The Tasmanian Greens today said that grassroots opposition to coal-seam gas extraction was gaining momentum, after a meeting of more than 50 concerned Meander Valley residents expressed unanimous opposition to the practice.
Greens Primary Industries spokesperson Kim Booth MP, who spoke at the meeting in Deloraine on Friday night, said residents called on both houses of the Tasmanian parliament to ban the practice known as “fracking”.
“The Greens are extremely concerned about the damage that would occur if coal seam gas mining is allowed to go ahead on Tasmanian agricultural land.”
“There’s a reason this practice has already been suspended in the United Kingdom and banned in some jurisdictions, including France and some states in the US. It’s been proven that coal seam gas mining can poison large areas of farmland by releasing toxic chemicals and hydrocarbons into the water table.”
“We need to ensure that we prevent the same disasters occurring in Tasmania as has occurred in other parts of the world.”
“Even though there are no development applications current in Tasmania, it won’t be long before a proposal is put on the table.”
“In Tasmania there is virtually nothing a landowner can do to prevent exploration and development of coal seam gas projects on their property, which is an outrageous situation.”
“This is not about being anti-industry, it’s about supporting Tasmanian farmers and ensuring the state’s food security for future generations.”
“While these projects might some bring short term economic value, we need to think about the intergenerational consequences of destroying our valuable farmland,” Mr Booth said.
