Wednesday, 9-September-2009. Gas Watch 74. AGL fails regulatory obligations.

1. AGL 'forced electricity prices higher' – says SMH.

2. AGL accused of “price gouging” by the ACCC – says the ABC.

3. Most needy residents have been the victims of appalling bungling by AGL – says the Herald Sun.

And these reports all in the one day. Hunter Valley (read more in Gas Watch 74 ).

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Sunday, 21-June-2009. Gas Watch 73. AGL Energy Buys wind farms in SA – but threatens the Hunter Valley with release of another fossil fuel and loss of groundwater.

With great pomp, amid claims of being environmentally conscious, AGL Energy this week announced the purchase of two wind farms in South Australia to produce electricity, but kept silent on its environmental threat to the Hunter Valley with its exploration for that fossil fuel it hopes will replace coal, methane gas .

The black underbelly of this claimed green company is the threat to precious water supplies as it careers forward drilling through water tables running the risk of contamination or loss of water supplying viticulture, agriculture and life in the Hunter Valley (read more in Gas Watch 73 ).

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Wednesday, 17-May-2009. Gas Watch 72. AGL Energy: Fails to deny intention to build a gas processing plant on its Hunter Valley properties. You will regularly see AGL Energy espousing greener energy, hydro, wind, solar; but here’s their real underbelly – another fossil fuel – coal seam methane gas release, with all its proven dangers, and all within 200 metres of the Broke village.

On ABC Radio Newcastle this morning, the AGL Energy General Manager Upstream Gas, Mike Moraza, failed to deny that AGL Energy proposed to construct an industrial complex on one of its increasing number of holdings in this closely settled, tranquil and rural area of the Hunter Valley (read more in Gas Watch 72 ).

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Saturday, 13-May-2009. Gas Watch 71. AGL ENERGY buys two more properties in Broke/Bulga. Forcing the community to unite against them. It appears, that AGL ENERGY is becoming as devious as Sydney Gas ever was. How about this for example:

1. The Land and Property Manager, the junior employee of AGL ENERGY who has been given the task of leading AGL ENERGY at the Community Consultative Committee, told the last CCC meeting that they had bought these two properties; that in addition they had one Access Agreement in place; and that at this point in time they had no intention of making any further land acquisitions.

2. In another forum, on almost the same day, senior executives of AGL ENERGY declared: that they intend to purchase another 2 properties; that they have 32 Access Agreements in place; that they plan to achieve everything they want in the Broke/Bulga area.

So much for truth! So much for Community Consultation! (read more in Gas Watch 71 ).

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Tuesday, 12-May-2009. Gas Watch 70. Letter to Cockfighter from local resident. Ed Larkin from Broke wrote to the last Cockfighter airing his concerns about a number of things which are worrying him, one of which was the “gas action group”. He opened his concern by stating that “I would bet not one of you have jumped in the car and driven to Camden to inspect your so called eyesore” etc., etc.

On 7th February, 2008, Sydney Gas invited the community to inspect its Camden coal seam methane gas processing plant (see Google Earth image ). A number of community members attended the inspection and it was their unanimous view that we must continue our resistance to having such a plant built right next to our village ....(read more in Gas Watch 70 ).

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Monday, 27-April-2009. Gas Watch 69. AGL ENERGY!“Back to the very worst of Sydney Gas.” It appears that it is now impossible to receive a response, if you write to AGL ENERGY, from anybody other the Land and Approvals Manager. You know, the staff level of the former Hind Kourouche of SGL. And when a local resident wrote to the General Manager, Upstream Gas, AGL, requesting a response to 13 questions and concerns, she received a letter from this Lands and Approvals Manager, full of motherhood statements, but with no response at all, not even a mention, to any of the questions. (read more in Gas Watch 69 ).

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Monday, 27-April-2009. Gas Watch 68. AGL ENERGY! “Does this company have an environmental and social conscience, or is it just Sydney Gas all over again?” Broke Village Store was the site for a show of community strength and unity, in opposition to the real dangers which the activities of AGL ENERGY pose to the local environment and to the village and residents of Broke. Many questions were asked on the night in an information and fundraiser night on 24th April .... (read more in Gas Watch 68 ).

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Wednesday, 8-April-2009. Gas Watch 67. AGL ENERGY! “METHANE GAS COULD KILL THE HUNTER VALLEY!” On 6th and 7th April we had a couple of people outside AGL Energy Headquarters at 101 Miller Street, North Sydney. They were there for a couple of hours as the employees arrived, and for a couple of hours at lunch time each day. One with signs and handing out pamphlets. The other as the Grim Reaper, which is how we see AGL ENERGY in respect of its actions at Broke in regard to the water tables and in relation to the risk of methane gas explosion and migration. We intend to make random appearances at the AGL ENERGY offices (read more in Gas Watch 67 ).

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Wednesday, 25-March-2009. Gas Watch 66. Rehabilitation!
In the Argus on 24th March, ’09 Mark Harper, still the GM it appears of Sydney Gas, is reported to have said in relation to the water bores Sydney Gas has been drilling for the past week or so: “rehabilitation of the area including the planting of some grass was completed on Friday”.

We went to check it out today and expected to see a nice smooth area, but all we saw were lumps, tyre tracks, depressions, dust… We took a couple of snaps ...(read Gas Watch 66 ).

Tuesday, 10-March-2009. Gas Watch 65. Who is out of step here?
Department of Environment and Climate Change: "As groundwater is extracted (from coal seams) it also depletes natural groundwater reserves and aquifers which can have consequences for other regional land uses which may experience a loss of net usable water. This is particularly relevant for farmers who rely on bore water. One solution can be to reinject recovered water back into aquifers. This can however contaminate these groundwater aquifers"
Sydney Gas:
“You have nothing to worry about. You are stupid and ignorant”.
(read all in Gas Watch 65 )

Monday, 9-March-2009. Gas Watch 64. " I'M THE ENEMY"- Colin Stace, Land and Community advisor, Sydney Gas Ltd. Today, 9th March, Sydney Gas (currently being taken over by AGL Energy) started drilling water bores on land at the vineyard village of Broke in the Hunter Valley.
Whilst we were sitting talking to NBN television in the Broke village today, this spokesman for Sydney Gas walked past and said: "I'm the enemy." Twice. (read more in Gas Watch 64 ).

Wednesday, 18-February-2009. Gas Watch 63. Sydney Gas (now a part of AGL Energy) keep Broke in the dark ! Cunningly, and living up to its controversial reputation of not fully informing the community, Sydney Gas/AGL Energy:

• Has not told us what WILL happen if our town water table does disappear into the coal seams;
• Has not told us how they propose to dispose of the toxic water they extract from the coal seam;
• Has not told us what they propose to do with the leaking METHANE gas;
• Has claimed that this study is in the interests of the village;
• Has claimed that it is only a study in relation to core hole impact, when it is nothing of the sort. It is in relation to test drilling and taking water from the coal seams under the village;
• Has not informed us of the terms of reference of the appointment of Professor Willgoose; 

If Sydney Gas/AGL was taking the “concerns of the community seriously” it, quite simply, wouldn't’t be drilling immediately next to Broke Village , or any other residential area for that matter (read more in Gas Watch 63 ).

Wednesday, 11-February-2009. Gas Watch 62. Sydney Gas back to old ways - breaching undertaking made to the community; threatening our underground water supply; risking exploding methane gas near the Broke public school. Broke village is in danger from any one of METHANE gas explosion, METHANE gas seepage, and contamination or loss of our underground water. Why won't Sydney Gas adhere to its undertaking not to activate these wells until there has been a full water study? Why won't Sydney Gas agree to a full Environmental Assessment which would be available for public scrutiny and scrutiny by other Government Departments? What has Sydney Gas got to hide? (read more in Gas Watch 62 ).

Wednesday, 12-February-2009. Gas Watch 61. Sydney Gas/AGL assure community - no further action on Broke Village wells until independent water study completed. Sydney Gas, the minor Coal Seam METHANE gas explorer now being swallowed up by AGL Energy, has assured the community, through the Community Consultative Committee (CCC), that:

"there will be no further activity related to the METHANE gas wells near the Broke Village until an independent water study is completed. "

However, activity at the well site last week was noticed and Sydney Gas asked “why?” They said that it was only a surveyor setting out fencing! So perhaps there will be no activity on the wells until the middle of the year, as they have claimed.

But it always makes us suspicious when the CCC meeting is postponed at the request of Sydney Gas. Last time Sydney Gas had the meeting postponed, from recollection, core hole 3 at Bulga was approved (read more in Gas Watch 61 ).

Wednesday, 4-February-2009. Gas Watch 60. ACCC asks Sydney Gas to change its "green" claims. Late last year, this Group asked the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission to investigate the claims by Sydney Gas that "Coal Seam Methane natural gas is a clean burning and a "green form" of energy". We all know that this is simply nonsense. ACCC twisted and turned but in the end requested SGL to AMEND their website (read more in Gas Watch 60 ).

Thursday, 29-January-2009. Gas Watch 59. CO2 emissions from METHANE equal to those from 121,440,000 motor cars. Sydney Gas will be passing on to AGL Energy its claim that it has discovered 10,000 petajoules of extractable METHANE gas under the Hunter.If 10,000 petajoules of METHANE gas is burnt, it will release nearly 528,000,000 tonnes of CO2 into our atmosphere, accelerating global warming. This is equal to the emissions from 121,440,000 additional motor vehicles being released onto the roads ... (read more in Gas Watch 59 ).