"Australia's drive for coal seam gas raises protests", 28 Jan 2016

…Coal seam gas (CSG) is found in coal deposits and…activists want to stop exploration in…New South Wales because they say…the process of mining the gas will contaminate groundwater supplies, a charge the industry rejects…[E]nergy firm Santos wants to extract…natural gas…[T]he gas…[i]s trapped by the pressure of underground water, and when that is pumped out the CSG is collected. However…the waste water it creates has led to controversy…[S]ome protesters have employed desperate measures..."This is risky, dangerous industry…and we want these companies to go away," [Jeremy Buckingham, a Greens party MP who sits in the New South Wales Legislative Council] said…Santos…said it adheres to safety regulations that are "among the most stringent in the world." "One of our utmost priorities is ensuring all water resources are protected," a spokeswoman told the BBC. "Claims that our Narrabri Gas Project will have a detrimental impact on the Great Artesian Basin are fundamentally incorrect."