Toowoomba council votes for moratorium on coal seam gas projects

Council becomes sixth in Queensland to oppose development of new wells after farmer concerns about sinking soil and water contamination

The largest council in Queensland’s Darling Downs region has called on the state government to put a moratorium on new coal seam gas projects after local farmers raised concerns about subsidence.

The Toowoomba regional council on Tuesday unanimously passed the motion that requested a temporary prohibition after discussing a submission to the state government’s proposed amendments to the Regional Planning Interests Act.

Bill Cahill, the councillor who raised the motion, said the council had heard from a delegation of farmers at its October meeting who outlined the potential risks of coal seam gas extraction, including sinking soil and impacts to underground aquifers, and that councillors had voted to “represent our community”.

“It’s about taking time, taking stock of where we are up to and asking the government to have another look at some of the science, frameworks and legislation,” Cahill said.

More than 9,000 onshore natural gas wells have been developed west of the Toowoomba council area over the past two decades, and Arrow Energy – a joint venture between Shell and PetroChina – is expanding into the local government area, in some of the most productive agricultural land in the country.

Another councillor, Megan O’Hara Sullivan, said the council hoped to send a message to the Queensland government to stop approving new fossil fuel projects.

“Being polite and vanilla is not enough,” Sullivan said. “We can see from the droughts, the flood events and the fires that weather events are more extreme. Local government have to advocate and that’s about the only thing we can do.”

The latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said there could be no new oil or gas projects if the world wants to limit global heating to 1.5C.

An Arrow Energy spokesperson said the company had invested nearly $90m in the Toowoomba area in the past 18 months and was committed to addressing local council and landowner’s concerns.

“Our Surat Gas Project brings numerous benefits to the Toowoomba community, including increased job opportunities and economic growth,” the spokesperson said.

Ellie Smith, the Queensland coordinator of Lock the Gate, said the council’s stance would not have any immediate impact on coal seam gas approvals but it could affect future decisions.

“Local councils in other areas have advocated very strongly for their communities and it has had a big impact on decision makers,” she said.

Toowoomba joins five other regional Queensland councils in opposing coal seam gas development.

Arrow Energy withdrew its application to renew exploration permits within the Scenic Rim regional council area after encountering significant community opposition.

On Wednesday the Environmental Defenders Office and Lock the Gate held a legal seminar on the Cecil Plains – a priority agriculture area on the western fringe of the Toowoomba council area – to educate landholders about their rights if Arrow Energy requests access to their land.

“As Arrow comes into the Toowoomba regional council we understand there will be a lot of land holders that will be holding out,” Smith said.

“Now it’s in the hands of the Palaszczuk government whether or not they are going to listen to the local community and local council … or continue to push ahead.”

The Queensland government has announced a “new gas frontier”, releasing $21m in grants for companies to expand into untapped gas reserves.

The Queensland resources department said it was yet to formally receive the motion made by Toowoomba regional council.

“The state’s resources sector operates within a coexistence framework which balances the interests of resource companies and landholders, manages environmental impacts and provides economic benefits to the people of Queensland,” a department spokesperson said.

Photograph: Landsat/Copernicus/Google Earth