23 April, 2012
Putty takes its message to the city
The Putty Community Association is urging people to attend a rally in Sydney on 1 May to protect areas of high environmental value from the threat of coal mining and coal seam gas [CSG] extraction.
The rally to be held at 12pm at Martin Place, aims to stop the runaway expansion of the coal and coal seam gas industries in areas like Putty, and in other sensitive natural areas, according to Nature Conservation Council of NSW Chief Executive Officer, Pepe Clarke.
“This rally will bring people from the country and the city together to protect our land and water,” Mr Clarke said.
Chair of the Putty Community Association coal seam gas sub-committee Kathy McKenzie, said it was essential Wollemi and Yengo National Parks, the Hawkesbury catchment and areas like Putty were protected from industrialisation.
“We are totally surrounded by National Parks and if drilling for coal seam gas begins anywhere here, it will be within five kilometres of a national park,” Ms McKenzie said.
“There needs to be an adequate buffer zone to protect these areas.
“A core hole has already been drilled within 500 metres of World Heritage listed-Wollemi National Park and near a creek which flows into a declared ‘wild river’, the Colo.
“If commercially viable quantities of gas are identified during exploration, there will be pressure to turn the entire area into industrial production, affecting the catchment and the national parks.
“The release of contaminated water and other toxic by-products from coal seam gas mining near a national park risks contamination of that ecosystem,” she said.
“Whatever we do in our waterways runs into the Hawkesbury,” Ms McKenzie said.
“We need as many people as possible from the region to come with us to Sydney to rally against this toxic industry which will destroy our way of life and our environment.”
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Coal and gas
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