Introduction to the Australian Conservation Foundation

Introduction to the Australian Conservation Foundation

Since its inception in 1966, the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) has been dedicated to the protection and restoration of ecological systems as well as social justice and human well-being. Although it actively partners with various Australian businesses, ACF remains a not-for-profit organization with the objective of creating a sustainable future for Australia. Throughout its history, ACF has been involved in various projects across Australia including notable projects such as Koogarra and wet tropics World Heritage listings as well as conservation of the Great Barrier Reef. The ACP has also been very involved in monitoring mining projects in Australia as well as a very notable contribution in Antarctica by assisting in the formulation and supporting the passage of a 50 year ban on mining in 1991 (Australian Conservation Foundation, 2012).

The Purpose of this Submission

This submission addresses the dangers of the extraction of coal seam gas (CSG) in Australia, specifically in the Bowen and Surat Basins. These dangers pose a significant threat to surrounding communities, including small towns and farmers as well as to future populations of Australia as a whole. Because of the relative infancy of the industry, research into the negative effects of the process is still underdeveloped; therefore projections about future impact are very speculative. What is known is that the extraction process involves vast volumes of ground water being pumped out of the extraction sites and water laden with dangerous chemicals being pumped back in.

This submission will provide a concise summary of the history and process of CSG extraction in Australia, describe the geographic areas of concern, outline the specific aspects of the practice of CSG extraction in these areas that are of greatest concern, and recommend a proposed path forward.

The History and Process of CSG Extraction

Although the presence of methane gas in coal mining has been known since the 1800’s, it was not until recently, (in the 1970’s), that it was extracted for commercial production. With exploration first occurring in Australia in 1976, the first successful commercial operation was not until February of 1996 at the Moura mine in Queensland (Australian Government, 2012). Since this initial success, the industry of coal seam gas extraction has increased at an incredible rate to the point where Australia is currently extracting 234 Petajoules (PJ) per year. This large rate of extraction means that the annual number of wells drilled is also increasing to almost 600 in 2010-11. (Queensland Government, 2012).

The process by which the gas is extracted consists of the following steps: First, drilling occurs to a depth of approximately 900 to 1100