The following item is from Tuesday's edition of the South...

The following item is from Tuesday's edition of the South Burnett Times, August 24, 2010.

MORE COUGAR INFO COMING

Reporter Lucinda Ross

The environmental evaluation of Cougar Energy's underground coal gasification (UCG) project will move to Kingaroy this week.

As part of the process an expert scientific panel will meet with the community tomorrow night at the Kingaroy Town Hall.

Along with the minister for mines and energy and the department of environment and resource management (DERM) director general John Bradley, Professor Joe da Costa, Dr Christopher Cuff and Professor Chris Morgan will update residents about the evaluation and listen to their concerns following the closure of the plant last month after carcinogens were detected in local groundwater supplies.

The Kingaroy Concerned Citizens Group will be there to question the safety of continuing the UCG process.

South Burnett Regional Council mayor David Carter said it was an opportunity for the community to seek information about what happened.

"We want to know what happened and updates about where we're heading", Cr Carter said. "We know certain bores had certain levels but we want to know the truth about the whole situation."

He said it was important residents came to the meeting so they could be part of the process and how land could be rehabilitated if contamination occurred.

"It's about people telling the scientific panel how it affected them and telling them why it shouldn't be allowed to continue," he said.

"We need to state our case."

Anyone concerned is encouraged to attend the meeting which will commence at 7pm in the supper room and will finish about 9pm.

ENDS

There is also a photograph of Cr David Carter holding a map of the area. Beneath his photo is the following text:-

STATE OUR CASE: As the investigation into Cougar Energy's UCG project continues South Burnett Regional Council mayor David Carter has encouraged residents to attend a meeting with the expert scientific panel tomorrow night at the Town Hall. He said it was important the community told the panel their concerns.