Calls for greater scrutiny of gas coal seam mining licences

A retired geoscientist has raised concerns over plans to sink coal seam gas wells in the northern Illawarra. Apex Energy has approval to sink 15 test wells, or bores, onquarry machine 4 sale with price the Illawarra escarpment between Coledale and Helensburgh.

The company is the focus of a public action at Austimner Beach this weekend where hundreds of volunteers are expected to make a human sign in the sand calling for an end to coal seam gas mining. Dr Ann Young has written to the Department of Planning expressing her concerns. She says some land clearing will be required close to valuable upland swamps and water catchment lands. "Some of them are very close to upland swamps," she said. "Some of them are on the edge of what would be very high quality high conservation value woodlands. "An idea of how valuable the upland swamps are is given by the fact that BHP actually withdrew all the areas with upland swamps from their Bulli Seam (mining) project". Dr Ann Young there's been insufficient scrutiny of mining licences handed out in the past.