new study: csg very high leakage of methane

Hello MEL investors, I attended a lecture at the Southern Cross University in Lismore last night and thought you might be interested in it. I'm a landowner in the casino area, not a scientist so you should evaluate it for yourself but from what I can make of it the carbon price on CSG probably should be much higher than what it is and their ongoing further study and monitoring might confirm that. It's interesting that neither GISERA or the The Centre for Coal Seam Gas (CCSG) - University of Queensland sponsorered by the CSG industry does this kind of methane monitoring research but I would guess they might have to consider it now to retain any credibility?

"The federal government is currently reassessing its methodology for measuring greenhouse gas leakage from coal seam gas fields, and the researchers have sent a submission to the government asking it to take their work into account.

"Uncontrolled leaks up through rock fissures and soil, of the type measured by the Southern Cross University team, were assumed to be nil, and are unaccounted for under the federal emissions trading scheme."

"These results provide strong evidence for significant, but still unquantified, greenhouse gas emissions in the Tara region," the submission says. "Our results demonstrate the need for baseline studies before the development of gas fields. We suspect that depressurisation (fracking, groundwater pumping) of the coal seams during gas extraction changes the soil structure (i.e., cracks, fissures) that enhance the release of greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide.""

The other important thing, at least for us here in the Northern Rivers, is that these local scientists will be continuing this study and monitoring which will give us baseline data for the future if things start going wrong here like they have in tara and the Condamine river and we'll be able to prove it.

Senator Christine Milne said (and I really agree with it):

"“It makes no sense to develop a new fossil fuel industry at the end of the fossil fuel age, particularly when it is compromising food growing land and contaminating aquifers.”"


here's the news article about it:

Methane leaking from coal seam gas field, testing shows

and here's some video highlights, the full lecture will be available on video soon and I'll post it here for you:

Dr Isaac Santos & Dr Damien Maher: 'Air, Water and CSG' - highlights from 14 Nov 2012 SCU lecture

Disclaimer: I live on a property near Casino. Based on surveys and my personal observations shows that most of the people that live here are very concerned the industry will harm our future and my research over the last couple of years has shown it to be very risky so I am anti csg and other forms of conventional gas extraction, especially in rural or populated areas.