“The coal seam gas industry is facing a rural revolt with farmers yesterday threatening to risk arrest and lock their gates to drilling companies”, the November 2 Brisbane Courier Mail said.
“A massive expansion of the industry was ignited on the weekend when BG Group-owned Queensland Gas gave the go-ahead for a $15 billion liquefied natural gas plant at Gladstone that will be fuelled by coal seam gas from the Surat Basin. Santos, Origin and Shell are all trying to firm up their own massive LNG projects.”
But farmers from south-western Queensland reject the plan to drill thousands of wells on farmland over the next 20 years. Dulacca farmer Lee McNicol said the region would be turned into a pin cushion of gas wells, the Courier Mail said.
"There will be a long-term environmental effect and short-term farming effect”, McNicol said. He was prepared to risk arrest by refusing the companies entry to his property.
McNicol is concerned about the effects of coal seam gas on groundwater. “I'm concerned about sustainable agriculture”, he said.