The irreversible damage that mining for coal seam gas can wreak on cropping land through subsidence was a highlight of a scientific paper published late in 2022 by four members of The Royal Society of Queensland. “The coal seam gas industry is causing irreversible damage to the landscapes of the Darling Downs, including its highly productive agricultural soils”, according to lead author Assoc. Prof. Peter Dart, member of QSN member body The Royal Society of Queensland.

The ABC gave an account of this threat in a news piece published on 8 October 2022 and Queensland Country Life (paywalled) on 11 October, based on a press release by Prof. Dart.

Coal seam gas and agricultural land

See separate post focused on the damage the coal seam gas industry causes to agricultural land including an account of the Glendon field day on 26 August 2023.

A separate post traces the history of state planning policies on the protection of agricultural land.

Coal seam gas and landholders’ rights

The Environmental Defenders Office has generously consented to allow QSN to re-publish two leaflets outlining Coal Seam Gas: Community Submission and Appeal Rights and Queensland Resources Law: Landholder Rights and Resource Activities.

References – further reading

Royal Society of Queensland Member Dr Shay Dougall has has a chapter “An Overview of Unconventional Gas Extraction in Australia: The First Decade”. By Geralyn McCarron and Shay Dougall in the book: Stolz, J., Bain, D., Griffin, M., & Stolz, J. (2022). Environmental Impacts from the Development of Unconventional Oil and Gas Reserves (First edition.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108774178.

Dr Peter Dart and Col Lynam, members of The Royal Society of Queensland, have compiled this primer on the coal seam gas industry: Are you aware that Queensland coal seam gas is a risk to food security?  The paper includes a useful table of recent reports and media columns with hotlinks. The paper has been written exclusively for the Queensland Science Network.

The capture of both major parties in both the Queensland and national jurisdictions is plainly documented by this newspaper column on 13 May 2024 by John McCarthy.

Dave and Liza Balmain, Glendon, Nangwee, have drawn attention to microbial corrosion of the casings of gas wells. This process could render hollow all assurances by the industry that they fully remediate wells after exploitation.

Seismic risks of the coal seam gas industry
Dart, Lynam and former Royal Society of Queensland President Dr Geoff Edwards have written a peer-reviewed article, published as an Occasional Paper “Coal Seam Gas Mining: Potential to Induce Seismic and Aseismic Events and Aquifer Discontinuity”. This paper, along with a press release issued by the Society’s President and other publicity material, can be found on a dedicated page.

Historical material

The Greens published a leaflet summarising this industry – under its Action on Coal and Gas campaign.

Fact sheets published by the Department and independently by gas company QGC in 2006 explain the basics (19MB). Keep in mind that these are more than 16 years old. A fact sheet by CSIRO Methane Seeps in the Condamine River March 2017 is more recent and includes a useful schematic of the geological strata in the region.

A prescient 2006 internal report Is There a Drop to Drink? by Principal Policy Officer Geoff Edwards warning of the dangers of this industry was leaked and placed in the public domain by a Senate Committee.

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