Lock the Gate says Minister Lynham's championing of coal seam gas, including his comment, reported today, that "gas is, no doubt, the fuel of the future," is short sighted and shows complete disregard for the landholders who are left to struggle with its consequences.
"Minister Lynham’s comments are a slap in the face for the many Queenslanders who are forced to deal with gas wells threatening their land, water and health,” Lock the Gate spokesperson, Drew Hutton, said.
"Coal seam gas is having real-life, damaging impacts on so many Queensland landholders, who still have no legal right to stop wells being drilled on their land.
"Just this week the Nothdurft family who live near QGC's Chinchilla gas plant were finally granted some reprieve from living with severe noise disruption after making 32 complaints to the state government over four years.
"We've also recently seen landholders with coal seam gas wells on their property denied a bank loan because the Commonwealth Bank would not allow their property as security due to the wells.
"We've also seen the Condamine River bubbling like a spa bath, to the extent that it is highly flammable, after CSG operations in surrounding areas.
"With the roll out of battery storage technology, we have reliable renewable energy alternatives that don’t sacrifice the land and water our agriculture relies on,” Mr Hutton said.