CONCERNS have been raised over the release of new areas for oil and gas exploration between Bunbury and Busselton.
According to Conservation Council Director Piers Verstegen, an area of 650 square kilometres of land has been opened to bids from oil and gas companies, covering Dardanup, Boyanup, Peppermint Grove, Stratham, Capel and Donnybrook. The area is open for bids until October 23, 2014.
Mr Verstegen warned oil and gas industry and investors that fracking would not be welcome in the state’s South West tourism region.
“Oil and gas companies and their investors should be warned that their industry will be strongly opposed by South West communities and will fail to gain a social license to operate in the region,” Mr Verstegen said.
“South West communities recently worked to prevent a coal mining proposal from going ahead in the Margaret River area, and gas fracking proposals would face even tougher opposition.
“The South West region is promoted by the WA Government around the world as a ‘clean and green’ food and tourist region. The oil and gas industry is totally incompatible with these activities.
“If unconventional gas resources are discovered in this area, we could see hundreds or thousands of gas wells in this region, connected by a network of roads and pipelines. This would totally transform the area into an industrial landscape.
“Gas fracking would present serious threats to water supplies including the use of massive amounts of water and the contamination of surface water and underground aquifers.
“Under current legislation, farmers and landholders do not have a right to veto oil and gas activity on their land if they don’t want it.”
Mr Verstegen said the gas fracking industry was being investigated by a Parliamentary Inquiry, but at the same time the WA Government was rushing ahead to release new areas for gas fracking exploration over the State.
“We believe communities must be consulted before their land is opened up for exploration,” he said.
“Gas companies and investors should not mistake the Government’s lack of consultation with a social license to operate in this area. Any companies applying to undertake gas fracking in this area will have a long, hard and expensive battle ahead of them which they will ultimately lose.”
The Conservation Council repeated its call for a moratorium on gas fracking in Western Australia and a ban on fracking in agricultural areas, tourist regions, groundwater resources and native wildlife habitat.
Donnybrook-Balingup Shire President Steve Dilley said he had two basic concerns with fracking for unconventional gas reserves.
“One is the potential damage to the environment, in particular groundwater contamination,” he said.
“The other is the rights of landholders and the respect shown to them if drilling was to occur on their properties.”
Mr Dilley said he had an open mind in regards to the process of fracking for gas, as there could be significant financial benefits for the local and regional economy.
“However, everyone including myself would need independent scientific assurances that the local geology and hydrology provided safe separation distances between groundwater aquifers and the coal seam gas reserves to prevent any chance of contamination,” he said.
“Donnybrook’s town water supply is drawn from the Leederville aquifer, as do a number of other commercial users in the area, so a lot of independent scientific facts would have to be presented before anyone could make an informed judgement on whether to support fracking in the South West or not.”
