http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/12/08/2764877.htmResident...

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/12/08/2764877.htm

Residents air coal plant fears
By Sam Burgess

Posted 53 minutes ago

Map: Kingaroy 4610
Almost 50 Kingaroy residents in southern Queensland have formed an action group to stop an underground coal gasification plant near the town.

Cougar Energy wants to build a power station using fuel that is created by burning coal underground.

Action group chairman Gary Tessman says their concerns about water and air pollution have not been addressed.

"The biggest worry is what [impact] it has on underground water, because you're actually burning something underground that will affect burning water and after the coal has burnt out ... there can be residues and things left there plus subsidence that will cause people's water to be cut-off as well as actually pollutants in the water," he said.

Cougar Energy spokesman John Henderson says he is confident the plant will not have a negative impact on the environment.

"I think we can give a guarantee that there'll be no risk for this pilot plant," he said.

"The work that we're doing there is being done under a very detailed environmental authority and that requires ground emissions studies, air omissions studies, very controlled studies with which we're operating in."