The Bentley Blockade in Northern NSW saw much of the local community come out to stop the CSG mining company Metgasco drilling a well on local pristine farmland. Before the state election the Baird Lieberal gov stepped in with the minister responsible cancelling Metgasco's drilling licence. Metgasco took it to court (must be nice have all that money to blow on solicitors) and won, with the supreme court coming down on their side saying that the minister didn't have the right to cancel their licence. Does this mean Metgasco is now going to try it on again in northern NSW? Looks pretty likely doesn't it.
If so, does this mean the Bentley Blockade will be reinstated? Complete with the knitting Nannas? Pictured here in the newly elected state parliament Greens representative office.
Fortunately it doesn't look like it's going to come to that; the NSW police forcibly dragging off nannas so a company can drill a toxic hole. The latest from up there is that the community is going the way of due process, the likely outcome being that Metgasco will be refused a licence under the local council doing a long drawn out "development application". Green groups expect the result of that to be a rejection.
Anti-gas activists are prepared to revive a blockade at Bentley but would prefer to work with politicians to ban coal seam gas mining from the area.
Gasfield Free Northern Rivers spokesperson Elly Bird told Echonetdaily that Richmond Valley Council’s announcement that a full development application would be required for the Bentley site was not a major problem.
‘We were on the way to doing just that last time so we wouldn’t be starting from scratch,’ Ms Bird said.
Richmond Valley Council general manager John Walker told the ABC this week that it was unlikely a temporary approval would be granted for another protest camp at the Bentley site.
‘I’d be reluctant to go with a temporary approval this time given what we saw and how it grew – and the needs of a camp with cooking, ablutions, showering, garbage, all of the things that need to be put in place,’ Mr Walker said.
‘So I think given what we experienced last time we’re more likely to want a full-on development application before it could be considered.
‘So that takes a long time.’
Ms Bird said given the Richmond Valley Council had passed a motion saying the community was against fracking in the area, anti-gas groups expected that the council would support any future protest.
‘At this stage we’re not getting ready for a blockade because we are preferring to work with politicians to get the result,’ she said.
Meanwhile, the NSW Greens and supporters gathered at the Bentley site yesterday to launch a private members bill aimed at prohibiting coal seam gas mining across New South Wales. more
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment