WA Mines and Petroleum Minister Norman Moore has dismissed the Greens' calls for a moratorium on fracturing in onshore gas operations, just a day after a petroleum engineering professor warned a permanent moratorium was on the cards if the critical Yarragadee freshwater aquifer is compromised.
Moore told the Department of Mines and Petroleum's (DMP) 8 December Petroleum and Geothermal Open Day that, driven by reports of aquifer contamination from this process on east coast and in the US, the Greens want the State Government to introduce a moratorium on 'fraccing' in WA.
In June, Greens MLC Alison Xamon called for an immediate moratorium on fracturing, saying that the UK suspended the practice after France did, temporarily. A British parliamentary committee announced it sees no need to ban fracturing for now. "We conclude that, on balance, a moratorium in the UK is not justified or necessary at present. But evidence must continue to be collected and assessed", the committee said.
Moore said that in the last five years only three exploration hydraulic fracturing operations have occurred in WA - all three in remote locations for tight or shale gas.
PNR Online
No comments:
Post a Comment