While David Foster and his mates are portraying their open cut coal mine in the best possible light by standing beside a pristine stream, as well as forwarding glossy green brochures outlining how they would address the relevant concerns, the eventual reality of their project couldn’t be further from the truth When I was a member of the Upper Hunter Shire Council the Bickham proponents were given the opportunity of addressing council, and assured us they would have a Water Resource Assessment (WRA) prepared and forwarded to the government within three months.

I pointed out to these people that it would be nigh impossible to do a credible water study in the middle of a fairly significant drought, and for anybody to take such a study seriously, it would have to extend over several years, during varying seasonal conditions.

This didn’t seem to deter them from their schedule, assuring us that their timeframe was achievable. Needless to say it took considerably longer, 18 months longer from memory. It is my understanding that even then, the initial draft was lacking and was sent back to the authors to be rejigged.

Surely this should be warning enough that maybe this

proposed mine is going to cause nothing but trouble.

I have no doubt the Bickham Water Resource Assessment is authored by reputable experts, but then I guess the same scenario would apply to the West Atlas well that blew out in the Timor Sea several weeks ago, spewing 400 barrels of oil into the Timor Sea (2000 barrels according to alternate independent media reports) with an environmental cost yet to be fully realised.

Apparently

another gas well not far away was leaking in the Puffin field at around the same time but was kept under wraps. I suspect Garrett’s big gas decision with the Chinese may have been a contributing factor. Another example is the gas well blowout in Java which has been spewing out poisonous hot mud since May 2006, burying whole