Abandoned coal boreholes tip of the iceberg in Queensland, requires committed and funded government intervention on methane

Research confirming an abandoned coal borehole is leaking the equivalent of 10,000 cars of methane pollution is a sign of a much bigger problem within the Queensland coal industry that the Crisafulli Government needs to fix, says the Queensland Conservation Council.

Methane is the lesser known but extremely toxic greenhouse gas, 86 times more potent than carbon dioxide in the atmosphere over a 20 year period.

The peak body is calling for a borehole audit program to be established within the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI), paid for by coal royalties. The cost of then remediating these leaks should be the responsibility of the coal corporation responsible, with unmet costs paid for by a levy on all current coal corporations.

Queensland Conservation Council campaigner Ms Charlie Cox said

This research is yet another example of just how reckless and dangerous the fossil fuel industry is, and how the Crisafulli Government has fallen asleep at the wheel when it comes to accountability.

This research is the tip of the methane iceberg for Queensland. We already aren’t doing enough to curb methane from current projects, of which there are over 50, with 28 new or expanding projects in the pipeline to add on top of that.

Then we have these legacy methane emissions, which we have barely even scratched the surface of in terms of understanding the scale of that pollution. 10,000 cars for one hole, with potentially 130,000 holes across the state. If just 5% of these holes are spewing the same amount of methane, that's the equivalent of 65 million cars.

The Queensland Government is the responsible party, they are the regulator, they should set up a borehole audit program within DETSI. This is a perfect example of what coal royalties should be used for. And in cases like this where there is no apparent coal corporation still in operation to clean up the mess, the unmet costs of remediating these holes should be met by a levy on all current coal miners.

Methane is incredibly potent in the short term - the more we pollute now, the faster our planet will warm and the more climate disasters Queensland communities will face. But on the flip side, the faster we reduce our methane emissions, like monitoring and sealing boreholes like this one, the faster we can protect our communities. Tackling methane is one of the fastest, most effective opportunities the Crisafulli Government has to fight climate change.

We also ask the question, why would you add more methane to the problem with new coal and gas projects, when you don't yet even have an accurate measure or handle on the burden left behind by coal boreholes like this one? If the government is serious about helping Queenslanders impacted by worsening climate change, they need to get serious about monitoring, reporting and enacting solutions for all sources of harmful methane pollution.

Banner and thumbnail image: The University of Queensland

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