Investor questions about risks, oversight of coal seam gas

There are several comments to be made about investor question over CSG.

1) Whilst companies have a need to know their environmental obligations so that they can determine the risk factors of particular projects, commonsense would suggest that they should allow a significant tolerance for unknown environmental impacts that do not form part of the original framework.

2) A gas supplier's negligence should include not only issues related to the formal environmental guidelines and requirements but should also include events which occur and that could have reasonably been predicted such as water table and air quality issues.
3) If miners think that this is an issues related to CSG and other unconventional operations then they had better think again. As Gunns Ltd found out a project which fails to obtain a social licence to operate can devastate a company's bottom line and result in the death of the company itself.
Woodside have therefore made the right decision albeit late.
4) It is not really that surprising that the Greens and farmers should form an alliance. Both groups are concerned about the environment - one group depends on it for earning their livelihood, the other for the well being of society. With food consumers more and more interested in where their food comes from and how it is produced I, for one, expect that farmers and green groups will become regular partners.