusual geological formation which has resulted in a complex pattern of geological faults and shears that create exceptionally high risks of gas migration and water table damage.

The Barrington-Gloucester-Stroud Preservation Alliance, with the support of the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO), has lodged an appeal in the Land & Environment Court against the project's approval.  The case will focus on the PAC's consideration of the environmental impacts resulting from the project.  Key issues are: risks to surface and groundwater quality and quantity when the gas wells are drilled; lack of data about groundwater impacts given the highly fractured geological structure of the the valley; uncertainty about the disposal of polluted waste water produced during the extraction process and uncertainty about the nature and impacts of the chemicals used in the fracking process.

These issues have widespread currency and concern and this will be a "Landmark Case" in the battle against coal seam gas development in Australia.

The case has been set for hearing in the Land & Environment Court in Sydney on 17, 19 and 20 October.  The EDO has advised that numbers of people attending the hearing has the potential to assist the case.  We are urging members of other communities that are facing the threat of coal seam gas development to come along and attend the hearings.  To have a packed court room on every day of the hearing will send a powerful message especially following so closely on the heels of the CSG National Day of Action rallies. 

The hearing is in the Land & Environment Court at 225 Macquarie Street Sydney.
We do not yet have a time of commencement but expect it to be 9:30 or 10:00 am. Times are advised when the Daily Court List is posted a day or two prior to the hearing. This information can be found on the L&E Court website at www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/lec .

Graeme Healy

Chairperson Barrington-Gloucester-Stroud Preservation Alliance