Federal resources minister Martin Ferguson released a report on May 14 into Australia’s gas reserves. The report signalled a huge expansion of gas mining in the NT and bad news for the environment.
Two new areas have been opened for gas exploration: shale gas exploration in the central NT, and conventional offshore gas exploration north-west of Darwin. Both of these present serious environmental problems.
The shale gas industry relies on capturing gas by pumping sand, water and chemicals into the ground — a process commonly known as fracking.
Fracking is widely used to extract shale gas in the US, but the practice has led to the contamination of water supplies. The popular documentary Gasland, released in 2010, showed that some residents near fracking sites could set their tapwater on fire.
Scientists have also linked fracking to earthquakes, because fracking can damage the underlying geological structures in ways that conventional mining does not.
Green Left Weekly
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