Shell Petroleum subsidiary Arrow Energy has today promised not to force access onto land for their Surat Gas Project at a community consultation meeting attended by 80 landholders in Chinchilla.
Despite having statutory powers to access land without landholder consent, when asked by a landholder how Arrow would deal with Landholders who say 'no', Arrow undertook not to force the "legislative pathway” on landholders.
“This is a big step forward for landholders, who have lived under the constant threat of legal action by companies, forcing access onto their land. The community can now hold Arrow to their promise not to go on land where they're not welcome. We can stop this industry from contaminating even more country and turning our agricultural region into an industrial gasfield” said Shay Dougal, a community member in attendance at the meeting.
“Communities across the Western Downs have seen impacts such as loss of groundwater, noise and air emissions and overland flow damage due to the CSG industry. All for the gas to be vacuumed overseas via Gladstone. We can draw a line in the sand at the important farming communities of Cecil Plains, Hopeland and Kogan.
“The community asked for more information about impacts of the project, including location of wells, methods of dealing with environmental impacts and legal questions regarding compensation agreements but were rebuffed by the company who is relying on an Environmental Impact Assessment approved in 2012.
“We now know so much more about the myriad of problems this industry causes, from toxic salt pollution, to groundwater depletion and fragmentation of good quality agricultural land. Arrow should be sent back to the drawing board for this project,” she said.