By Nonee Walsh, ABCUpdated August 24, 2013, 11:09 am

Former independent MP Tony Windsor, who pushed for federal powers to scrutinise the impact of gas and coal projects on water supply says he is dismayed at its slow implementation.

The powers to require assessment of cumulative water impacts of coal seam gas and coal projects under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act, known as the water trigger, was passed in June.

So far it has been applied to only 4 out of 50 applications before the Federal Government.

Mr Windsor, the former Member for , supported the Gillard Labor government, provided Federal environment law was extended to scrutinise water protection in coal mines and gas well projects.

“I am a little bit concerned we don’t seem to be proceeding very quickly,” he said.

“I would hope there is very good reason for that in terms of getting the process right, rather than some of the officials hoping that there will be a change of government or some change of policy after the election.”

When the water trigger amendment was passed, Mr Windsor also moved an amendment to ensure the power could not be devolved back to the states.

do not think restrictions of coal seam gas miners should be eased.

Voters in rural and regional seats were more supportive of restrictions on CSG than urban dwellers.

Concern about appropriate investigation of proposals

Carmel Flint from Lock the Gate Alliance, which campaigns against inappropriate mining projects, says the Government needs to ensure that some of New South Wales and Queensland’s most controversial mine and gas applications are captured by the water trigger.

The water trigger has been applied to the Kevin’s Corner open cut and underground coal mine in the Galilee basin in western Queensland, 160 kilometres west of Emerald, but not to three other projects in the same basin.

“Because there has not been full and adequate assessments conducted, we don’t know what the full impacts will be and unless the Federal Government requires those assessments, these mines will be approved without full knowledge of the water impacts,” she said.

Ms Flint says community concern about the Wallarah 2 mine in the New South Wales central coast water catchment and plans for CSHG wells in the western Sydney suburbs of Camden and Campbelltown must be addressed.

“It is incredibly important that the Federal Government lets the community know know before the election whether it will require further water studies in these incredibly sensitive locations,” she said.

The environment group is concerned because there is a 60-day statutory deadline for the trigger to be applied which falls just before election day.

In a statement to the ABC, the Environment Department dismissed the concern.

“According to the provisions of the Amendment Act, decisions on the application of the water trigger to transitional projects can continue to be made past the 60-business-day time frame,” the department said.

However, Mr Windsor is not entirely convinced by the department’s assurances.

“Tony Abbott and Kevin Rudd have been talking about Green tape as they call it, and the capacity to tighten up some of the environmental regulations, that to me is code that the water trigger is under scrutiny,” he said.

“They would be far better off to have a very close look at a lot of the polls that are out there, particularly in relation to coal seam gas where the population has massive concerns about the relationship between some of these extractive activities and groundwater resources.”