Kylie
The 'action group' are already screaming,however,their
lack of understanding between CSG and UCG's benefits
are well known.'If' CSG wins the day, then we can use
the the word "HYSTERICAL" to describe their responses.
Queensland Country Life... 2 December 2010
Headlines... FALSE PROMISE
Strategic Cropping Land Protection Undermined.
How the bush was sold a pup.
More than half the agricultural land currently include
in the Queensland Governments Strategic Cropping Land
framework could be removed from the final trigger maps
when the legislation goes to Parliament next year.
The Strategic Cropping Land Working Group is finalising
the criteria that will be used to determine which land
should be included in the final Strategic Cropping Land
[SCL] trigger zones.
It is understood that criteria currently under consid-
eration would limit SCL to land that has a "slope" of
three percent or less in western grain growing areas
and 5pc or less in the Granite Belt and Wet Tropics.
When the SCL legislation is passed,future mining dev-
elopments proposed within the boundaries of the SCL
maps would trigger a scientific assessment to determine
if the land in question meets the full SCL criteria.
If it does,the mining company would then have to prove
that its development would not "permanently alienate"
the land.
It is understood that landholders with land outside the
area contained within SCL trigger zones could still
request that their land be assessed against SCL criteria,
but would have to pay the cost of the required ground-
truthing themselves.
When it released its Strategic Cropping Land framework
in August,the Qld Govt identified 4.1 pc of the state's
land mass as the area that could potentially be condid-
ered as SCL for future mining assessment purposes.
If the draft criteria currently being considered is
accepted in final legislation,the area of the state
that would be included in the final trigger areas
would be closer to 2/2.5 PC.
The Qld Resources Council has made no secret of its
discontent with the State Govt's initial SCL framework,
claiming that in its current form,the proposal to include
4.1% of the state's land mass would place at least
$22 billion of future mining projects at risk.
Under the draft criteria being considered,in SCL trigger
zones land would have to have....
* A slope of less than 3% in the Western grain growing
region or 5% in the Granite Belt and Wet Tropics.
* A maximum 20% coverage of rocks 60mm or bigger.
* A minimum 100 millilitre water holding capacity in the
top 1m of soil.
* A minimum of 500mm soil depth.
* No more than 50% coverage of gilgais/melon holes.
* A maximum of 1500mg/kg of chlorine in the top 300mm
of soil.
* Clay content with a maximum ped size of 10mm.
* A minimum PH of 5 in the top 300mm of soil.
Sources have indicated that the criteria have been dev-
eloped by consultants who were 'instructed' to look at
Class A cropping land and to pick the "BEST OF THE BEST"
A MAXIMUM OF 50 YEARS WOULD BE ALLOWED FOR REHAB-
ILITATION OF MINED AREAS ON STRATEGIC CROPPING LAND.
The requirements to apply a maximum degree of slope is
understood to ensure strategic cropping land is limited
to floodplain areas only.
If the proposal is passed,most of the Felton area,where
Ambre Energy wants to build a coal to liquids fuel plant
would not be eligible for strategic cropping land status.
A submission by the Friends of Felton group to a senate
inquiry in September 2009 said that eight enterprises
alone in the region affected by the proposed mine prod-
uced a collective total of 750,000 lettuce,65,000 caul-
iflower,60,000 celery and 18,000 cabbages per week and
2000t of onions and 500t of potatoes per year.
The total production value was worth more than $23m and
supported the direct employment of more than 400 people.
Much of it was achieved on "sloping" land,which was fav-
oured by growers because it avoided water-logging.
When the concept of Strategic Cropping Land legislation
was first mooted,the State Govt said ITS AIM WAS TO
PROTECT THE BEST AGRICULTURAL LAND IN QUEENSLAND.
In recent times,that language appears to have changed,
with DERM director general JOHN BRADLEY using the "BEST
OF THE BEST" at a forum in Brisbane last week.
------------------------------------
Interesting to note that AgForce has thrown the towel in
stating that...after three years working with the Qld
Govt's Land Access Working Group,they have lost confidence
in the Govt's ability to deliver a transparent,consistent
and equitable outcome.
There always has to be a balance between plunder and
conservation and UCG 'has' to be the answer for our deep
coal.One thing is for sure,that coal resource will be
used,it wont just lay there and hopefully Cougar can
convince DERM, that standing on the edge of a cliff, a
step forward is not progress.
HM.
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