A “Lock the Gate” gas fracking community forum held in Gingin provided plenty of reason to be alert to the potential risks of gas fracking.
Having attended a forum in the middle of last year with the Department of Mining and Petroleum and gas company representatives, I left feeling there is nothing to worry about, Western Australia is not like the eastern states. I recall the reassuring words, that ours is shale gas, much deeper than the eastern states coal seam and so less risk to underground
water.
Having heard the opposing view I am not that convinced. I came away feeling “be alert but not alarmed” (well not just yet).
My key take away from the meeting was the importance of a community coming together, being conscious of what the potential risks were to their communities from coal mining and gas franking.
Speakers from rural NSW; farmer Rob McReath of Fernview Valley and Annie Kia of Northern Rivers and national Lock The Gate Alliance, showed us that without a united community, there is a risk that gas companies, in pursuit of their economic goals, can provide an environment of intimidation and ultimately risk splitting the community.
For Maureen Dobra of The Loose Leaf Lettuce company and President Vegetables Growers Association, the risk of anything that might effect water is too great. Maureen shared, “Water and food are the basic existence of man kind. Yes, power is important but while there is any risk to the food bowl, it cannot be allowed to continue. We must say no until we find a way to extract it safely without risk.”
To explain the term simply, fracking is the process of a solution of water, sand and chemicals injected at high pressure into a well, creating fractures which allow gas to migrate up
the well. The key side of the ‘For’ argument points to the economic benefits of otherwise inaccessible gas whilst the ‘Against’ argument points to potential groundwater contamination of the fracking solution and the health effects of these. For these reasons hydraulic fracturing has come under international scrutiny, with some countries suspending or banning it.
Being “aware” in the initial exploration phase is critical. Lessons from other gas fields highlight the ability to ramp up operations from one exploration well, to a spider network of wells covering the landscape, which can happen in as little as five years.
Those at the forum noted the concerns for our region are based around the current operator of the conventional gas wells and production facility on Wannamal West Road (Red Gully 1 and Gingin West 1 well sites). According to a release by Empire in our June issue, “Mr Marshall said the upside of this would mean potential unconventional gas production in the future. He added that conventional prospectivity however was still the focus at present and fraccing (hydraulic fracturing) was not being considered at
this point in time.” We as a community need to be alert before that point in time comes.
Shane Love MLA has urged members of the public to make themselves heard at the upcoming Inquiry into the ‘Implications for WA of Fracking for Unconventional Gas’. The recently announced Upper House Standing Committee on Environmental and Public Affairs inquiry will investigate the impact of fracking on land use, the use of groundwater and potential for the use of recycled water, the regulation of chemicals used in the fracking process and land rehabilitation following the hydraulic fracturing process.
“We need to have a thorough understanding of the impacts of the fracking industry from an environmental, economic and social viewpoint,” Mr Love said. He is concerned that there needs to better processes to understand water safety and also the issue of land access which he says is largely untested in WA. He shared that in the east coast they have better guidelines around landowner rights and established arbitration.
Submissions can be made up to 5pm on September 20, 2013 and should be sent to Ms Margaret Liveris at Email: lcepac@parliament.wa.gov.au.
