The Nature Conservation Council of NSW is calling on the Federal government to commission its own
modelling of the carbon pollution from coal seam gas exploration and production rather than relying on
claims made by industry.
“We in Australia have vitally important decisions to make over coming months about our own transition to
a clean energy economy and the part we play in global carbon emissions,” Chief Executive Officer Pepe
Clarke said today.
“The Australian petroleum industry has commissioned a report that, not surprisingly, claims that coal seam gas is a low‐emissions power source, but what kind of confidence can we have in those claims?
“There are a lot of assumptions underpinning the figures and conclusions drawn by industry from this life
cycle emission study. In fact, a lot of the data from the report comes from environmental impact
statements from the industry itself, hardly an authoritative source of impartial information.
“The Federal government must not rely on a self‐serving report prepared for the gas industry by a
consulting company with deep ties to the petrochemical industry.
“Worley Parsons, the consulting firm commissioned to write the report, has strong ties to the Australian gas industry and is directly involved in the construction of gas powered power plants worldwide1.
“In fact, this consulting firm is involved in some of the world's most destructive and carbon intensive fossil
fuel projects in the world, including the highly controversial Canadian oil sands projects2.
“Government decisions on coal and coal seam gas activities must be made on truly independent, scientific evidence based on our unique local conditions, not on second‐guesses from self‐interested consultants and industry.
“There is already widespread community concern about the impacts of coal seam gas on our farm land,
environment, water and community health. Both Federal and state governments are struggling to keep
pace with adequate protection from the risks of runaway coal seam gas exploration and production.
“An essential step in the right direction would be Federal government leadership to commission an
independent study of the life‐cycle emissions of coal seam gas in this country” Mr Clarke said.
Photo: Jeremy Buckingham
1 www.worleyparsons.com/CSG/Power/Pages/GTPowerPlants.aspx
2 www.worleyparsons.com/CSG/Hydrocarbons/HeavyOilOilSands/Pages/OilSands.aspx
