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Exploration fracking in the Northern Territory causes Christmas contamination

Territorians warn a contamination event involving an Empire Energy exploratory fracking operation southwest of Borroloola during the Christmas period is a sign of things to come if the industry expands further.

Empire Energy published a “reportable incident” today showing that, following rain that began on December 24, the company pumped 2,000 litres of water from the surface of a fracking wastewater flowback tank at its Carpentaria 5 wellsite onto nearby vegetation, and that vegetation subsequently became “stressed”.

According to the incident notice, further analysis revealed the water was “saline”, suggesting the rainwater had mixed with the flowback water from the fracking operation. 

The reportable incident was published two weeks after Empire released a statement to the ASX, saying it had delayed fracking at its Carpentara 5H well until after the wet season. At the time, Empire claimed this was in order to avoid exposing “Empire’s shareholders to weather-related financial risks that the Board deemed unacceptable.

Darwin-based Frack Free NT spokesperson Pete Callender said, “This is a clear example of fracking operations causing contamination and impacting the local ecosystem. 

“This shows the risk a full blown production-scale fracking industry poses to the NT, its water resources, and environment. 

“This is just one well - but fracking companies are likely to drill thousands of fracking wells across the NT if they are allowed to proceed. 

“This troubling contamination also highlights the risks that will follow if the NT Government passes its dangerous Territory Coordinator Bill which would allow fracking companies to cut even more corners and enable water and environment protections to be slashed.

“This is yet another reason why Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek should apply the ‘Water Trigger’ in national environment laws to fracking projects in the Northern Territory.”

ENDS

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