The fight by north coast councils to stop the coal seam gas (CSG) industry establishing itself in the region has been ramped up with a call for the government to protect the Tweed’s sugar crop from exploration or mining. Tweed Shire councillors unanimously voted at its last meeting to write to the government requesting the sugar cane industry be given critical industry cluster status. Councillors told premier Mike Baird, deputy premier Andrew Stoner and planning minister Pru Goward the cane industry was a vital economic activity which should be protected from the impacts of gas mining. Tweed shire deputy mayor Michael Armstrong, who instigated the move, said he had spoken to canegrowers who were worried about the impact of CSG exploration and mining on underground water sources and agriculture generally. [...] Last month, the federal National Party walked away from its commitments to protect the national water trigger on CSG mining, and voted to allow it to be handed back to the states. Lock the Gate anti-CSG alliance has accused federal Page MP Kevin Hogan, a National Party member, of turning his back on iron-clad commitments made to his electorate to cross the floor on the CSG issue if necessary. National co-ordinator for Lock the Gate Phil Laird said Mr Hogan and the National Party voted to allow the federal water trigger to be handed back to the states ‘rendering it completely meaningless’. ‘Voting this trigger down is a huge betrayal of farming communities and our environment,’ Mr Laird said. ‘Liberal-National Party figures who vowed publicly that the water trigger would not be touched if they were elected, should now hang their heads in shame.’ echo.net.au/2014/08/tweed-calls-sugar-industry-protection-csg/
Posted on: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 03:05:35 +0000
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