BTEX ban hailed by CSG industry Wed, 11 August 2010
The coal seam gas (CSG) industry will support moves by the Queensland Government to ban the use of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) in fraccing operations, according to the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association (APPEA).
The Queensland Government has announced that it will use the existing Environmental Protection Act 1994 to require the Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) to refuse any application for new CSG activities that involve the use of BTEX chemicals to fracture a coal seam.
Queensland Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy Stephen Robertson said that he has already sought and received assurances from the CSG industry that these chemicals are not currently being used. He added that he is committed to banning them from use in Queensland in order to legally ensure the protection of communities and the environment.
APPEA Queensland Director Matthew Paull said the fraccing process is used safely by oil and gas companies around the world to increase the recovery of underground resources.
Water alone is not the most effective carrier of sand, and some chemicals [other than BTEX] are used in fraccing to create a gel to suspend the sand as it is pumped into the coal seam, he said. These chemicals make up less than 1 per cent of the fraccing fluid, and the risk to public health at these levels is negligible.
Concerns were recently raised by DERM over potentially contaminated water at Cougar Energys Kingaroy Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) Power Generation Project in Queensland, when benzene and toluene were found in samples taken from the plant.
Mr Paull said that these concerns had prompted the government to increase safety standards on CSG operations, but that CSG should not be confused with UCG, because the two technologies are completely different with different environmental outcomes.
In addition, Queensland Climate Change and Sustainability Minister Kate Jones has announced that a new team of 11 environmental officers will be employed to focus solely on regulation of the expanding CSG industry in the state.
"Lets hope today's announcment (12/8/10) gets some traction & we can re-commence the burn,however I dont hold any hope before the election". More Govt wanabe's employed to support Bligh's incompitent DERM & Ministers casting a very gray shadow over our future.
Look's like my retirement plans have been delayed indefinatley.
GB
Long term holder
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