nsw csg summit, page-17

Nsw csg newswireThis is going to warm the

sector now expect great finishes and good starts tomorrow

on DTE MEL and maybe maybe ROG

NSW:Govt wants CSG drilling in NSW by Xmas

SYDNEY, Sept 26 AAP - The federal government is intervening in the coal seam gas (CSG)
debate in NSW in an attempt to ramp up drilling across the state.
Federal Resources Minister Ian Macfarlane announced on Thursday that he would be
forming a committee of stakeholders, including farmers and gas producers, in a bid to
come up with a solution to what he called the NSW gas challenge.
"We have got to sort this out quickly," Mr Macfarlane told reporters outside NSW's
Energy Security Summit.
"We have got to get the drill rigs going where the farmers want them going, where the
geology is safe, where the water is safe, where the environment is safe, we have got to
get them before Christmas if we can."
Unless the industry is kick-started, Mr Macfarlane warned thousands of jobs in the
industrial sector would be lost between Newcastle, Sydney and Wollongong.
He said he wanted the states and territories to sit down and nut out regulations,
adding that Queensland farmers could share their positive experiences of the industry
with their NSW counterparts.
NSW Energy Minister Chris Hartcher said he was keen to work with the federal
government but the state's regulatory framework was here to stay.
"We aren't saying, it's our road or the high road, what we are saying is that there is
a common challenge, we are going to work together on a common solution to that
challenge," he said.
"There is not a shortage of gas, we have huge amounts of gas, the issue is getting it
out of the ground and making sure it is affordable," he added.
The announcement came after anti-CSG farmers and environmentalists who had staged a
protest were kicked out of the summit.