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Clover, before you mine Sydney, watch Gasland

Keeva Stratton

by Keeva Stratton

26 Nov 05:45am

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Filed under: Environment, Mining, Natural Gas

35 comments

Opening this week is a small, yet powerful, documentary on the ill-effects of using the controversial “fracking” technique to extract natural gas.

Varanus Island, WA, Apache Energy's oil & gas facility. Photo: Megan Lewis.

Now, I’m not a scientist, or a geologist, but I am a film reviewer, and watching Gasland was illuminating enough to allow the mere mention of natural gas to prompt a range of pretty terrifying images.

So when a story broke over the weekend that suggests natural gas mining may soon become a reality for inner Sydney, it’s clear that the timing for the release of this powerful documentary film could not be more apt.

It will no doubt raise much needed awareness of the issues surrounding natural gas extraction and fuel the debate regarding natural gas extraction in Australia.

The film begins in 2006, when New York theatre director and documentary filmmaker, Josh Fox, receives a letter from a gas company offering him $100,000 for permission to explore his family’s upstate New York property. Unlike his neighbours, who were keen to sign on, Josh becomes more than a little curious. He was wondering, of course, what the generous offer would really cost, and what he discovered is the terrifying truth behind natural gas drilling in America.

The documentary follows Josh as he travels across America, speaking to those who have suffered tremendously in terms of their health as a result of the controversial ‘fracking’ technique. From mysterious illnesses, chronic disease, dead animals, and even tap water that can be set alight, this is a documentary that has to be seen to be believed.

The key issue the film brings to the surface is that once the ‘fracking’ starts, there are serious risks of water contamination. And, once the water is contaminated, bad things start happening to the people, animals and produce that depend on it. It really is quite frightening.

The film shows how, in the US, the gas companies had been supported by legislative change, voted in by the previous Bush/Cheney administration, allowing them to use certain chemicals without having to identify them publicly. Now, I understand that we are not in America, and I am no doubt not particularly knowledgeable when it comes to these issues, but with New South Wales and Queensland looking into natural gas extraction, it’s time we, the public, were given the facts.

The situations Josh Fox encounters in his film are tragic. He finds family after family hurt by the gas mining, and he is supported in his quest by the brave workers who risked themselves to provide chemical samples used in the fracking.

‘From the very moment I began with the project there was a lot of fear. I found myself having to play detective, to be a private eye. The workers who handed me the unidentified bottle showed unbelievable bravery; they were later threatened with physical violence. Even though they were anonymous, people knew who they were because they quit their jobs just after,’ Fox said.

It frightens me to think that what has happened in the US could happen here. So when Gasland opens in Australia tomorrow, I think it couldn’t be more timely.

Here’s hoping that Sydney’s Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, is a little partial to documentaries herself.

Most commented

35 comments

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    • Eric says:

      05:02am | 26/11/10

      Basing major decisions on a movie - what could go wrong?

      Reply

    • Macca says:

      07:18am | 26/11/10

      Its not terribly difficult to make a link between this and An Inconvenient Truth, is it..?

    • Scot says:

      11:00am | 27/11/10

      Wow a new way to have a burnt earth policy and euthanasia in Sydney all at the same time while are asleep in our beds at night. As long as the gas does not drift into the city and the eastern suburbs we will all be OK. The Greens policy will come to reality, they will be jumping for joy. They do not like us humans, so am sure they will be happy to see coal become gas through gasification. What stupidity is this. The drilling should only be done at such very depth, kilometres not meters and under a protective crust. Sydney is one big sandstone block. It was under the sea before it was thrust up as we know it today. Gas is cheap and good. Go gas.

    • Tim says:

      09:00am | 26/11/10

      Thanks for that incervisiaveritas. ‘should be compulsory reading for all the poor, gullible saps who see the movie and lap up every word. But then they’d be required to actually read something substantial, which might put them off.

    • Jotun says:

      10:17am | 26/11/10

      I would actually click all the links in the debunking and see that their view put forward is not coherent with information not collated by their organisation.

    • Louis McLennan says:

      06:49am | 26/11/10

      While it is easy to automatically write this issue off because the Greens may be interested in it. It is a serious issue so it’d be better if the Greens went back to focusing on their normal non-issues/lies so this issue were to get the respect it deserves. Eric is right though. This is a movie. However, this is actually happening in Queensland. It’s a major concern. In the USA they have proper freehold so they can’t be walked all over. At least their land owners have a choice. Over here if it isn’t a bunch of city people trying to shut you down, it’s a resources company digging holes and leaving gates open. I put those who support such actions in the same boat as green’s (who likely never owned land in their life) telling people 1000’s of km away how-to use their land. As far as I’m concerned if Greens want to “preserve” land and feel their is genuine value in it then they can buy some rather than dictating how those who have it can use it. This same issue goes for those who support the activities mentioned in this article. Buy some land and then let the companies/government walk all over you and see how you like it. It’s not unreasonable to expect these companies to buy the land they are going to use.

      The property market tells this same story when it comes to land prices where these companies are working no one is very keen to be around them.

      The final point I make is. If a company goes bust then who gets left with the mess? If a company leaves an environment hazard which is now on the top of the land who has the deal with it? One need remember when answering such questions that the government don’t have much respect for the farmer.

      The real issue is we do not have proper freehold in this country.

      Reply

    • Heather says:

      12:35pm | 26/11/10

      Yes they want to make the money but not pay to buy the land.. maybe because they know it will be useless once they’ve finished raping it.

    • X miner says:

      06:50am | 26/11/10

      What could go wrong? Its a wonder the GREENS havent said anything locally about this. Where Bob the Wonder Greenie?
      Mining is on the nose and the latest oil disasters in both America and Australia (Timor sea oil well) shows they are not in control especially it seems where cost is over safety is always cut costs. Not safe due t oa film? Not safe due to the type of mining. Lakes are drained due to mismanagement. People are poisoned by water contamination, and people are killed due to it. The movie is fair enough. The reaction from some is heads in the sand due to share holdings is unbelieveable . That is the real problem Carelessness.

      Reply

    • Helen says:

      11:44am | 26/11/10

      There is a lot of action going on in Queensland. My brother-in-law, a farmer facing gas mining on his organic farm and others have been actively protesting.

      It is the great unknown that is worrying. People also don’t realise how intrusive it is to farmers lives. They seem to think that compensation will make up for all the intrusions to their lives and their farming operations. I’d like to see city folk putting up with numerous gas wells within a few hundred metres of their homes with constant noise and strangers coming and going from their property.

      I think it goes against the Australian idea of a fair go. We have the right to stop people from entering our homes and have them charged with trespass. A stranger couldn’t come and dig a hole in your back yard, but call yourself a miner and you can do what you like, no matter what distress it causes the land owner. City people generally don’t live in fear of miners. Farmers are expected to welcome miners with open arms.

      And you know what, it’s not always about money. Farmers these days do care about the environment. Yes they’ve been guilty of some dodgy farming practices over the centuries, but urban and suburban dwellers have been guilty of some bad things too that have harmed the environment. Have a look at some of our city rivers! Most farmers realise they have to use sustainable practices. For many affected by the spectre of coal seam gas mining, it’s about principles. Principles of fairness and being worried about environment damage, especially to our water resources.

    • Richard says:

      12:49pm | 26/11/10

      To compel landowners to allow CSG companies to poison their land and the ground water they use can only be classified as fascism. What happened to individual rights? 10 Million Australians need to protest against this, we need to prove that we have rights that we will fight for, or else the big end of town will just keep taking.

    • Hills says:

      06:58am | 26/11/10

      Start with “Gas Mining in America” - standards for all mining and extraction processes are 10 fold more stringent and tougher here than there. It will be enlightening to view though and I find it interesting that with deposits all over our great country there is any need to do this within a hundred miles of any populated area.

      Reply

    • Nigel Catchlove says:

      06:59am | 26/11/10

      Oh dear. An analysis that Homer J Simpson would be proud of.

      “The answer to life’s problems aren’t at the bottom of a bottle, they’re on TV!”—Homer Simpson

      Reply

    • Me and My Chevy says:

      07:15am | 26/11/10

      Eric, darling as usual, straight to the very nub of the situation and with such withering wit.
      Here in Queensland, we haven’t based any decisions on movies, we have based them on how much the Government would get for what they sold. There has been nothing but re-assurances from the companies doing the fracking to get at the coal seam gas, yet on 3 occasions now, we have seen benzine in the water aquifer.
      Call it a conspiracy if you like, old china, but for mine, I would prefer a little bit more information than we are getting from the Government and the miners, and we have little else to go on. So maybe a “filum” isn’t such a bad place to begin our search for information on what has been described as “tens of thousands” of coal seam gas wells scattered across the state.

      Reply

    • Idontworkinoilandgas says:

      09:20am | 26/11/10

      For starters, oil and gas companies are not “the miners” - mining is a completely separate industry. Secondly, a “filum” might actually be a terrible place to find information on what’s happening in Queensland, as the movie has been proven to contain numerous factual inaccuracies.

      For instance, this information can be found in APPEA’s official response:

      ‘Gasland states that “[Hydraulic fracturing] blasts a mix of water and chemicals 8000 feet into the ground. The fracking itself is like a mini-earthquake. … In order to frac, you need some fraccing fluid — a mix of over 596 chemicals”.

      As it relates to the composition of fluids commonly used in the fracturing process, greater than 99.5 per cent of the mixture is comprised of water and sand. The remaining materials, used to help deliver the water down the wellbore and position the sand in the
      tiny fractures created in the formation, are typically components found and used around the house. The most prominent of these, a substance known as guar gum, is an emulsifier more commonly found in ice cream.’

      Everyone needs to sit down and do some research, and certainly shouldn’t take this movie at face value.

    • Richard says:

      12:55pm | 26/11/10

      But there have been poisonous benzene’s discovered in the ground waters of the Darling Downs as a direct result of CSG extraction. This is fact, confirmed in a government report. So why the hell are we allowing it to happen? For some gas to sell for 3c a litre to China? Is that worth poisoning our food bowl for?

    • Gregg says:

      08:49am | 27/11/10

      Exactly Richard and @ I doesn’t really know either
      Do all the research you like and that still means bugger all for what has happened in practice
      And buddy, mining takes all forms, it basically meaning extracting something of value and in this case it’s the gas that is of value.

      As Richard has stated, there has already been work on farmland that caused such contamination farmers had to quarantine their stock and some areas were declared no go zones because the contamination was of a significant level in groundwater that is used for stock.
      What control would there be over how far the contamination could spread.

      And this is just getting started and without due control by regular inspections etc., we could end up who knows where.
      As for citicism of gasland as a film/documentary by the industry, it does not take too much nous to appreciate that if you did not have anyone affected by the gas extraction it might be just a little difficult to have sufficient material on which to make a production.

    • Dan says:

      07:26am | 26/11/10

      Basing major decisions on the word of those who have the most to gain - what could go wrong?

      Reply

    • CJ Morgan says:

      08:24am | 26/11/10

      While I haven’t yet seen the movie, it’s great to see a documentary film about an immediately relevant issue get such exposure.  I live in rural Southern Qld, and CSG mining (including ‘fracking’) has become a major regional issue, with many usually conservative farmers allying themselves with environmental groups to try and stop the potential destruction of their land and environment.

      @ X Miner:

      Friends of the Earth and the Qld Greens have been very active in drawing attention to the issue and mobilising farmers and others who are concerned at CSG and the loss of good farmland to coal mining.  In particular Drew Hutton, the former leader of the Qld Greens has been very prominent in the escalating campaign.

      Reply

    • Adam Diver says:

      08:28am | 26/11/10

      Gas mining is nothing, have you heard about Skynet???

      Reply

    • Tim says:

      08:34am | 26/11/10

      The main problems outlined in the movie gasland, is the leaking of gas into the water table through cracked seams. This is a problem when people are using this water for drinking or other purposes through bores.
      Seeing as last time I looked, the centre of Sydney was’t in the catchment areas for drinking water, I would be less worried about most of the effects shown in the movie.
      By all means, there should be checks and research done to ascertain the safety of using this technique in Sydney but “OMG I watched a movie” doesn’t sound like the in-depth analysis they should be relying on.

      Reply

    • MarK says:

      09:29am | 26/11/10

      Is this movie peer reviewed?

      Does it have 4000 guys in white coats behind the scenes just measuring stuff?

      Reply

    • O&G Insider says:

      09:33am | 26/11/10

      The energyindepth article presents a few rebuttals to INDIVIDUAL cases of water contamination. It doesn’t prove, or even claim, that none of the contaminated aquifers shown in the documentary were caused by hydraulic fracturing fluid.  Most of that article is misdirection, focusing on minor factual errors such as the exact number of trucks used to carry water. I wouldn’t expect much else from a website which is little more than a PR shill for the American Petroleum Institute.

      The film has a few factual errors and, like most documentaries, has an obvious bias. However the film pretty comprehensively demonstrates that the hydraulic fracturing process has caused groundwater contamination at many sites across the USA. I can’t say whether these problems will be repeated here, as we do have far superior environmental regulation. Full disclosure: I work for the offshore natural gas industry.

      Reply

    • Tim Tam Santa says:

      10:25am | 26/11/10

      Clover has a media and P.R team who dream up slogans such as “Happy Christmas” instead of Merry Christmas to bring it in line with “Happy Mardi Gras” and “Happy Chinese New year”, which is really Lunar New year anyway.Other bizzare slogans such as “City of Villages” what? “Green Global and Connected” , connected to what? Not to be out done by “Sydney is soulful, sexy and sophisticated”  now with its own village gas mine ? Didn’t the Goodies TV show have a gas powered three man bicycle at some stage? Maybe thats where this is all heading.

      Reply

    • rock-hopper says:

      10:34am | 26/11/10

      “and what he discovered is the terrifying truth behind natural gas drilling in America”.....
      oh dear - can somebody please tell Keeva that not everything she sees at the movies is real?
      Even the briefest google search shows this movie is nothing more than a collection of (entertaining) previously-shot down old wives’ tales.

      Reply

    • Fiona says:

      11:35am | 26/11/10

      My niece has a gas well 500m from her farmhouse. She has had to buy blockout curtains to stop the flood lights that are on all night so she can get her kids to sleep. They have noise 24hrs a day. She has young children. There are strangers on her property. The miners accommodation has to be at least 2kms from the well. Why are they allowed to be a few hundred metres away from farmhouses?

      All you armchair experts might think it’s all safe, but safety aside, how about the interuption to their basic freedom of amenity of their property? Would you like 1 or more gass wells a few hundred metres from your home? Would you like constant high level noise? Would you like to have to make allowances for bright lights all night? Would you like to be forced to have strangers come and go from your property whether you like it or not?

      Think about those things and perhaps imagine what it’s like to walk a mile in their shoes ....

      Reply

    • Frac me says:

      12:56pm | 26/11/10

      Well, funnily enough,  I AM a scientist, and a Geologist at that.
      And all I can say about this is that it’s a beat up of nothing, based on blatant lies, shamelessly playing on typical fears that have all been debunked years ago.

      Do some damn research people, or leave it to the experts, without having your opinion formed by people with an agenda.

      Reply

    • krism5 says:

      03:08pm | 26/11/10

      Well Frac, as a scientist, and a geologist perhaps you can tell the home owners in the Doco Gasland just why the can ignite the gas in the water coming out of their kitchen tap. From someone who has seen the doco (i.e. researched the aledged beat-up), have you?

    • michael j says:

      05:47pm | 26/11/10

      yeah well as joe blow off the street an not noin me left from me right,if as a Scientist you tell me nuclear power is a more sensibable solution to these problems we are having, then i’ll go with you,cause i sure as hell don’t want to be BLOWEN up me house just gettin a Drink of WATER

    • Seano says:

      05:06pm | 26/11/10

      Minning causes polution and big business rarely show concern for what’s affecting the little guy. Just on that basis alone I don’t want people drilling in my back yard unless it is absolutely necessary. Which obviously it is not.

      Reply

    • Frac me says:

      05:24pm | 26/11/10

      Firstly, I don’t plan on indulging the film maker and subjecting myself to such crap. Watching such swill is hardly what i would call “research,” any more than watching an inconvenient truth counts as research. Oh hey, i’ve seen Top Gear…. I’m a qualified race driver now!

      Secondly, the gas they’ll be igniting is methane, and as to how it got there, I think there might be a deeper question such as “where are they getting their water from?” Remembering that methane won’t dissolve in water, and will evaporate from it into the air (hence how it’s able to be set alight), so they must be getting their water directly from the ground, with no opportunity for it to aerate and lose the methane.

      Methane, or anything similar (crude, kerogen, other gases, etc) are naturally occurring products which are perfectly capable of migrating into groundwater on their own along natural fracture/fault networks. One of the many, many reasons (along with salinity, trace elements etc) why you shouldn’t be drinking unprocessed ground water in the first place. 
      Furthermore, the fractures that these idiots worry so much about are already there. All hydraulic fracturing does is take advantage of existing weaknesses in the rock (unless it’s an extreme case), and fill them with fines (specially designed ‘sand’ particles) for enhanced flow along selected areas.

      More to the point of your question, why is there gas in their taps? It’s because they live on top of a gas field. It’s likely that there is a small amount of it already in the ground water, and that the fracturing has increased that slightly. It certainly wouldn’t be in dangerous amounts, and if idiots insist on pumping unprocessed groundwater into their homes for drinking then whose fault is that?

      To ask that in a different way… Say you build a house on top of a relatively shallow PB/ZN deposit, then proceed to pump groundwater into your house for drinking, cooking, washing etc without getting it tested first, and get lead poisoning. Who’s at fault?

      Knowing your type the answer will be mining companies, even though everyone knows full well its yours.

      Reply

    • Marilyn Shepherd says:

      01:52am | 27/11/10

      Unlike most of the respondents here I have seen the film so before you ignorant clowns mouth off and automatically dismiss it go and watch it.

      It made me feel rather ill.

      Reply

    • mel says:

      02:53pm | 27/11/10

      if there is any possability that land or water could be contaminated, is it a risk worth taking? as someone who lives in a rural community i don’t think so. just resently land in my area was sold to a national food company in qatar for food to be supplied only the qatar. this company now owns more land in australia that the whole of qatar. with land being sold to o/seas company and the land we have being distroyed by mines what more will it take to get people to understand that when the food and water goes you will be paying more for everything, nevermind the price of gas.

      Reply
 
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