Public to get say on fracking guidelines
The public will soon have an opportunity to comment on new guidelines being developed for companies who want to use fracking to access gas deposits in Western Australia.
The contentious practice, which involves pumping water and chemicals into shale rock several kilometres underground, is already being used to extract gas from the Canning Basin in the Kimberley.
The State Government has been reworking the laws guiding companies, to strengthen reporting and environmental monitoring requirements.
Jason Medd, from the Department of Mines' petroleum division, says the proposed changes will be released for public comment early next year.
"What we're looking at in these guidelines and regulations is we're looking at, where does the company drill a water well to monitor the groundwater? How long do they have to monitor before, after and during an activity? What do they test for? Where are the wells located?" he said.
"These are the things we need to sort out."
Environment groups say it is not yet clear how rigorous the new fracking laws will be.
Environs Kimberley director Martin Pritchard says what is not in doubt is that the practice should be banned in the meantime.
"It's the cart before the horse here," he said.
"We need to stop and take stock of what is actually happening with fracking.
"We need to have a look at the new regulations and see if they're going to address the problems with fracking before any more fracks take place in WA."
The contentious practice, which involves pumping water and chemicals into shale rock several kilometres underground, is already being used to extract gas from the Canning Basin in the Kimberley.
The State Government has been reworking the laws guiding companies, to strengthen reporting and environmental monitoring requirements.
Jason Medd, from the Department of Mines' petroleum division, says the proposed changes will be released for public comment early next year.
"What we're looking at in these guidelines and regulations is we're looking at, where does the company drill a water well to monitor the groundwater? How long do they have to monitor before, after and during an activity? What do they test for? Where are the wells located?" he said.
"These are the things we need to sort out."
Environment groups say it is not yet clear how rigorous the new fracking laws will be.
Environs Kimberley director Martin Pritchard says what is not in doubt is that the practice should be banned in the meantime.
"It's the cart before the horse here," he said.
"We need to stop and take stock of what is actually happening with fracking.
"We need to have a look at the new regulations and see if they're going to address the problems with fracking before any more fracks take place in WA."
Photo Damian Kelly
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WA could lose gas project
ReplyDeleteWA's part of the massive Browse gas resource would not be tapped until after the fields controlled under Commonwealth leases, according to correspondence between the former Federal government and Colin Barnett.
A letter from former resources minister Gary Gray to the Premier on August 8, obtained by The West Australian warns Mr Barnett's resistance to floating liquefied natural gas technology would have the project lost to "another jurisdiction" in the same way the Ichthys project went to the Northern Territory in 2008.
Mr Gray's letter reveals the Commonwealth insists WA owns less than 5 per cent of the 12.5 trillion cubic feet of gas in Browse, which consists of three fields.
The Calliance and Brecknock fields sit within Commonwealth leases. The Torosa field straddles Commonwealth and State leases.
"Torosa is without doubt the more technically difficult and challenging," Mr Gray told the Premier. "Torosa falls within a part of the field that is poorly understood and potentially highly compartmentalised.
"Even under the best of circumstances, development of the Torosa field will happen well after Calliance and Brecknock."
On this basis, Mr Gray asked Mr Barnett to remove the condition on State leases that required development be onshore at James Price Point.
"It would not benefit Western Australia to allow the development process of the Torosa field to stagnate through commercial imposts on less than 5 per cent of the resource," he said.
As reported in _The Weekend West _, Tony Abbott has urged Mr Barnett to embrace floating LNG technology, saying a floating development was better "than not at all".
Mr Gray yesterday welcomed the Prime Minister's comments, saying FLNG was a technological "step change" that would provide thousands of jobs for 30 to 50 years.
The Woodside-led consortium decided against an onshore processing hub at James Price Point this year, on the basis it would be uneconomic.
But Mr Barnett, who claims WA controls 15 per cent of Browse gas, is still demanding the Browse joint venture commit to some onshore presence.
"Torosa is without doubt the more technically difficult and challenging," Mr Gray told the Premier. "Torosa falls within a part of the field that is poorly understood and potentially highly compartmentalised.
ReplyDelete"Even under the best of circumstances, development of the Torosa field will happen well after Calliance and Brecknock."
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..........and the STK lawyers made what we all thought official......
"The Premier knows the only purpose for which the land at James Price Point can be used is an onshore processing precinct for gas from the Browse Basin. Woodside just spent more than $1.5 billion proving that this is not feasible.
Right now there is no plan, no proponent and no financial backing for any development at JPP. The State government is not going to build anything.
The Premier knows that now that Woodside has pulled out and the Goolarabooloo–Jabirr Jabirr claim has split, there is no one to negotiate with about the changes to the Browse agreements and the Browse (Land) Agreement Act 2012, which must be implemented before a supply base can be built without an onshore processing facility. "
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The farce continues on .....and on..........
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