Remember these guys......Kingaroy farmers facing new mining...

Remember these guys......

Kingaroy farmers facing new mining exploration threat

27/04/2011

Farmers northwest of Brisbane are concerned they are facing another threat from a mining company that wants to begin exploration for bauxite.
The farmers in Kingaroy had been celebrating the end of Cougar Energy's failed underground coal gasification (UCG) trial.
They have now been told the Queensland government has given approval for exploration permits so Volcanic Holdings can get access to the prime red soil in the area to look for volcanic bauxite.
The farmers had hoped to get protection for their land under the government's Strategic Cropping Land (SCL) guidelines, but have discovered their fertile red volcanic soils fall outside the protection criteria.
John Dalton, the secretary of the Kingaroy Concerned Citizens Group (KCCG), said some group members see the granting of the permits and the lack of protection under SCL as a coordinated event.
"The state government grants permits to explore for volcanic bauxite one month, and then rules out SCL protection of the same soil type the next," Dalton said in a statement.
"It is difficult not to be cynical," he said.
"We told both ministers Kate Jones and Stephen Robertson during the Cougar fiasco that if they want cooperation from local communities, they have to spend time informing and consulting locally."
Dalton said they will be contacting the Department of Environment and Resource Management and the Department of Mines and Energy to remind them of the promises they made during the Cougar Energy problems.
The KCCG is planning a series of community meetings to inform and support farmers affected by the exploration