CSG advocates simply waiting for lifting of Victorian moratorium

The arrival of coal seam gas production in Victoria appeared a given at a Melbourne conference yesterday.

Nearly 100 people gathered in the Victoria Suites at the Collins St Sofitel Hotel for a Deakin University organized event. “The Promised Land: The Future of Coal Seam Gas in Victoria”.

The conference had an obvious leaning toward the law and its relationship to coal seam gas and was overseen by an associate professor from the university’s School of Law, Samantha Hepburn.

Conference promotional material promised the chance to explore social, environmental and social issues surrounding the idea of coal seam gas (CSG).

An impressive array of nearly 20 speakers, along with questions to a panel of four speakers from seven Deakin law students, gave those who attended much to think about as Victoria edges closer to the lifting of its moratorium on coal seam gas drilling.

Although it is unknown when the moratorium will be lifted, some with intimate knowledge of the political machinations of CSG believe restrictions on the State Government pause on exploration and development associated with the industry will be lifted at next year’s state election.

With few exceptions, there appeared broad acceptance that the moratorium would be lifted and that Victorians would he introduced to coal seam gas.

Lakes Oil executive chairman, Robert Annells, questioned the validity  of views of CSG skeptics arguing that if any serious troubles were to be found, they most certainly would have arisen in Texas in the U.S. sere thousands of wells have been fracked.

Mr Annells pointed to examples that clearly illustrated that many of those things critics attribute to fracking are already a part of nature and not a well has been fracked in Victoria.

He indicated the Lakes Oil was ready to go, just as soon as the moratorium is lifted.

The introduction of CSG would, according to Mr Annells, mean jobs and security for those parts of Victoria in which the projects were undertaken.

However, questioning long term and innate value of CSG the chairman of the Land Management Committee for the National Farmers' Federation, Mr Gerald Leach, said the potential damage to farms because of fracking was “alarming”.

Interestingly, Beyond Zero Emissions has argued that the best place for hydro-carbons, considered by some to be the driving force of the modern developed world, is in the ground.

The group which has extensive and comprehensive plans for seeing an Australia free of carbon dioxide emissions is opposed to the use of gas, conventional otherwise, for any purpose and so is unhappy about any maintenance of or expansion of the CSG industry.

Gas is simply a fossil fuel and any worthwhile effort to mitigate climate change could not it as an energy source.

The CSG industry is an integral part of the “business-as-usual” paradigm and so is in direct conflict with any serious effort directed at climate change abatement.