Theia Energy, the second company to put forward a proposal to frack in the Kimberley since the WA government’s fracking moratorium was lifted in 2018, has officially withdrawn their proposal from the EPA assessment process.
“We’re very glad to see Theia walk away from their plan to frack for oil in the Kimberley. The project received huge community backlash when it opened for public comment in March due to the tremendous environmental and cultural values of the region, and the substantial risks and impacts the project entails. The EPA received over 2000 public comments on the proposal.” said Claire McKinnon, WA Campaign Coordinator for Lock the Gate Alliance said.
“Theia may come back with another proposal, but this disaster of an industry has no future at a time when the world is moving away from fossil fuels.
“Theia joins the long list of companies that have walked away from proposals to frack the Kimberley. The list includes PetroChina, Alcoa, Mitsubishi, ConocoPhillips, New Standard Energy and Squadron Energy.
“The WA community has stood strong on fracking for over 10 years now, the success of which has resulted in 27 communities declaring themselves ‘frack free’ and the 2017 McGowan government commitment to an independent inquiry into fracking, a moratorium and regional bans.
“Two Kimberley fracking proposals have been referred to the EPA for assessment since the moratorium was lifted. Now, only one - from Texan fracker Black Mountain - remains and the community won’t give up until they’ve packed their bags too.”