Residents of the Bunnan area are continuing their battle to lock the gate on coal seam gas exploration on their land.
About 50 community members gathered in March to form a Save Bunnan committee and lobby against the exploration of core hoes in the Bunnan area.
Coal seam gas company Santos TNT Pty Ltd (Santos) have negotiated an access agreement with a Bunnan landholder to establish a core hole within five kilometres of the Bunnan township.
The Save Bunnan committee’s main concerns are the impact on acquifiers, the use of dangerous chemicals, storage of toxic wastes, property de-value and the impact on the water system in the area.
The Upper Hunter Shire Council has started a thorough investigation into the issue of coal seam gas exploration in the area with a decision on their position expected in the next four months.
Community members met again last Thursday to hear a presentation from NSW Farmers’ Association Mining Taskforce chair Fiona Simson and later about 70 community members and Upper Hunter Shire councillors attended a public forum by Santos.
Ms Simson addressed the residents providing them with the knowledge to help them negotiate with gas companies and give them power.
Ms Simson said the landholders need to be aware of their rights as owners.
“An exploration licence gives the company the right to explore underground but not the right to enter someone’s property without their permission.”
Save Bunnan committee member Denis White said there were a lot of angry people at the Santos public forum, but it was good to hear Santos’ side.
He said there were some people there who may not have been against exploration, but the majority were against it.
Mr White said Santos said they were only drilling one core hole and if that was all that was happening there wouldn’t be a drama, but he doesn’t believe that is all they will do.
“They don’t know what they are going through, who knows they won’t be exploring through shale?” Mr White asked.
“The water is a big concern; it belongs to everyone in the valley.”
Save Bunnan is in the process of making representations to ministers.
Santos public affairs principal adviser Sam Crafter said the aim of the forum was to inform the community exactly what the company was planning to do in the area.
“It was good because people had the opportunity to tell us first hand what their concerns were and it allowed us to talk about exactly what we do,” Mr Crafter said.
“It was the first of a series of meetings as there were a lot of statements and a whole range of issues we would like to follow up.”
Mr Crafter said they were still going through the processes of ensuring the site at Bunnan, in Petroleum Exploration Licence (PEL) 456, was appropriate and the drilling would not start for at least 12 weeks.
A Review of Environmental Factors on the site has been lodged with the government as a necessity before drilling.
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