The NSW Government’s Metgasco buy-back offer is the news most of us have been waiting for.
I’m surprised that a company that has breached its license conditions is getting a $25 million payout to go away. The government needs to be a lot firmer with mining companies. They also need to take much larger bonds so that the mining companies clean up the mess that they always leave behind.
Will Metgasco we required to clean up the leaking test wells that they have already drilled in the Northern Rivers or will the NSW Government be paying for that on top of the $25 million?
Have they paid a bond that will cover the cost of the clean up?
This is certainly a day to celebrate but we need to raise the bar a bit higher. So many other regions have environmental disasters due to abandoned mines, etc.
It’s great that the NSW Government has come good on their pre-election pledge to buy out all the Northern Rivers PEL’s and for that they need to be congratulated! Let’s not underestimate the significance of this decision and let it wash down through all the valleys and farming areas of Australia.
I feel so proud to be a part of the northern rivers community.
Let the Bentley Effect live on
Jeff Johnson, Independent Ballina councillor
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
