I'm not sure if the terminology is different or this is a different extraction method, but I'm assuming "coal-seam" = fracking. At any rate, it does
sound like the Australian government is much more far-sighted and environmentally sensitive than the U.S.
--
MPs demand controls on coal-seam gas rush
..."Individual gas wells have a life of about 15 years. The industry is likely to be worked out in the next 50 years. The industry must not be allowed to undermine or permanently compromise the long-term future of other sectors, most notably agriculture and the environment."
The committee said approvals for new CSG projects might have to be delayed and exploration suspended in some areas, "while a research-based understanding of geology, ground water, aquifers and soil is developed".
Agricultural land should be preserved on the basis of its productive capacity, the committee found, reflecting an approach already adopted by the Queensland government. And it warned that it was "unreasonable and unwise" to expose food production to the risk of long-term damage from CSG, or to force efficient farmers to significantly change practices to accommodate the gas industry.
"We are not saying there should not be an industry," Senator Heffernan told The Australian last night. "We are saying to proceed with great caution while we get across the detail of the impacts of this industry . . . it seems to me the industry has got well ahead of the knowledge of the long-term impacts, certainly the long-term legal and financial liabilities of any damage that's done."
The inquiry, after hearing extensive evidence on the impact of CSG development on the Murray-Darling Basin in Queensland and NSW, recommended deeper federal involvement in regulating the industry.
..//..
The committee found the "main cause for concern" was the extraction of huge volumes of water as part of the production process, "all of which may have a long term impact on . . . agriculture, rural communities and the environment".
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/mps-demand-controls-on-coal-seam-gas-rush/story-fnaxx2sv-1226210700952
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