Mullumbimby Action Group -> thisweek -> make_a__submission
Points to raise re: PSPAA55 Aboriginal Land Council Prospecting in Byron Shire
CSG drill rig like the Lucas one. Lucas was fined nearly $1M for infractions on Curtis Is recently
Please write a submission! Even if its just short and hand written; ideally post it this week and send us a copy to help our campaign PO Box 583 Mullumbimby.
POINTS FOR SUBMISSION-MAKING – BYRON SHIRE
Your name, address and contact details
Exploration Licence No: PSPAA No 55
Applicant: New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council
The Manager Coal & Petroleum Titles and Systems
Postal Address: PO Box 344, Hunter Region Mail Centre NSW 2310
Facsimile: 02 4931 6776 Email: webcoal.titles@industry.nsw.gov.au
Submissions must be made by 5 December 2012.
Please send copy to deborah@mullumaction.org to help our campaign.
1. Say that you live in this area – provide your name, address and contact details - and say that you want to make a comment on this submission. Make your submission personal. Handwriting it is fine. It doesn’t need to be long either.
2. The Department of Trade & Investment, Resources & Energy has Guidelines on its website (http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/minerals/community-information)about the Public Comment Process for the exploration of coal and petroleum, including coal seam gas.
These guidelines say that most notice will be taken of submissions which raise matters that relate to the potential impacts specific to exploration in this particular area. The following headings (4.1 – 4.6) are the points it lists.
Below the headings, we’ve asked some questions to help you address these points.
Following these headings are some other points you might want to talk about too.
4.1 Essential community services or infrastructure that may be impacted by exploration
- How do you think this will affect our public and private roads?
- How will it affect our emergency services? Medical services?
- Are there any other community services or infrastructure that it may affect?
4.2. Knowledge of threatened species or ecological communities within the proposed exploration licence area
- How do you think this could affect the species found in this area?
- Is there anything special about our area in your view which means species (land or water) or landscape could be negatively affected?
- What is it that you love about this area? What wildlife do you live with? See regularly? Describe this….it’s a chance to show that this is a particularly beautiful and unspoiled area.
4.3. Knowledge of significant landscape, environmental, cultural or heritage features in the area that should be protected
- Write about the special nature of your area – the forests, the land, the water.
- Do you live near a creek or river? Write about it.
- Are you aware of any issues relating to the soil or rock in the area, such as its ability to hold water?
- What’s the area like – is it hilly and steep or level and flat? How do you think this will go for exploration activities which could include large vehicles, drilling and fracking in various weather conditions…think about our flood and fire?
4.4. Community or tourist events that may be potentially affected if exploration activities are carried out in close proximity while the event is happening (such as outdoor music or film festivals). This may include impacts to accommodation requirements that may conflict with exploration activities also requiring high number of employees
- Are there any events that could be affected by exploration activities?
4.5. Recognised view corridors or scenic landscapes and sites of importance to the local or broader community, including recreation areas outside of urban areas such as swimming holes in rivers or sporting areas
- What sites are important to you as view corridors, scenic landscapes or recreation areas?
- Do you know of sites that are important to other people? Tourists?
- Do you know of any archaeological, Aboriginal or historic cultural heritage sites?
4.6. Other potential economic and social impacts on the community or individuals
- Are you involved in any farming or other activity that could be affected?
- Do you think that more information should be given to the community, regarding what the exploration process involves and what it is for, so that the community is more informed to consider the social, family and individual impacts and then able to provide appropriate submissions.
- Do you think the fear of not knowing what to expect will have a strong impact on families, individuals and the community?
- Do you think that the community could be divided and individuals suffer if they choose to support exploration access, or not?
3. Although the Department’s Guidelines say we can’t comment on other issues, you might think that their guidelines are too narrow and that because other exploration activities have included test wells and pilot production processes, we are entitled to express concerns about how coal seam gas mining can affect:-
3.1 The health of our waterways – if chemicals are used during this process and lead to contamination of our waterways. Also storage of wastewater in holding ponds and risks from overflow into surface waterways and seepage into shallow aquifer systems. The very same reasons why the government has prohibited evaporation dams as a long term water treatment option.
· What will this do to us as humans and to animals, fish and plant life?
· What will this do to food production?
· Will this affect your livelihood?
· Will the water still be safe to be used to fight fires?
· Will there be water with chemicals and how will it be disposed of?
3.2 What will it do to air quality and rainwater quality? (Note: drilling can cause dust but there have also been many wells that have leaked. Also could refer to air pollution from venting/flaring from pilot wells. Also perhaps somewhere the risks to aquifers from exploration drilling if there have not been hydrogeological studies done prior to exploration taking place.)
· How would it be to have wells that leak methane (dangerous to breathe and highly flammable) in our area?
· Do you think that might be dangerous given the number of bushfires?
5.3 What effects will there be from the noise and lights?
5.4 Do you think exploration could conflict with other uses of land - like farming, subsistence living or tourism?
· Are you concerned about how it could affect your business/livelihood?
· Are you concerned about food production and food security?
· If you farm cattle do you have certification such as Livestock Produce Assurance Quality Assurance (which incorporates Cattlecare). If a licence is granted do you think this could put your certification at risk?
5.5Are you concerned about family life, social and health issues?
5.6Are you concerned about how the licence holder’s activities will be monitored by the authorities?
5.7Are you concerned about your land and home value now or in the future for your children?
If you’d like to read further, see http://www.stoppilligacoalseamgas.com.au
http://www.lockthegate.org.au
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