Stop Tamboran's risky fracking!
The NT government has just approved huge fracking plans in the Beetaloo basin. [1] Texan gas frackers Tamboran Resources took over Origin Energy’s plans to frack the NT in 2022, and are now pushing forward to accelerate their fracking despite decades of resistance from Traditional Owners, NT locals and young people around the country. [2]
Fracking in the NT’s Beetaloo basin would set off a carbon bomb that our climate and communities can’t afford. Approving this project risks polluting water with toxic chemicals, and locking in climate impacts for decades to come.
New water protections introduced late last year mean Environment and Water Minister Tanya Plibersek now has the power to critically assess the threats that fracking poses to precious waterways. [3]
Tamboran has a history of dodgy water protection practices*, and cannot be trusted with NT water. With increased flooding and storms during this wet season, water contamination risks are higher than ever - Tanya Plibersek must step in to protect water from the toxic gas industry.
Sign the petition to call on Minister Plibersek to protect water, by calling in and rejecting Tamboran's fracking project for assessment.
Latest Supporters
*Tamboran’s dodgy water practices
Tamboran Resources can’t be trusted with our water. In the middle of the wet season, Tamboran used open ponds at risk of flooding to store their toxic frack waste water. Earlier this year, hundreds of dead fish washed up downstream from multiple fracking sites, with heavy metal detected through water testing.
In 2022 they were fined for using 300,000 litres of untreated wastewater to suppress dust ahead of big rains. Contractors came forward to share that they were instructed to keep spraying drill water despite Tamboran knowing it was contaminated. In the same year a bund wall broke at the site during flooding, spilling sediment and potentially toxic chemicals down towards a sacred waterway. Investigations were also launched for what appeared to be the alleged pumping of possibly contaminated water into a cattle breeding paddock.
What are the water protections?
The water trigger is a law within the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act that requires any large coal mining or coal seam gas project that may have significant impact on water resources to be referred to the regulator for assessment.
Fracking requires very large volumes of water and represents a significant risk of contamination and dewatering. Water resources at risk in the Beetaloo include:
- Numerous groundwater sources that will be drilled through to reach the shale
- The Cambrian Limestone Aquifer which is targeted for significant water extraction for fracking
- Multiple surface water sources including the sacred waterway Newcastle Creek and surface water sources connected to the Cambrian Limestone Aquifer (eg the Roper River and Mataranka Hot Springs). The project would be built upstream of Lake Woods - the NT’s largest freshwater lake and a place of immense cultural significance for Traditional Owners
References
References
[1] NT government approves US gas company Tamboran's plans to expand fracking in Beetaloo Basin, ABC News, 7 June 2024
[2] Tamboran Resources buys Origin Energy's Beetaloo Basin gas exploration stakes, ABC News, 20 Sep 2022
[3] Gas projects to require Commonwealth approval after Labor-Greens deal expands water trigger, ABC News, 7 Dec 2023
Stop Tamboran's risky fracking!
The NT government has just approved huge fracking plans in the Beetaloo basin. [1] Texan gas frackers Tamboran Resources took over Origin Energy’s plans to frack the NT in 2022, and are now pushing forward to accelerate their fracking despite decades of resistance from Traditional Owners, NT locals and young people around the country. [2]
Fracking in the NT’s Beetaloo basin would set off a carbon bomb that our climate and communities can’t afford. Approving this project risks polluting water with toxic chemicals, and locking in climate impacts for decades to come.
New water protections introduced late last year mean Environment and Water Minister Tanya Plibersek now has the power to critically assess the threats that fracking poses to precious waterways. [3]
Tamboran has a history of dodgy water protection practices*, and cannot be trusted with NT water. With increased flooding and storms during this wet season, water contamination risks are higher than ever - Tanya Plibersek must step in to protect water from the toxic gas industry.
Sign the petition to call on Minister Plibersek to protect water, by calling in and rejecting Tamboran's fracking project for assessment.
Latest Supporters
*Tamboran’s dodgy water practices
Tamboran Resources can’t be trusted with our water. In the middle of the wet season, Tamboran used open ponds at risk of flooding to store their toxic frack waste water. Earlier this year, hundreds of dead fish washed up downstream from multiple fracking sites, with heavy metal detected through water testing.
In 2022 they were fined for using 300,000 litres of untreated wastewater to suppress dust ahead of big rains. Contractors came forward to share that they were instructed to keep spraying drill water despite Tamboran knowing it was contaminated. In the same year a bund wall broke at the site during flooding, spilling sediment and potentially toxic chemicals down towards a sacred waterway. Investigations were also launched for what appeared to be the alleged pumping of possibly contaminated water into a cattle breeding paddock.
What are the water protections?
The water trigger is a law within the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act that requires any large coal mining or coal seam gas project that may have significant impact on water resources to be referred to the regulator for assessment.
Fracking requires very large volumes of water and represents a significant risk of contamination and dewatering. Water resources at risk in the Beetaloo include:
- Numerous groundwater sources that will be drilled through to reach the shale
- The Cambrian Limestone Aquifer which is targeted for significant water extraction for fracking
- Multiple surface water sources including the sacred waterway Newcastle Creek and surface water sources connected to the Cambrian Limestone Aquifer (eg the Roper River and Mataranka Hot Springs). The project would be built upstream of Lake Woods - the NT’s largest freshwater lake and a place of immense cultural significance for Traditional Owners
References
References
[1] NT government approves US gas company Tamboran's plans to expand fracking in Beetaloo Basin, ABC News, 7 June 2024
[2] Tamboran Resources buys Origin Energy's Beetaloo Basin gas exploration stakes, ABC News, 20 Sep 2022
[3] Gas projects to require Commonwealth approval after Labor-Greens deal expands water trigger, ABC News, 7 Dec 2023
