Stop Coal Seam Gas Drilling in Sydney!
CEO leaves St Peters gas mine meeting early
ANGRY St Peters residents roundly booed the CEO of the energy company planning exploratory coal seam drilling in the suburb for his early exit from a public information session.
More than 200 people packed into St Peters Town Hall on August 16 to hear what Dart Energy representatives had to say about their plans for coal seam gas drilling at the Dial-A-Dump site in Holland St.
If you’re angered by this as well, join us and the Sydney Residents Against Coal Seam Gas to call on the NSW Government to prohibit CSG mining in Sydney until all water, health, and other environmental impacts are revealed.
CSG mining risks are enormous for urban Sydney: massive water contamination, land subsidence, air and surface contamination, fire hazards from leaks, and the production of more greenhouse emissions over 20 years than coal.
Rally at Camperdown Park, march down King St to the proposed drilling site, then speakers, music and food in Sydney Park – just 100m from the drilling site.
RSVP on facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=128983783863341.
For more info, ph: Jacinta 0425 207 180; Moira 0420 504 411; Paul 0410 629 088
Full text from http://inner-west-courier.whereilive.com.au/news/story/residents-rage-at-st-peters-gas-mine-meeting/
ANGRY St Peters residents roundly booed the CEO of the energy company planning exploratory coal seam drilling in the suburb for his early exit from a public information session.
More than 200 people packed into St Peters Town Hall on August 16 to hear what Dart Energy representatives had to say about their plans for coal seam gas drilling at the Dial-A-Dump site in Holland St.
SBS TV personality Costa Georgiadis presided over the meeting which started at 6pm and was scheduled to end at 8pm, but CEO Robert de Weijer said he had a plane to catch- later leaving the hall at 7.35pm.
He was loudly criticised by the crowd for his early departure, with some residents jumping up out of their chairs to chase him out of the building.
PHOTOS: See more from the meeting
Before leaving, Mr de Weijer told residents his company had no plans to drill at the St Peters site for the next two to three years. Even then, he said, drilling would only for exploration, not gas production, purposes.
“The wider Sydney area is not a priority for us as a company,” he said.
He was forced to respond to repeated allegations from the floor that his company lacked transparency and had failed to be honest with residents.
“Are we perfect? No we are not, but we are trying our best,” Mr de Weijer said.
During the fiery one-hour question and answer session, company officials confirmed they would apply to renew their Sydney exploration licence, which is due to expire in October. Sydney Residents Against Coal Seam Gas have been petitioning against the renewal.
Dart Energy Exploration Geologist Malcolm Bocking said urban mine sites set up in the 1990s at Everleigh and Bunnerong had run successfully and would be similar to the mine at St Peters.
“Understand that work like this has been done in Sydney before,” Mr Bocking said.
But his address only attracted more criticism from people in the audience, such as Pip Hinman from the Socialist Alliance,
“In 1993 the community were not aware of the potential disasters from coal seam gas mining,” Ms Hinman said.
“In 2011, the community is very aware of the disasters that come with the industry.”
Company officials said they supported calls for a public inquiry into coal seam gas mining but not a moratorium on mining licences.
Public relations staffers and legal representatives for Dart Energy attended the meeting.
Former Premier Kristina Keneally, Marrickville MP Carmel Tebbutt, and upper house Greens mining spokesman Jeremy Buckingham MLC were also there.
What they said:Dart CEO Robert de Weijer: “There is absolutely no need for fracking.”
Paul Benedek, SRACSG: “For you to say you support a public inquiry but not a moratorium is saying you don’t care. Your boss has just flown out of here – well we can’t fly out of here – these are our homes.”
Jeremy Buckingham, Greens MLC. “If [the 2km no mining zone] is good enough for Queensland then it’s up to Barry O’Farrell to protect the people of NSW and do the exact same thing here.”
