The parlimentary committee inquiry into coal seam gas mining in New South Wales has been initiated by widespread concerns raised by landholders, farmers and environmentalists.

The Legislative Council’s general purpose standing committee No. 5 will be investgating the environmental, economic and social impacts of CSG mining in NSW after the Greens’ Jeremy Buckingham approached committee chair Robert Brown about putting forward terms of reference (TOR) for an inquiry.

Mr Brown told The Singleton Argus the TOR were then expanded by the government before being unamiously adopted by the committee.

Mr Brown said on Wednesday that there will be visits to the Hunter, North West, South Sydney and Sydney commencing either later this month or mid September.

Local groups are also comfortable with the terms of reference of the inquiry which will include exploration and commercial extraction activities allowable under the NSW Petroleum (Onshore) Act 1991 (the Act).

Hunter Valley Protection Alliance deputy chair Graeme Gibson called the inquiry “a step in the right direction and a transparent examination of the whole CSG industry”.

“The government hasn’t known enough about extraction or exploration and they don’t seem to have appreciated what has happened in other areas with this industry,” he said.

The group has started a submission for the inquiry and plan to include what they think should be amended in the Act to bring it into line with the coal industry.

The parliamentary committee is seeking submissions until September 7. These can be completed online at www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/gpsc5 or by posting to The Director, General Purpose Standing Committee No. 5, Parliament House, Macquarie St, Sydney NSW 2000 or Fax: (02) 9230 2981.

The final report is expected in April 2012.

Anyone wanting to give evidence as a witness can contact the secretariat on the website.

The committee is chaired by Robert Brown MLC (Shooters and Fishers Party), deputy chaired by Jeremy Buckingham MLC (Greens), Rick Colless MLC (Nationals), Greg Donnelly MLC (Australian Labor Party), Scot MacDonald (Liberal Party), Dr Peter Phelps MLC (Liberal Party) and Peter Primrose (Australian Labor Party).