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The Border Watch : October 25th 2013
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10 NEWS Information sessions highlight exploration risks COMMUNITY Action for Sustainability (CAS) has planned information sessions, documentary screenings and seminars relating to Beach Energy’s gas exploration operation near Penola. Speakers will address topics such as possible environmental impacts, fi rst-hand experiences with gas mining, potential health risks associated with gas mining and the government’s role in regulation of the industry. The first session will be held on Wednesday, October 30, from 7.30pm at the Main Corner Dress Circle. Monash University Faculty of Engineering environmental engineering senior lecturer Dr Gavin Mudd will speak about the potential impacts of unconventional gas exploration and mining, while Eyre Peninsula Saving our Sustainability group committee member Brian March will recount his fi rst-hand experiences with mining exploration in the Eyre Peninsula. A second session will be held on Friday, November 8, from 7.30pm with the screening of “Fractured Country: An Unconventional Invasion”, a 38 minute fi lm based in Australia. University of Adelaide Emeritus Professor of Medicine and author Dr David Shearman will speak about potential health impacts of unconventional gas exploration. From 7pm on Friday, November 22, at the Mount Gambier City Hall, Environmental Defenders Offi ce solicitor in environmental law Melissa Ballantyne will speak about South Australia’s regulation of unconventional gas exploration and mining after the CAS annual general meeting at 6pm. For more information email cas4sustainability@gmail.com or contact Sandra on 8739 3245. Interruption to power supply SA Power Networks is South Australia’s electricity distributor, delivering energy to more do during a power read our customer charter available at customerservice Due to work to maintain electricity infrastructure, power will be interrupted in Carpenter Rocks township and surrounds on Sunday 27 October 2013 between 8.30am and 3pm. The Carpenter Rocks 11kV Feeder will be work may not proceed in extreme weather CLASSIFIEDS FOR ITEMS UNDER $100 (see conditions below) CLASSIFIED FORM $ Ph: Name: ............................................................................................................................................................. Address: ....................................................................................................................................................... Phone: ............................................................................................................................................................ CONDITIONS: 1. Only one item per advertisement. (Single items only). 2. Advertisement copy must be lodged on this original form. Photocopies and facsimiles will not be accepted. 3. Price of item must be stated in the advertisement. (Total value of item for sale must be $100 or less). 4. Private sales only (not businesses). 5. Maximum of 12 words. 6. The free classifi ed form is valid for one insertion only. 7. Advertisements may be excluded at the discretion of the manager. 8. Forms to be lodged at The Border Watch for inclusion in the next available Tuesday issue. 9. Deadline is 10.00am Monday prior to publication. 10. Excludes pets, livestock, produce and plants. Drop forms into: The Border Watch 81 Commercial Street East, Mount Gambier Phone (08) 8724 1555 This classifi ed form is only valid for insertion into The Border Watch on Tuesday 29/10/13 618159 10 - The Border Watch, Friday, October 25, 2013 VISIT US ONLINE borderwatch.com.au Contamination concern raised Gas search impact on aquifer questioned A SOUTH East environmental action group has raised concerns over gas exploration near Penola, fearing potential water contamination and damage to agricultural land. According to Community Action for Sustainability (CAS) chair Catherine Pye, questions remain unanswered after Beach Energy held a recent community meeting in Penola. The mining company announced at the meeting it would start exploring for gas on two privately owned rural properties just outside the town in December. Speakers were bombarded with questions from the community at the meeting, with fears raised the area could be subjected to environmental issues that have surfaced in other parts of Australia. Although Beach Energy representatives set the crowd’s minds at ease, Dr Pye said further investigation needed to be conducted. CAS hosted its own meeting this month to discuss lingering concerns the group members feel were not answered during Beach’s presentation. Dr Pye said surface and ground water contamination, damage to pristine agricultural land, associated health issues, government regulation and other legal issues were some of the main concerns that came out of the group’s meeting. “Internationally and in Australia there is a move towards unconventional gas extraction,” the environmental activist said. “We understand the combination of technologies needed to make these systems work are very new and that there is limited experience with these methods in Australia. “We are aware that government regulations have not been able to keep pace with the rate of development of unconventional gas exploration and mining - this has happened in the US where regulation is lagging several years behind drilling and also in Australia. “Last year, the New South Wales parliamentary inquiry into coal seam gas made 35 recommendations to the New South Wales government and found that ‘the industry’s development has outpaced the government’s ability to regulate it’.” Dr Pye said the inexperience with gas mining in Australia had prompted concerns about the long-term impacts of THE Limestone Coast aquifer system will be taken into account during any gas developments in the region, according to South Australian Agriculture, Food and Fisheries and Regional Development Minister Gail Gago. Ms Gago was in Coonawarra at the weekend to speak at a forum on “premium food and wine from our clean environment”. Speaking to The Border Watch after the forum, Ms Gago said the primary producers in the region were of paramount importance to the future growth of the state. “The aquifer system underlying this region is a very precious resource,” she said. “We have a natural resource management system in place that looks at managing the water table, the catchment area and the water table within that. “We know the burning of coal is not good for the environment, so looking for other forms of energy will be important to our whole standard of living, our lifestyle. “We need to make sure we are able to advance those developments, but not to the detriment of our primary producers, unconventional gas projects like those proposed outside Penola. “We are concerned that the current level of assessment, monitoring and regulation in South Australia is inadequate to properly protect our water, food production, health and to prevent pollution to our land, water and air,” she said. “There are numerous incidents of surface and ground water contamination in Australia and overseas. “The Queensland government reported that between July and December 2012 there were 24 incidents of noncompliance that required enforcement measures. “We are not saying the proposed developments near Penola will have these problems, but we are very concerned about the potential for damage to our public and environmental health and our water.” CAS members expressed their concerns about the South Australian government’s lack of detailed disclosure on the methods and intervals of inspections to regulate the mining companies as they continue with their projects and after the projects have been completed or abandoned. “We don’t know how many government inspectors there are to inspect the sites and we are unsure whether there is enough funding to ensure there are enough inspectors to monitor the mining sites regularly,” Dr Pye said. “Is the government checking that the companies are adequately rehabilitating the wells and are the wells going to be monitored regularly into the future? “We are asking for comprehensive independent baseline monitoring of water and air, adequate scientifi c studies and health impact assessments prior to any exploratory drilling. “I’d like the parties involved to prove to us what they propose to do is safe - we shouldn’t have to prove to them that it is not safe.” CAS will hold another meeting in Mount Gambier next Wednesday where Dr Gavin Mudd, an environmental engineer from Monash University, will discuss the potential impacts of unconventional gas exploration and mining on the region’s aquifers. The Eyre Peninsula’s Saving our Sustainability Group representative Brian Marsh will also attend. The meeting will be held from 7.30pm at the Main Corner Dress Circle. Legislation in place to protect resource so we need to make sure those activities are balanced.” Ms Gago said South Australia had not faced the controversy of other states as far as mining was concerned, due largely to the fact much of its mining activities were conducted in remote areas. But she said as energy production became more critical into the future, alternatives to coal-fi red power would need to be investigated, taking that “precious resource” into account. “South Australia probably has some of the best legislation to protect farmers,” Ms Gago said. “Because we haven’t had the same pressures on us as other states we’ve been able to listen and learn from what has happened in other states and cherry-pick some of the best regulations, legislation and other protocols. “Obviously we want to seize opportunities because energy is critical and we need to ensure we have good energy supplies into the future. “We have said that any activity that affects the water table has to be managed and has to be included in the way we manage the precious resource.” Free
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