Landholders in Baerami Creek, Widden Valley, Karrabee and Sandy Hollow are among those who have been approached.

AGL has been in discussions with three landowners about proposed exploration core holes, south of Denman.

Leichhardt Resources hold petroleum exploration licence 468, which covers parts of Baerami Creek including a farm managed by Rowan and Liz Smith.

The couple met with a representative of Leichhardt Resources, who with Planet Gas and MBA Petroleum Consultants were seeking an agreement to access the land to drill a core hole.

They were given a letter that said initial work was scheduled to start in July.

Companies can’t enter without landowners’ permission and no drilling is starting on the Smiths’ property this month.

“Four weeks ago I would have been horrified to think I might have common ground with [Greens leader] Bob Brown,” said Mr Smith, who is president of the Baerami Creek Water Users Association, captain of the fire brigade and has lived there 35 years.

“We’re horrified by the implications testing and future gas production can have on surface water and underground aquifers.

“I’m quite sure the words ‘sustainable’ and ‘responsible’ don’t belong in the same sentence as ‘coal seam gas’.

“I want the community to be wiser about what might be on our doorstep.”

The gas companies argue coal seam gas exploration and production is safe, and natural gas is a cleaner energy alternative than coal.

Most landowners also receive $5000 for a drill hole and can negotiate where access roads and wells are located.

Since being approached, the Smiths have collected information from the NSW Farmers Association and Environment Defender’s Office (EDO), and organised a public meeting for July 16, in the Baerami Hall on Bylong Valley Way from 1.30pm.

The EDO supplied 150 free copies of The Rural Landholder’s Guide to Environmental Law in NSW to be distributed.

Planet Gas chief executive officer Ian Halstead will speak, but AGL has declined to attend.

Muswellbrook Shire mayor Martin Rush and the Greens NSW spokesman on coal seam gas Jeremy Buckingham MLC are attending.

An AGL spokeswoman said the company was required to sign an access and compensation agreement with each landowner and carry out an environmental assessment before the government would approve any proposed gas exploration.

For more information about the meeting, phone Mr Smith on 6547 5149 or email baeramicreek@gmail.com.