Friday 3 October 2014

The NSW Baird Government's limited response to widespread community concerns regarding coal seam gas exploration and mining


With regard to coal seam/unconventional gas industry exploration licence issues, the NSW Baird Coalition Government has:

* put a hold on CSG exploration and extraction in the Sydney Water Catchment
Special Areas
* put a 6 month freeze on new petroleum exploration licence applications, which was extended by a further 12 months to September 2015
* undertaken to audit existing petroleum exploration licences
* designated the Santos Narrabri Gas Project and AGL’s Gloucester Gas Project as
Strategic Energy Projects
* signed an MOU with Santos to streamline the assessment process for the Narrabri
Gas Project
* renewed AGL’s Gloucester petroleum exploration licence and granted an activity
approval to fracture stimulate four wells. [NSW Chief Scientist, September 2014]

In addition it has suspended approval to drill on one exploration license PEL 13 on the NSW North Coast.

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