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The ugly truth in Queensland

The video below is on this page via the permission of Brian Monk from Queensland, Australia and shows that his water supply is at a flammable level.

Coal Seam Gas (CSG) drilling has occurred in Queensland, which is another name for Coal Bed Methane (CBM).

Energy companies are applying for exploratory drilling to look for the presence of CBM wherever they can in the UK.

Brian Monk lives in Kogan in Queensland and his livelihood has been turned upside down by fracking. It’s not for the better.

“Since coal seam gas has entered our region my water bore has been rendered useless.”

The water bore on Brian’s land now has contaminants identical to the energy company’s well over three kilometres away.

The energy company in Queensland is none other than British company BG Group.

The nearest town to Brian’s property has water from the Condamine River which purportedly has radioactive nucleotides in its weir.

“My second youngest grandson has developed epilepsy – a well documented symptom in unconventional gas fields worldwide. All of my family suffer varying degrees of illness which were not present before the gas industry moved in.”

The effects of coal seam gas drilling on Brian and his family’s life are terrible and the video evidence is damning of the work being undertaken in Queensland. But he feels as though there is no way out of his predicament.

“To this day the government maintains our water bore has no gas at flammable levels – yet we can clearly see it ignite in the video. It appears to us that government officials are clearly supporting the companies and ignoring the obvious evidence.

“Our property is valueless as are most around us. Moving seems impossible unless we walk away with only our clothes and leave the rest and become homeless.

“Gas is escaping from the ground all over our property and our region. This is nothing but insanity but it seems to me that the ‘banksters’ run the show in this smoke and mirrors industry and don’t care about any of us.”

The following is a map showing where Brian lives in Queensland. BG Group are drilling three kilometres away from his property.

Brian said the following as advice to us in the UK. “If you love your land then stop this industry before it begins, otherwise you will live my life.”

As well as British Gas drilling in Queensland, Australian companies such as Dart Energy have licenses across the UK.

Brian said: “I’m sorry an Aussie firm is drilling, but honestly it is no more Aussie than the Chinese-made Koala bears we sell as trinkets.”

Navigation:

Case Studies

Balcombe

Barton Moss

The US and Australia

Fracking in Lancashire

Back home

What we can learn from elsewhere

Fracking is an unconventional drilling technique which has been around for a number of generations.

But nowadays the process involves a higher concentration of chemicals and has transformed in its entirety since its origins in 1947.

When looking for research into the effects of fracking on an area we look to the USA and the states in which coal bed methane and shale gas fracking has commenced.

Australia has also been at the centre of fracking controversy and we shall see in the coming months whether the trend will spread to Europe.

Many countries have moratoria on fracking. France, Belgium, Bulgaria and Germany have been the first European countries to ban fracking. But it is highly unlikely the UK will take that stance due to the enthusiasm of the government.

So what has happened elsewhere? I went as far afield as Brian Monk in Queensland, Australia. Take a look at the case studies…

Balcombe

Barton Moss

The US and Australia

Coal Seam Gas in Queensland, Australia

Fracking in Lancashire

What do you think we can learn from elsewhere?

Is the research applicable to our own areas? Have your say…