600 sign petition against oil shale | Whitsundays News | Local News in Whitsundays

COMMUNITY support for Save Our Foreshore's (SOF's) campaign against oil shale mining in the Whitsundays has continued to grow. More than 600 people have signed a petition in protest to the development of a proposed mine in the Goorganga Flood plain in the past two weeks. SOF committee members collected the signatures during two sessions at the Airlie Beach markets. Committee member Toni Randall said the community response to the issue had been strong. She said most people were shocked to hear of the plans for the mine. "(They were) horrified that they could do something to the Whitsundays like this," she said. Oil shale is a sedimentary rock containing matter that can be heated to very high temperatures to extract kerogen. The kerogen is then distilled to obtain oil. Ms Randall said SOF was highly concerned about the effect the proposed mine could have on resident's health and the environment. The group plans to hand the petition to the Federal and State Governments within the next five weeks.