Santos wins farmers and graziers to CSG and Queensland reaps benefits How well has the oil and gas sector sold the case for coal seam gas extraction? The panel looks at the growing significance of CSG. QUEENSLAND'S $60 billion coal-seam gas industry has been given a confidence boost with an independent survey confirming high levels of support from farmers and graziers. In polling conducted for Santos GLNG by Nielsen, nine out of 10 respondents said they would be happy to have the energy giant return to their properties. The findings, obtained exclusively by the Sunday Mail, will be a blow to anti-gas activists. Eight out of 10 people polled said Santos had done all, or almost all of the things it had set out to do, to ensure landholders were comfortable with its activities. Seven out of 10 said they were satisfied with their relationship with Santos. Significantly, those surveyed in September were 64 farmers and graziers from the Roma-Rolleston-Taroom district who already have drilling, seismic surveys or other gas production work on their properties. They were able to complete the lengthy survey anonymously. Maranoa Regional Council deputy mayor and landholder Scott Wason, on his property near Roma. Picture: The Australian Scott Wason, a third-generation grazier from Roma, said the survey confirmed gas companies were operating responsibly. He believed opposition to CSG had evaporated in western Queensland. "At the start only 50 per cent (of primary producers) supported gas," he said. Now it would be 95 per cent or even higher. We soon came to realise you are better off embracing it and working with them. Mr Wason, 55, who is the deputy mayor of the Maranoa Regional Council, said gas had brought untold benefits to regional Queensland. "Queensland would be stuffed without it," he said. It's certainly kicking the economy along. A contractor at work on the Santos gas plant. He pointed to comments this week by Treasurer Tim Nicholls who said coal-seam gas royalties of almost $500 million a year would begin flowing into state coffers by 2014-15. The Santos survey also found that seven in 10 believed coal-seam gas was making a positive contribution to regional economies by providing jobs and supporting local businesses. Moreover, a majority of farmers and graziers said they are receiving significantly more in compensation from Santos than they would if the same amount of land taken by wells was returned agriculture. Cr Wason said he had 30 wells on his property and the revenue stream had secured his family's future. He said gas companies were supporting agriculturists by providing purified water to grow crops and water stock. He said he believed anti-gas groups like the Greens and Lock the Gate had a right to protest but were misguided. Lock the Gate president Drew Hutton said there was still opposition to gas. "I believe it's split about 30/30/30," he said. There are a third who are very happy to let in the miners. There are a third who are concerned but reluctantly agree. And there are a third who don't want it at any cost. A landholder should have the right to say no. However the mining industry has all the power stacked in its favour. Mr Hutton said he believed the survey results would be very different had the poll been taken on the Darling Downs around Crows Nest where farmers faced more disruption than graziers further west. He said it could be five decades before the negative effects on underground aquifers became apparent. Santos said it expects to be drilling new gas wells for another 30 years and believes the environmental risks are overstated. Landholders get a disturbance fee and an annual payment for wells. It released three examples of deals with landholders: A large-scale grazing property with more than 50 wells and production infrastructure received an initial payment of $450,000 followed by payments of $225,000 a year since 2003. A landholder with less than 15 wells got $150,000 upfront with additional annual payments of $69,700. A grazier with less than five appraisal wells on his property (he doesn't live there) received a $15,000 signing on fee and an agreement for $13,000 a year compensation.