Queensland's coal seam gas companies are using research from US shale gas operations to mislead the public about their fracking activities on the Western Darling Downs. CSG company, QGC, claims on its web site that a US Department of Energy study showed that fracking in Pennsylvania has not contaminated water and that this, thereby implying that fracking is safe in Queensland.
Lock the Gate Alliance president, Drew Hutton, said this was enormously misleading and, in fact, the US study would indicate that fracking practices in Queensland could easily lead to both water and air pollution as well as potential health risks.
"The US study obtained data from fracking at 2.4 kilometres below the surface while the State Government's mines department states that fracking in Queensland's gas fields can occur as little as 300 metres below the surface, Mr Hutton said.
"The US study shows the effects of the Pensylvania fracking extended 609 metres from the original frack site and this would mean the impacts of the fracking could easily be felt on the surface around places like Tara and Chinchilla.
"This could also help explain why there are such high levels of methane around Tara and Chinchilla and why there is methane bubbling up through the Condamine River."