-- Have you seen the coal seam gas (CSG) industry's latest advertising campaign? The CSIRO's slammed it for misusing their research to claim CSG is safe for Australia's precious water and aquifers. Send the CSG spin doctors a message now demanding they publicly commit to ending their campaign of lies: http://www.getup.org.au/stop-csg-lies --
We've been waiting for this moment - the CSG industry's just been caught blatantly lying about the safety of coal seam gas mining by Australia's peak scientific body, the CSIRO.
Part of a new multi-million dollar advertising campaign, the offending ad says: ‘CSIRO and government studies have shown that groundwater is safe with coal seam gas’. But that's a lie and the CSIRO flatly rejects it. They issued this sharp rebuke to APPEA, the CSG lobby group running the ad:
"At no time has CSIRO made such a statement, and nor do the results of CSIRO research support such a statement. CSIRO has stated on the public record that coal seam gas extraction is likely to pose a ‘low risk’ to groundwater quality through contamination. CSIRO has also indicated that groundwater levels will fall as a consequence of coal seam gas extraction. In some places this could see aquifer levels subside by tens of metres for tens of years; in others it is likely to reduce aquifer levels by several metres for several hundred years." [1]
APPEA has dismissively stated they have "taken CSIRO's comments on board"[2] as they develop a plan to reach as many Australians as possible with the new campaign. The recklessness of saying CSG is safe when Australian lives, land and water are at risk is outrageous. Let's start a public outcry demanding APPEA do more than take it on board - tell APPEA to never air the ad again and to issue an apology for their lies:
http://www.getup.org.au/stop-csg-lies
Australia is the driest continent on earth - water that has been stored in aquifers, in some cases for millions of years, sustains our cities, food production and natural environment. That's why coal seam gas mining, which involves injecting toxic chemicals deep underground at high pressure and removing huge volumes of water, is just too risky.
The CSG industry works tirelessly to prove their untested technologies are safe. Their sophisticated PR machine doesn't make many missteps, but they went too far this time, as the CSIRO's strong response shows.
So far, APPEA has ignored calls to take down its misleading ads. While we may not have the multi-million dollar budgets to counter the CSG industry's spin, we do have the power of our movement.
Tell APPEA to stop playing with lives for a quick buck. Sign the petition calling on them to shelve the ad and retract their claims:
http://www.getup.org.au/stop-csg-lies
Let's put this thing in a vault.
The GetUp team.
[1] 'CSIRO rejects claims made by APPEA regarding groundwater and coal seam gas'. CSIRO Press Release, 4 September, 2012.
[2] Rick Wilkinson, Twitter.com, 4 September, 2012.
[3] 'Halt ordered for Fullerton Cove gas drilling', ABC News. 5 September, 2012.
