It’s divided communities, made enemies of neighbours and seen mining companies and environmentalists engage in a public shouting match.

Finding the middle ground in a debate so polarising can be difficult.

But the NSW government has been charged with just that, forced to design a regulatory framework around an industry many feel should not exist.

Announcing a new suite of laws yesterday, deputy premier Troy Grant conceded the issue was indeed the “most polarising” facing the government.

While the changes have done little to appease CSG alarmists, they still offer a short-term political fix.

The government has wisely refused to detail areas of the state where coal seam gas mining will be allowed until after the election.

And critically, the new laws are based on the best science available – a landmark report recently unveiled by NSW chief scientist Mary O’Kane.

The government will wholly adopt her 16 recommendations, including rigorous enforcement, clear and open communication and improved compensation for landholders and communities.

All national parks and urban areas will be quarantined and Mr Grant has vowed CSG explorations would only be allowed “where it is safe and appropriate”.

The changes have been tentatively welcomed by both NSW Farmers’ and the CSG industry.

But locally, concerns still linger over the future of the prized farmland of the Liverpool Plains.

Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson has wisely called an urgent meeting with energy minister Anthony Roberts to push for an immediate ban on CSG mining in the farm-belt.

Like many decisions in life, the CSG issue is about risk versus reward.

The state is facing an unprecedented energy crisis and CSG extraction could form an important part of the solution.

But if it lowers the water table and jeopardises the viability of farming, the risk is too great.

Where emotion exists, reason cannot.

As such, the government has made the right decision to be guided by science, rather than hysteria.