The Australian: Gas fracking wars to open up on a new front
THE remote Kimberley region, which contains the nation's most lucrative untapped shale gas deposits and is attracting rising interest from major petroleum companies, is poised to become the next battleground for companies seeking to use hydraulic fracturing amid vocal opposition from green activists, Aboriginal groups and West Australian health authorities.
More than 100 submissions sent to a parliamentary inquiry before Christmas reveal the depth of opposition to the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing, despite industry groups insisting that the practice is not harmful to the environment and the mining of fresh onshore gas reserves would lower domestic gas prices.
The likely development of a shale gas industry in Western Australia follows intense debate in other states over the use of fracking. Victoria recently banned the activity until July 2015.
Some companies have also encountered strong opposition from farmers and environmentalists in NSW and Queensland over plans to extract coal-seam gas using fracking.
With the debate set to ignite in the resource-rich state of Western Australia, Howard government minister Peter Reith yesterday called on the Barnett government to stand up to environmentalists who are gearing up to campaign against fracking, saying it had been proven to be a safe practice and new discoveries would help bring down domestic gas prices. "I'd be surprised if the state government in WA would take a green line on it," said Mr Reith, who led an inquiry into the gas sector for the Victorian government. MORE