waterdefense.org

[Jenne]

So I don't know if anyone knows about "fracking"--the method that natural gas miners are using to get all the "natural resource that isn't liquid crude" out of good ol' US and A. I watched the documentary on it "Gasland" about two years ago(?) or a year ago? anyway...it was...sad. Mind boggling. Depressing.

So now even Obama (yeah, I know) is talking about how "great" fracking is...even though his caveat is that it nees to be "made safe."

Thing is, there's no such thing as

1) clean coal

and

2) safe fracking

There just isn't. Not currently.

And too many folks don't know that their property rights, their water rights, their HEALTH and WELL BEING are now in jeopardy...without their being aware. The natural gas companies head straight into the netherlands--where few people live, where folks are willing to make a quick-and-dirty buck for use of their acres and acres...only to pay the price in cancer and dead wildlife later.

Not to mention flammable drinking water.

So there you go. Bend over (again), Americans. Your "clean fuel" is coming up...THERE.

[admin]

Fracking is also strongly suspected of causing earthquakes in some areas.

[StormInateacup]

I think we call this Fracking Coal Seam Gas Extraction and it's fucked up.

The Greens here have called for a total moratorium on the further extraction of coal seam gas until extensive environmental studies have been done. They are supported in this by the normally ultra conservative National Farmers Federation because the people on the land who fell for the line about how this would provide them with a steady income stream in periods of drought when farm productivity was down the shit chute have discovered it has fucked up their arable land and in many cases neighbours arable land for what looks like being generations. But now they cant get out of the agreements they signed with the mining multinationals.

Looking for the info I have and will be back ITT. I don't know how I missed it before.

[bigwillybear]

what's really great about fracking is that it distabilises the coal seam and the surrounding strata making extraction of the coal itself by mining just about impossible. The only way to mine a seam that has been fracked will be open cast mining.

[StormInateacup]

Penfold are you quite well? Did this topic awaken your engineers soul at the expense of your Goon Show consciousness?

**oddly disturbed**

Now Ashfield Council in Sydney is one of a few that are Greens controlled and they have recently had a lot to say on this topic.

On Tuesday 27th March Ashfield Council supported a motion unopposed against Coal Seam Gas mining due to its impact on water, communities, climate change and land.

The Mayor, Lyall Kennedy put the motion to council that included opposing all coal seam gas exploration and mining until it can be proved to be sustainable and not interfere with aquifers.

“We also passed the motion to support other councils in NSW who are fighting the intrusion of Coal Seam Gas mining into their communities,” said Mayor Kennedy. “In the Marrickville Council area just 4km from the CBD there is an approved permit for coal seam gas mine. Its licence expired last October yet Barry O’Farrell refuses to cancel it even though many of its conditions were not met.”
“Ashfield Council calls on the Premier of NSW to ban Coal Seam Gas exploration and mining in the Sydney basin. In Queensland it is not allowed within 2km of residences and that should be the case in NSW as well.”

“I have recently read about the toxic spills resulting from Santos’ Coal Seam gasfield in the Pilliga State Forest in North West NSW and it makes chilling reading.”

“Nearer to home are AGL’s 73 coal seam gas production wells and 83 exploration wells at Camden. Last May there was a blow out at one of the wells at Camden North during routine maintenance which released plumes of contaminated water and foam into the air near to housing and a water catchment feeder stream. AGL failed to report the incident for two days until the leakage was shown in TV. Yet the O’Farrell government has recently approved more coal seam gas drilling at 12 locations around Camden and Campbelltown including future residential areas. We don’t want Ashfield to be next.”

“I have seen no studies proving gas is cleaner than coal and until this happens the CSG industry’s argument that this is a less damaging alternative to coal is no better than conjecture.”
Dart Energy holds the Petroleum Exploration Licence (PEL 463) that covers more than 2,300 sq km of the Sydney basin including the entire Ashfield Council.

Scary fucking shit. Sydney has a larger population than either LA or Chicago and they're undertaking a massively risky, under researched and ill regulated mining process right underneath 4 million people's homes.

[notxthexdude]

Seems to me a great propaganda avenue's been left open here.

The rebooted "Battlestar Galactica" used frack as "fuck" to keep their ratings.

Seems to me the Greenies could use that, if they were smart.

Can't you just imagine a TV ad? Sad, sincere face to the camera and then "And now we're -all- fracked."