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AGL DRILLING AGAIN! Photo taken on 16 th March, 2010 at Spring Mountain Vineyard, just near the vineyard village of Broke
AGL Energy wants to drill for coal seam methane gas
Sydney Gas is prepared to flare methane gas test wells less then 300 meters from the Broke primary school! Members of HVPA protest against the waste of Singleton water by Sydney Gas (7 June, 2007 just before floods) ![]() Click on the image of Todd Butler from Canada and listen to his Coalbed Methane Blues
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Hunter Valley Protection Alliance supports RESPONSIBLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT What We Require
GASLAND SCREENING AT BROKE HALL ON SATURDAY, 28 August, 2010. The HVPA will be presenting the movie GASLAND at Broke Hall at 4 pm August 28th. A community BBQ will follow. Tickets are only $10 per person for both the movie and BBQ. For tickets, contact John C Thomson at 0428 439 586 or via email at johnct@huntervalleyprotectionalliance.com . See poster here. For updates and further background details go to http://tinyurl.com/HVPA-gasland. News Headlines
Tuesday, 17-August-2010. AGL Coal Seam Gas exploration at Denman run into difficulties. Advise has been received that AGL have been forced to cancel exploratory Gas wells in Denman as the land owners they were depending on have cancelled the access agreements ! We are making real progress…..
Friday, 30 July, 2010.
Gas Watch 91. Hypocritical Joke? The NSW Government should be ashamed to have bestowed these awards and the Minister
for the Environment and Climate Change should revoke them.
The NSW Government has awarded two Green Globe Awards to AGL Energy, as it aids and abets
the sacrifice of the beauty, the agriculture, the health and the environment of
the Upper Hunter Valley to the CSG fossil fuel industry.
Friday, 23 July, 2010. Gas Watch 90. Liberal/National or Labour? Who will protect the Upper Hunter? The Hunter Valley Protection Alliance, the Singleton Council, community groups, local doctors and the people of the Hunter Valley want to know the answer to this question.We currently have next to no protection from the invasion of the fossil fuel industry in the Hunter Valley and the sacrifice by the Government of the beauty of the Hunter Valley to the fossil fuel industry. (read all in Gas Watch 90 ).
Sunday, 11-July-2010.
RESPONSE TO AGL HUNTER VALLEY GAS PROJECT UPDATEDATED JULY 7, 2010 AGL has prepared a newsletter style update on its Hunter Valley Gas
Project. It was delivered via email to select contacts at Industry and
Investment NSW, Singleton Council and the Bulga Community
Consultative Committee (BCCC). It was also dropped off in printed
format to a number of residential households of Broke. It is also
understood that it was to be posted on community notice boards at the
Broke and Bulga stores.
Monday, 5 July, 2010.
Gas Watch 89.
AGL Energy – Access to your property.
Monday, 5-July-2010.
Gas Watch 88.
AGL Energy – NOISE COMPLAINTS
This pretty much confirms that they’ll build it there if they want to, and the Broke village can go to hell in the interests of corporate greed(read all in Gas Watch 88 ).
Monday, 31-May-2010. Gas Watch 87. AGL Energy – anticipated industrial complex on prime agricultural land in Hunter Valley. After months of trying to convince AGL Energy that they should tie up their land at Broke so that an industrial complex could never be built on it – the CEO and Managing Director of AGL Energy Michael Fraser has refused, saying “AGL has no intention of placing a restrictive covenant over any freehold land owned by AGL, nor do we have any intention to do so voluntarily either now or in the future.” Well, that’s pretty definite isn’t it? Even though he does instruct us that we “should assume nothing from” his response. This is what AGL Energy will want to construct next to the Broke village:
This is a Google photograph of the AGL Energy Camden Gasworks:
Friday, 28-May-2010.
Gas Watch 86.
AGL EXTENDS CORE BUSINESS TO COMPETE WITH LOCAL FARMERS.
Monday, 10-May-2010.
Gas Watch 85.
Minister Macdonald says and offers nothing for the Hunter Valley communities
Wednesday, 14-April-2010.
Gas Watch 83.
Minister Ian Macdonald hides behind the Minister for Planning.
Refuses Environmental study in Hunter.
Wednesday, 14-April-2010. Gas Watch 82. NSW GOVERNMENT dawdles behind Queensland in regulating the coal seam methane gas industry. What is wrong with our Minister for Mineral Resources, Ian Macdonald? He refuses to initiate a cumulative environmental assessment of the many impacts on agriculture, the environment and the people in the Hunter Valley, of coal mining, power station emissions, dust, toxic airborne chemicals, coal seam gas exploration, hot rock power station development, and Defence Forces noise and light. Yet his counterpart in Queensland has only today announced, with Federal Government assistance, a $3.8 million coal seam gas water feasibility study in Queensland. Such is the obvious seriousness of the threat to our fresh water from coal seam methane gas extraction. (read more in Gas Watch 82 ).
Tuesday, 13-April-2010. Gas Watch 81. NSW GOVERNMENT Sacrifices the Hunter Valley FOUR CORNERS programme "Dirty Business" on the ABC last night simply confirmed that NSW Goverment:
Friday, 9-April-2010.
Gas Watch 80.
AGL Energy – unable to provide proof. Danger to ground water in Hunter Valley
At the insistence of the community of Broke and Bulga, AGL Energy commissioned a water
study at one of two wells drilled in 2004 adjacent to the village of Broke, in an attempt to
ensure that there is no danger to the upper fresh water aquifers through which AGL is drilling
for coal seam methane gas...
Thursday, 8-April-2010. Gas Watch 79. Hunter Valley Sacrificed by NSW Government. Minister Ian Macdonald rejects win/win proposal to save the Hunter Valley. A community deputation to Minister for Mineral Resources, Ian Macdonald on 23rd March, 2010, proposed that before there was any further mineral development of the Hunter Valley, that the NSW Government require a full Environmental Study of all current, future and cumulative impacts of coal mining, coal seam gas exploration/extraction, hot rock power stations and Defence Forces activity. The full submission can be found at http://tinyurl.com/hvpa-MinisterA The proposal was dismissed out of hand by the Minister who accused the community of being anti development and anti energy. Coal Seam Methane Gas explorer AGL Energy has agreed that it would take part in any Environmental Assessment of the area, however they stated that they thought it was the Government’s responsibility to initiate it (read more in Gas Watch 79 ).
Wednesday, 17-March-2010. Gas Watch 78. AGL ENERGY – “There is no requirement for us to listen to anybody.” That was the answer given by the AGL local representative Siobhan Barry at the Community Consultative Committee meeting on 10th March, this year .... AGL STARTED TO DRIL AGAIN IN OUR VALLEY AT THE THE SPRING MOUNTAIN WINEYARD (see picture above). Why this Company, AGL Energy, persists in drilling holes in the Broke and Bulga areas of the Hunter Valley, when there is very little surface area available to it by virtue of the buffers required at law, it is hard to fathom. Particularly when they have thousands of square miles available to them away from heavily settled rural areas....(read more in Gas Watch 78 ).
Wednesday, 10-March-2010. NSW Supreme Court today found in favor of Liverpool Plains farmers who challenged the right of BHP Billiton to enter their farms to explore for coal.
Friday, 12-February-2010. BROKE VALLEY NOISE EDUCATION Bulga Coal invited HVPA members and other interested residents ( download PDF) to attend an industrial noise educational program and excursion to their open cut coal mine with practical demonstration. As noise is becoming a big issue to all valley residents we welcome this initiative.
Sunday, 7-February-2010. Gas Watch 77. AGL ENERGY – to drill more holes at Broke and Bulga. AGL Energy has just received approval from the Department of Industry & Investment, Minerals to drill a further 8 core holes and stratigraphic holes on the properties it has bought at Spring Mountain, Broke, and Windermere at Bulga. Well they had to buy some land. There aren’t too many keen to have AGL invade their properties with their drilling rigs, underground pipes, gas flares, access roads etc. (read more in Gas Watch 77 ).
Tuesday, 22-December-2009. Gas Watch 76. AGL ENERGY – necessary corrections to recent media releases in Cockfighter ne ws.. In the letters to the Editor of the Cockfighter, AGL Energy mistakenly claimed that its Petroleum Exploration Licences (PEL) enable it to continue exploration for Coal Seam Methane Gas “over the next 6 years of the Licence terms.” We would like to make some corrections ... (read more in Gas Watch 76 ).
Wednesday, 2-December-2009. Gas Watch 75. AGL has nowhere to go, unless we let them in. A map has been produced by the Broke Bulga Community Consultative Committee. The map is of the Broke and Bulga areas which AGL Energy wants to turn into a gas field. Overlays on the map defining all the buffers required by law around houses, orchards, vineyards, olive groves, water ways, dams and the like, show that AGL has only a very limited area in which to set up their gas wells. It certainly doesn’t look to be anywhere near sufficient to enable a commercial gas extraction enterprise. (read more in Gas Watch 75 ).
Wednesday, 9-September-2009. Gas Watch 74. AGL fails regulatory obligations. 1. AGL 'forced electricity prices higher' – says SMH. 2. AGL accused of “price gouging” by the ACCC – says the ABC. 3. Most needy residents have been the victims of appalling bungling by AGL – says the Herald Sun. And these reports all in the one day. (read more in Gas Watch 74 ).
Sunday, 21-June-2009. Gas Watch 73. AGL Energy Buys wind farms in SA – but threatens the Hunter Valley with release of another fossil fuel and loss of groundwater. With great pomp, amid claims of being environmentally conscious, AGL Energy this week announced the purchase of two wind farms in South Australia to produce electricity, but kept silent on its environmental threat to the Hunter Valley with its exploration for that fossil fuel it hopes will replace coal, methane gas . The black underbelly of this claimed green company is the threat to precious water supplies as it careers forward drilling through water tables running the risk of contamination or loss of water supplying viticulture, agriculture and life in the Hunter Valley (read more in Gas Watch 73 ).
Wednesday, 17-May-2009. Gas Watch 72. AGL Energy: Fails to deny intention to build a gas processing plant on its Hunter Valley properties. You will regularly see AGL Energy espousing greener energy, hydro, wind, solar; but here’s their real underbelly – another fossil fuel – coal seam methane gas release, with all its proven dangers, and all within 200 metres of the Broke village. On ABC Radio Newcastle this morning, the AGL Energy General Manager Upstream Gas, Mike Moraza, failed to deny that AGL Energy proposed to construct an industrial complex on one of its increasing number of holdings in this closely settled, tranquil and rural area of the Hunter Valley (read more in Gas Watch 72 ).
Saturday, 13-May-2009.
Gas Watch 71.
AGL ENERGY buys two more properties in Broke/Bulga. Forcing the community to unite against them.
It appears, that AGL ENERGY is becoming as devious as Sydney Gas ever was.
How about this for example:
Friday 12-June-2009.
It’s no from AGL
Singleton Argus
published a report from the lively Council Meeting on Tuesday 9 June, 2009. Singleton Council received a reply to their letter to
AGL Energy concerning the coal seam methane exploration at Broke.
Tuesday, 12-May-2009.
Gas Watch 70.
Letter to Cockfighter from local resident.
Ed Larkin from Broke wrote to the last Cockfighter airing his concerns about a number of things which
are worrying him, one of which was the “gas action group”. He opened his concern by stating that
“I would bet not one of you have jumped in the car and driven to Camden to inspect your so called eyesore”
etc., etc.
Monday, 27-April-2009. Gas Watch 69. AGL ENERGY!“Back to the very worst of Sydney Gas.” It appears that it is now impossible to receive a response, if you write to AGL ENERGY, from anybody other the Land and Approvals Manager. You know, the staff level of the former Hind Kourouche of SGL. And when a local resident wrote to the General Manager, Upstream Gas, AGL, requesting a response to 13 questions and concerns, she received a letter from this Lands and Approvals Manager, full of motherhood statements, but with no response at all, not even a mention, to any of the questions. (read more in Gas Watch 69 ).
Monday, 27-April-2009. Gas Watch 68. AGL ENERGY! “Does this company have an environmental and social conscience, or is it just Sydney Gas all over again?” Broke Village Store was the site for a show of community strength and unity, in opposition to the real dangers which the activities of AGL ENERGY pose to the local environment and to the village and residents of Broke. Many questions were asked on the night in an information and fundraiser night on 24th April .... (read more in Gas Watch 68 ).
(click here to see the whole poster ).
Friday, 3-April-2009. NEW CAMPAIGN STARTS
With the AGL takeover of Sydney Gas now complete the new campaign has begun.
We have changed our name to
Hunter Valley Protection Alliance
and started to distribute new signs:
Wednesday, 25-March-2009.
Gas Watch 66. Rehabilitation!
Tuesday, 10-March-2009.
Gas Watch 65.
Who is out of step here?
Monday, 9-March-2009.
Gas Watch 64.
" I'M THE ENEMY"- Colin Stace, Land and Community advisor, Sydney Gas Ltd.
Today, 9th March, Sydney Gas (currently being taken over by AGL Energy) started
drilling water bores on land at the vineyard village of Broke in the Hunter Valley.
Monday, 2-March-2009.
BROKE COMMUNITY UPDATE
Sydney Gas advised HVPA by an official email
(
view or
download PDF)
that two drilling rigs will arrive at their Broke site on Monday, 9 March, 2009
to commence drilling of test water bores. They claim that this operation is taking place "following consultation with the Bulga Community Consultative Committee (BCCC)".
Wednesday, 18-February-2009. Gas Watch 63. Sydney Gas (now a part of AGL Energy) keep Broke in the dark ! Cunningly, and living up to its controversial reputation of not fully informing the community, Sydney Gas/AGL Energy:
If Sydney Gas/AGL was taking the “concerns of the community seriously” it, quite simply, wouldn't’t be drilling immediately next to Broke Village , or any other residential area for that matter (read more in Gas Watch 63 ). Wednesday 18-February-2009.
Water Study For Broke.
Sydney Gas published a front page article in the Singleton Argus yesterday
( copy attached). "This irresponsible tampering with the village's underground water supply risks the future of the Broke village as a place to live. It is unacceptable and the community is asking the Government to ensure that Sydney Gas stops its drilling right next to the village." (see full text of our media release here).
Wednesday, 11-February-2009. Gas Watch 62. Sydney Gas back to old ways - breaching undertaking made to the community; threatening our underground water supply; risking exploding methane gas near the Broke public school. Broke village is in danger from any one of METHANE gas explosion, METHANE gas seepage, and contamination or loss of our underground water. Why won't Sydney Gas adhere to its undertaking not to activate these wells until there has been a full water study? Why won't Sydney Gas agree to a full Environmental Assessment which would be available for public scrutiny and scrutiny by other Government Departments? What has Sydney Gas got to hide? (read more in Gas Watch 62 ).
Wednesday, 12-February-2009. Gas Watch 61. Sydney Gas/AGL assure community - no further action on Broke Village wells until independent water study completed. Sydney Gas, the minor Coal Seam METHANE gas explorer now being swallowed up by AGL Energy, has assured the community, through the Community Consultative Committee (CCC), that: "there will be no further activity related to the METHANE gas wells near the Broke Village until an independent water study is completed. " However, activity at the well site last week was noticed and Sydney Gas asked “why?” They said that it was only a surveyor setting out fencing! So perhaps there will be no activity on the wells until the middle of the year, as they have claimed. But it always makes us suspicious when the CCC meeting is postponed at the request of Sydney Gas. Last time Sydney Gas had the meeting postponed, from recollection, core hole 3 at Bulga was approved (read more in Gas Watch 61 ). Wednesday, 4-February-2009. Gas Watch 60. ACCC asks Sydney Gas to change its "green" claims. Late last year, this Group asked the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission to investigate the claims by Sydney Gas that "Coal Seam Methane natural gas is a clean burning and a "green form" of energy". We all know that this is simply nonsense. ACCC twisted and turned but in the end requested SGL to AMEND their website (read more in Gas Watch 60 ). Thursday, 29-January-2009. Gas Watch 59. CO2 emissions from METHANE equal to those from 121,440,000 motor cars. Sydney Gas will be passing on to AGL Energy its claim that it has discovered 10,000 petajoules of extractable METHANE gas under the Hunter.If 10,000 petajoules of METHANE gas is burnt, it will release nearly 528,000,000 tonnes of CO2 into our atmosphere, accelerating global warming. This is equal to the emissions from 121,440,000 additional motor vehicles being released onto the roads ... (read more in Gas Watch 59 ).
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