The Federal Environment Department’s confirmation it will not recommend the use of expanded water protection laws for Tamboran’s latest fracking expansion puts the Northern Territory’s most precious resource and the communities who rely on it at risk.
Department officials today told the Middle Arm Senate Inquiry that they would not recommend Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek call in Tamboran’s Shenandoah South fracking project under the water trigger.
The NT Government approved the project earlier this month, prompting outrage from community groups.
Shenandoah South would involve the drilling of 15 new gas wells and would drain more than one billion litres of groundwater over four years for the project.
This water would be mixed with up to 600,000 litres of fracking chemicals and 2,000 tonnes of sand per well and driven deep underground, with most of it left behind underground and the remainder brought back to the surface as waste that would need to be disposed of.
The Senate Inquiry also heard Tamboran representatives met with the Environment Minister’s office last Tuesday to discuss the project.
Lock the Gate Alliance National Coordinator Carmel Flint said, “One billion litres of groundwater will be drained so Tamboran can frack its 15 gas wells. Almost every drop of that water will be contaminated with chemicals and sent down fracking wells.
“If a project of this nature was taking place in Queensland or New South Wales, we have no doubt that it would be referred for proper assessment at the Federal level.
“For the Environment Minister’s department to leave this project unscrutinised by the newly expanded water trigger is an utter betrayal of Territorians who put their faith in her government at the last election and in December when this law was passed.”
Central Australian Frack Free Alliance spokesperson Hannah Ekin said, “Marion Scrymgour promised the expanded water trigger would apply to fracking in the Northern Territory. Today’s statement from the department shows Labor intends to break this promise.
“If there is a contamination event, if bores lose water and pressure, or springs dry up as a result of this project, it will be the Albanese Government we hold just as responsible as Tamboran, because they had this law and they failed to use it.
“Territorians have consistently demanded better scrutiny of fracking’s impacts on water and are bitterly disappointed that our federal representatives Luke Gosling, Marion Scrymgour and Malarndirri McCarthy have not been able to deliver on that.”
ENDS