Hi guysCougar Energy has never been on a level playing field...

Hi guys

Cougar Energy has never been on a level playing field since this saga began, particularly comparing the values of contamination with CSG companies over recents weeks. The CSG companies seem to be a protected species.

The maximum proven level of Benzene recorded in the vicinity of the Cougar Energy site was 2 ppb (twice) & that was from 1 monitoring bore about 200 metres from the burn. One monitoring bore recorded Benzene whilst the other only 10 metres away recorded Toluene. I find that a rather strange occurance - why weren't both substances detected in both wells particularly as they are so close together?

psi81 & dex - you are both pretty knowledgeable guys - any ideas? Do you think Cougar's contamination has been caused by the cracked pipe or could it have been caused by some other means?

Just a few weeks ago, Origin Energy, ConocoPhillips & Australia Pacific LNG detected traces of BTEX. Readings were said to range between 1 ppb to 100 ppb Benzene in 8 CSG wells. The wells are reported to be spread over quite some distance i.e., tens of kilometres, refer:-

http://bg.panlv.net/file2/2010/10/21/997fb109a3f5187a.pdf

The maximum reading was 50 times greater than Cougar Energy, whilst Cougar's 2 ppb recording was limited to 200 metres of the burn chamber. Inconceiveably, those companies have been given approval for their LNG project without so much as having to drill monitoring bores to detect the spread of the contamination, as Cougar Energy has been forced to do.

ORIGIN ENERGY had this to say.

Refer:- http://origintogether.com/your-questions/faqs/

"The traces of benzene were very low ranges from 1 part per billion to 100 ppb at the maximum level, equivalent to a half a cup in an Olympic size swimming pool".

They classify 100 ppb Benzene are being very low - fair dinkum - why has Cougar Energy been shut down?


Then let's look at what ARROW ENERGY's vice president of exploration Tony Knight reportedly said regarding contamination found in 3 of their CSG wellS.

http://www.dailymercury.com.au/story/2010/11/10/chemical-traces-at-gas-wells-alarm-community/

He described the levels of benzene detected in the three samples as "minute", at 2 ppb.

Mr Knight the Australian Drinking Water Guideline is 1 ppb Benzene - so 1 ppb is a 100% exceedence which coincidently, is identical to Cougar Energy's maximum readings. Can I suggest he have a talk with Dorothy Pratt who has now moved the Cougar Energy goal posts, she now says "anything more than zero levels of the chemicals is and exceedence".

Now have a look at this - I find it amazing if it is in fact truthful.

http://www.dailymercury.com.au/story/2010/11/11/coal-seam-gas-promise-arrow-energy-moranbah/

"An Arrow spokeswoman said traces of the chemical found in routine samples taken from the three wells were minute at two parts per billion.

The World Health Organisation would only consider it an issue if the levels were at least 10 parts per billion, she said.

It's a reading. It's not considered a contamination because it's not a high enough level, she said.

It's not a health risk".

Hmmmmm, It's not a contamination eh, it's time she spoke with Len Walker? Unfortunately the World Health Organisation has no influence over what happens in Australia.

Back to Dorothy Pratt - this is what she had to say regarding Brad Glynne's letter to her about her TIMELINE OF EVENTS.

From the South Burnett Times Friday 12th November 2010, page 14.

PRATT WON'T BACK DOWN

Despite a Cougar attack, Dorothy Pratt isn't backing down from a cat fight.

The company, whose pilot underground coal gasification plant was shut down in July after a water contamination scare, has publicly criticised the Nanango MP's community newsletter, PRATTLES.

Cougar Energy general manager for corporate finance and investor relations Brad Glynne said the publication had potentially misinformed the community and investors about whether benzene and toluene had exceeded drinking standards in ground water supplies and made allegations against the company which "needed to be corrected".

"We have written to her and explained what wasn't accurate, Mr Glynne said.

"At this point she hasn't made any public corrections and it affects the views of our shareholders.

"All we're trying to do is to correct the incorrect information in the market."

But Mrs Pratt said the company was grasping at straws to save its business.

"They're fighting for their existence but we're fighting for the community," Mrs Pratt said.

"They say there weren't exceedences(sic) under the Australian Drinking standards but I'm saying anything more than zero levels of the chemicals is and exceedence (sic).

"If that "keep them in the dark and feed them bulldust" kind of attitude is what Cougar Energy calls being open with the community then its entire operation and philosophy needs to be questioned.

"The once considerable trust from many in the community is well and truly gone."

ENDS


Guys Dorothy Pratt is grasping at straws to try and save her own political bacon. She has finally been "caught out" & has now formulated her own Drinking Water Guideline.

Cougar is only required to submit exceedences of the Australian Drinking Water Guideline, meaning that of the "six exceedences" in her Timeline - only 2 were reportable. They were 2 readings of 2 ppb, 1 was a laboratory error & 1 was for 1 ppb Benzene (below ADWG) whilst 2 other readings were for Toluene which were way below the ADWG.

Disturbingly, she has not admitted that the laboratory made an error in her Timeline either but it was for a mere 84 ppb (which happened to be Benzene). Obviously she still wants the community to believe the information she distributed. She was elected to parliament in the belief that she would fairly & factually represent her constituents, unbelievable!

THIS IS FROM DERM'S WEBSITE

http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/environmental_management/ucg/q-and-a.html

"What have been the test results to date"?

All of the sampling carried out to date by both Cougar Energy and DERM indicates that benzene has only been detected in one bore (monitoring bore 37) at a maximum concentration of 2 parts per billion (above drinking water guideline of 1 ppb).

Further, all of the sampling carried out indicates that toluene has been detected in one bore (monitoring bore 38) at levels between 4 and 45 parts per billion (well below drinking water quality guideline for health of 800 ppb). Toluene has also been detected at the limit of detection (0.1 ppb) at 2 sites within a 1 km radius of the plant. Neither toluene or benzene has been detected at the other sampling sites at this time.

It has been reported in the media that monitoring undertaken by Cougar indicated that benzene had been detected at 84 parts per billion in monitoring bore 38, and that toluene had been detected in a privately owned bore known as the Plantation bore, which is located approximately 1 kilometre from the plant. The laboratory that undertook the analysis has provided both Cougar and the Department with written confirmation that this test result is not valid, it made an error with both the 84 ppb benzene result, and the detection of toluene at the Plantation bore.

Ends

Now I ask, where has Dorothy Pratt been over the past few weeks along with Kate Jones & DERM boss John Bradley. I have not heard so much as a peep out of Dorothy regarding the CSG companies & their contamination? What information can you find on DERM's website about the CSG contamination of the abovementioned companies? Is there any mention of the level of contamination by those companies?

NOW IS ASK - IS THIS A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD

I rest my case.