The Coal Seam Gas Song

This is a terrific song worth sharing

About the Coal Seam Gas Song written and recorded by The Chooks…

We live in the Northern Rivers of NSW where the Lions Way pipeline is proposed to go through. We moved up here two years ago from the city in the hope of living a simple life growing our own food in a clean unpolluted environment.

Needless to say, we were devastated to learn what was planned for this beautiful part of the world.

When farmers from the Queensland gas fields told us of their CSG experience, we were honestly shocked that it could happen in Australia. We wanted to spread the word in our area before the same thing happened to our own community, so we wrote this song, and recorded it in our living room on solar power. Hope it’s a bit of light relief as well as informative.

Read the lyrics

The song is a (we hope!) humorous look at the fact that while the detrimental effects of coal seam gas (CSG) mining on air, water, health and communities, not to mention wildlife, are well-documented, they are rarely referred to by mining companies or even by many of our own politicians. Unfortunately, mining companies, in their interactions with local communities, seem to consistently seek to minimise people’s awareness of the consequences of mining activities, until it’s too late.

Whatever happens with CSG mining in the future, it’s important that any decisions are made with full knowledge of its impacts.

Here are some of the known and documented ones:

• contamination of groundwater with salt as well as with poisonous fracking chemicals and toxins from within the coal seam
• contamination of air with toxic gases including carcinogens, neurotoxins and respiratory irritants
• lowering of groundwater levels
• clearing of large areas of vegetation, much of which is of such environmental significance that the farmers themselves are not allowed to clear it
• displacement and death of wildlife
• destruction of communities as many of the promised jobs go to fly-in, fly-out employees, who don’t patronise local businesses and may contribute to an increase in violence and anti-social behaviour

It can all sound a bit depressing and serious, so we made sure the song isn’t.

Please feel free to download and share.