Tell the Federal Government: CSG Mining - It's Not Safe

image of Tell the Federal Government: CSG Mining - It's Not Safe

A new study has recorded methane leakage from coal seam gas mining in the Darling Downs in Queensland at rates that may render it a far dirtier greenhouse pollutant than coal mining. It is not just our climate that is at risk - the health of families and communities who have the misfortune to find themselves living in a gas field are not safe either.

The ground-breaking new research by Southern Cross University has measured methane levels in the air above the Tara gasfield at levels three times higher than outside the field. The most likely source of the methane is ...

A new study has recorded methane leakage from coal seam gas mining in the Darling Downs in Queensland at rates that may render it a far dirtier greenhouse pollutant than coal mining. It is not just our climate that is at risk - the health of families and communities who have the misfortune to find themselves living in a gas field are not safe either.

The ground-breaking new research by Southern Cross University has measured methane levels in the air above the Tara gasfield at levels three times higher than outside the field. The most likely source of the methane is leakage directly from the ground through cracks and fissures in the underground rock layers - something which the gas industry has never measured. For millions of years this methane was locked in the coal seam by water pressure, but mining has removed the water and left the gas free to migrate upwards into the atmosphere.

Currently, this whole class of fugitive emissions is not included in carbon accounting, but if gas companies are made to measure and pay for those emissions it is likely to cost them billions of dollars and render the industry economically unviable.

The results are staggering for an industry that has tried to portray itself as producing a 'clean green transition fuel' because methane is at least 21 times more potent as a greenhouse gas then carbon dioxide. Other air contaminants, such as volatile organic compounds, whilst not measured in this study are frequently associated with methane and may also be present at high levels which represent a serious threat to human health.

The stakes could not be higher - there should not be another coal seam gas well drilled in this country until further studies are urgently conducted to verify this research.

Use our email below to send a message to the responsible Federal Ministers - Greg Combet on Climate Change and Tanya Plibersek on Health.

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CSG Mining - It's Not Safe

1,869 Emails sent

Send an email to Federal Minister for Climate Change Greg Combet and Fedeal Minister for Health Tanya Plibersek and ask that they act now to protect our climate and the health of rural communities. We have you started with some key points, feel free to add why your own thoughts on why the Federal Government must act now.

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Subject:

Dear Minister,

New research from Southern Cross University has shown severe risks to the climate and our health from coal seam gas mining.

The results show that methane emissions inside the Tara gas field in the Darling Downs in Queensland were up to three times the emissions outside the field.

We are asking the Federal Government to act now to protect our climate and the health of rural communities.

Please take action to:

Implement a moratorium on coal seam gas exports from Australia until further study has been done to verify the results of this research.

Immediately commission a thorough independent study of the scale of fugitive emissions from coal seam gas mining, including emissions directly from the ground.

In the interim, implement a revised greenhouse gas accounting method that more accurately reflects this new information.

Implement an urgent health impact assessment in the western Darling Downs and set national pollution monitoring standards to prevent negative health impacts.

We look forward to real action to prevent coal seam gas mining from become the 'new asbestos' and to take heed of the science which is pointing to an environmental disaster from this unsafe industry.

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