Council looks at CSG ban

TWEED Greens Party councillor Katie Milne has won support for an urgent report on the decision of a north-western NSW council to block coal seam gas mining on council land.

Cr Milne raised the issue as a matter of urgency at the council's Tuesday meeting, saying the matter was important given concerns by the Tweed community and local farmers about the coal seam gas industry.

Only Cr Phil Youngblutt opposed the move for council general manager Mike Rayner to investigate and report back on the Moree Plains Shire Council decision to place a moratorium on coal seam gas mining on council-owned land.

On June 2 that council voted to impose a 60-day moratorium “on any further seismic surveys, drilling or exploration for coal seam gas” on council property. The decision was part of a move to support a general 60-day moratorium on coal seam gas industry work.

The council also asked the NSW Government to “fund and undertake a full assessment of the impact of coal seam gas extraction on the sustainability of agricultural production within the shire” during that period.

The councillors later decided to extend the moratorium until the NSW government introduced a proposed Strategic Regional Land Use Policy with guidelines on protecting aquifers from the impacts of coal seam gas mining. Resources giant Santos has announced it plans to buy Eastern Star Gas, which has plans to drill more than 500 gas wells in the Pilliga scrub, near Moree for $900 million.