The Bentley Blockade (or Battle for Bentley) is a battle for democracy and its corruption by corporate greed. Makers of this video have asked viewers to share it widely. Bentley, a beautiful primary produce area in the northern rivers water catchment, is right now the new frontline in the fight for fresh water, safe air and clean soils in the whole of NSW. Metgasco  hopes to turn this precious part of our region into an industrial gasfield and over time sink 1,000 wells.

The Bentley Blockade

There is a battle happening on home soil at the moment; one that is helping the people to rise up and take a true stand for what they know is right for themselves and their country. The Bentley Blockade is here, and very real. The Battle for Bentley has begun. Surveys of the area affected by this issue, being supported via the Bentley Blockade, have illustrated that 84.5 per cent of 266 local residents said that they do not want to live in a gas field. Yet industry continues to fight to explore and mine the land.

Metgasco will use procedures very similar to those used in the coal seam gas industry, such as drilling wells, fracking and building extensive infrastructure which will destroy the land.The fight for the land is led by the Gasfield Free Northern Rivers movement. Their aim is to protect the biodiversity, water resources, agricultural lands and sustainable industries of the Northern Rivers, and the livelihoods and wellbeing of the people who live there, from the impacts of coal seam gas (CSG) and other forms of unconventional gas mining. Their objective is to have the Northern Rivers region declared a CSG and unconventional gas free zone, and for all current licenses and leases that allow such activities to be revoked.

Right now, the Bentley Blockade is the new frontline in the fight for fresh water, safe air and clean soils in the whole of NSW. Metgasco are hoping to turn this precious part of the region into an industrial gasfield and over time sink 1000 wells. According to farmers in the US it doesn’t matter what type of gas it is, everyone gets poisoned the same way by living in a gas field. The community is committed to protecting beautiful Bentley and people that live there.

As Aiden Ricketts points out, this is really a battle for democracy.

The fate of the Northern Rivers is in our hands. There has never been a better time to act.

So the question is, will you show up?

Whatever happens you’ll be glad you did. Join the Bentley Blockade.

#BentleyBlockade

To Discover more about why the Bentley Blockade is so important, read this article from the Gasfield Free Northern Rivers Website, (originally posted here.)

Learn About Coal Seam Gas

Coal Seam Gas Overview

Coal seam gas mining involves drilling deep into the earth to extract methane held in a coal seam. In order to extract the gas, large volumes of salty water contained in the coal seam need to be brought to the surface.This water is the major waste product from coal seam gas mining. Methods used to extract the gas include hydraulic fracturing or lateral drilling. Both of these methods represent risks to groundwater.

As well as the underground impacts described above, coal seam gas mining has severe surface impacts. It requires large numbers of wells to extract the volumes of gas that are sought – in Queensland in 2010/2011 some 18,600 gas wells were approved. Along with gas wells come roads, pipelines, tracks, compressor stations and water storage ponds – which altogether results in an industry which spreads out across the landscape and carves up rural landscapes into giant industrial zones.

CSG Mining Risks:

There is mounting evidence that CSG mining poses substantial risks. These risks include:

• Depletion and contamination of underground and surface water systems and supplies
• Lack of any safe method of disposal of the large quantities of polluted wastewater brought
  to the surface in the extraction process;
• Leaking of methane from wells and pipelines and off-gassing of volatile organic compunds
  from wastewater storages and compressor stations;
• Human and animal health impacts from air, water and soil pollution;
• Loss of agricultural land and native vegetation from the large surface footprintof CSG
  operations; and
• Risk of seismic activity from fracking and aquifer re-injection.

Over 25% of NSW is covered by Petroleum Exploration Licences (PELs). Both exploration and production projects have been given the green light, despite evidenced risks, insufficient research and growing community concern abou this industry. Repeated calls by community groups, environment groups and the farmer’s organisations for a moratorium on the coal seam gas industry to allow for comprehensive scientific investigation and analysis of the threats posed by the industry have been gnored by government.

Concern about these risks from landholders and communities across the Northern rivers is why we call for the immediate cessation of all unconventional gas mining activities in the Northern Rivers.

What is CSG and how is it mined?

Coal Seam Gas (CSG) is principally methane found in underground coal seams, where it is trapped by natural water pressure. Similar gas may also be found in other geological formations such as shale deposits and tight sandstone rock formations.

CSG, shale gas and tight sands gas are referred to as ‘unconventional gas’ and should not be confused with so-called ‘natural’ or ‘conventional gas’, which is found in more readily accessible rock reservoirs. These types of gas are refered to as ‘unconventional’ because they require specialised techniques such as fracking to extract commercial quantities of gas.

The extraction of methane from different unconventional sources uses similar extraction techniques. The gas is accessed by drilling vertically into strata until a deposit is reached, at which point horizontal drilling is likely to occur in order to extend the reach of the well. Horizontal drilling may extend kilometres from a well. Drilling involves the injection of a number of chemicals to optimise drilling efficiency. The bore of the well is lined with concrete to prevent leakage of gas and contaminated water into underground systems. Methane, which is physically trapped in the coal structure with water under pressure, is released by reducing the pressure in the seam. This is initially done by pumping out water – known as ‘produced water’.

Shale and tight gas extraction and a significant proportion of  CSG production requires some form of additional ‘stimulation’ to extract gas at a commercially viable rate. Hydraulic fracturing (or fracking) is one common stimulation technique.

A simplistic representation of a vertical CSG well is shown here in Figure 1. However, in most cases, horizontal drilling will also spread from the initial bore hole for several hundred metres, and potentially several kilometres. Figure 1 does not indicate how thin and fragile the drill line is in relation to its length. Further, it does not show the many fissures and fractures in the surrounding rock, into which concrete can be lost when the casing is being cemented. These gaps and fractures can make it extremely difficult, and in some cases almost impossible to completely seal the casing.

What is fracking?

Hydraulic fracturing or ‘fracking’ is a stimulation process used in CSG mining. It involves the high-pressure injection of large volumes of water, sand and undisclosed chemicals into the ground to fracture coal. Fracking expands cracks in coal seams, which allows gas to flow much faster and from a wider area. Originally used to tap deep earth oil and gas formations, the use of fracking has been expanded to coal seams, which sit much closer to the surface. This brings contaminated water and geological disruption close to water catchments and aquifers, and the above ground natural and built environment.

Fracking has been directly linked to a considerable number of serious environmental incidents including water contamination, earthquakes and fire. The process is already banned in France and other countries, including parts of the USA.

Chemicals used in fracking

A 2011 submission to the US Congress identified over 750 different chemicals and compounds that are known to have been used in fracking. Most are not disclosed by operators and none of have yet undergone CSG hazard testing and clearance. The following is a partial list of additives that are used in fracturing operations, as indicated by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Classes of Additives	Purpose	Examples
Acid	Facilitates entry into rock formations	hydrochloric acid
Biocides	Kill bacteria and reduce risk of fouling	glutaraldehyde, 2,2 Dibromo-3-nitrilopropionamide
Breaker	Facilitate proppant entry	peroxodisulfates
Clay stabilizer	Clay stabilization	salts, ie tetramethylammonium chloride
Corrosion inhibitor	Well maintenance	methanol
Crosslinker	Facilitate proppant entry
Friction reducers	Improve surface pressure	potassium hydroxide
Gelling agents	Proppant placement	sodium acrylate, polyacrylamide
Iron control	Well maintenance	citric acid, thioglycolic acid
Scale inhibitor	Prevention of precipitation	ammonium chloride, ethylene glycol,polyaccrylate
Surfactant	Reduction in fluid tension	methanol, isopropanol

There is currently no requirement for CSG companies in Australia to disclose the constituents in their fracking fluids and only 20 are listed by APPEA as known to be used in Australia.

However, The experience of CSG mining in the USA is that the commercial viability of the CSG industry is dependent on extensive use of stimulation, such as hydraulic fracturing. Indeed, it is estimated that 60-80% of unconventional gas wells drilled in the next decade will require fracking.

The importance of the Bentley Blockade

Taking a stand for our health and that of our land is not a minor issue. It’s up to us to take a stand.

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Sources

https://www.echo.net.au/2014/03/battle-bentley-2000-protectors-site/

Image Credit: Kate Ausburn

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