kingaroy counts down to cxy decision

Not sure if this particular article has already been posted:


http://qcl.farmonline.com.au/news/state/agribusiness-and-general/general/kingaroy-counts-down-to-cougar-decision/2070818.aspx?storypage=0

Kingaroy counts down to Cougar decision
GRAHAM FULLER
09 Feb, 2011 08:17 AM

RESIDENTS of Kingaroy district are anxiously waiting on a possible Cougar Energy appeal of a Queensland Government decision to close its trial underground coal gasification plant.

The decision is not expected until the end of the month with the company intending to make a response by 28th February, according to a spokesman representing Cougar Energy, John Field.


?They are still canvassing their options and when they make a decision it will be announced through the (Australian) Stock Exchange,? he said.


Mr Field said Cougar Energy was ?cross-checking? to see whether the Queensland Government relied upon ?factual inaccuracies? contained in the independent scientific expert panel?s report.


This followed levels of benzene being detected in monitoring bores near Cougar?s trial gasification plant at Kingaroy, prompting the Queensland Government to draw up its disputed environmental evaluation report.


?They (Cougar) are just working on going through the whole process of the reasons they have been given for the decision - by undertaking a thorough investigation, rather than shooting from the hip.


?After seeking legal advice, they?ll decide whether to appeal,? Mr Field said.


Lobbyists, the Kingaroy Concerned Citizens Group (KCCG), says either Cougar Energy believes there has been ?a genuine miscarriage of justice? or, alternatively, wants to ?bolster their confidence? by portraying themselves as victims and draw attention to inaction over rival projects with similar contamination issues.


?However, I?m sure DERM (Department of Environment and Resource Management), knowing about a possible appeal, would have been very, very thorough in their examination of the data,? secretary, KCCG, John Dalton said.


?While we?ve been pleased with the outcome, we can?t be totally celebratory until the end of the appeal process ? so we are keeping our stubbies cold at the moment,? he added.


KCCG spokesman John Dalton believes Cougar Energy will soon have to accept the referee?s decision, acknowledging it is out-of-step with both Queensland farmers and Kingaroy residents.


Meanwhile, Friends of Felton spokesman Rob McCreath, currently fighting Ambre Energy?s proposed coal-to-fuel project involving a large open-cut coal mine adjacent to Hodgson Creek, with coal processed through a petrochemical plant and solid waste returned to the mine pit, also has a view on Cougar Energy?s trial underground coal gasification plant.


?They are employing very controversial technology that has experienced problems overseas ? so why on earth did the government allow the company to do a trial at Kingaroy, an agricultural area, close to a lot of people and close to a very important town water aquifer,? Mr McCreath said.


Friends of Felton said underground coal gasification (UCG) differed from coal seam gas (CSG) technology in that it ignited deep coal seams in situ to release gases with opponents raising concerns about possible contamination of underground waterways.


?Another worry is why the government allowed the company to monitor itself, especially as it took several months to notify them there was a problem with cancer-causing chemicals turning up in the town?s water aquifers,? Rob McCreath said.


?We welcome the fact the government stepped in and put a halt to it and hope they will learn from the mistakes and not inflict that damage on other communities,? he added.


The point being made by Friends of Felton is that if gasification technology at Kingaroy releases cancer-causing chemicals underground, then it has equal concerns about the release of similar cancer-causing chemicals into the air from Ambre Energy?s planned above-ground facility at Felton.


Footnote: Gowrie Junction, on the outskirts of Toowoomba, is the latest rural community to hear of shock news that a coal exploration permit has been sought, by Australia Pacific Coal, prompting calls for local politicians, also Toowoomba Regional Council, to vigorously oppose another open-cut mine, based on the district?s large population base.



Cautious smiles as local KCCG members and landholders (left to right) Damien O?Sullivan, John Larson, John Dalton and Gary Tessman wait to see whether Cougar Energy will appeal a Queensland Government decision to shutdown its trial gasification plant at Kingaroy.