The Tasmanian Greens today urged the Tasmanian Resources Minister to be cautious about granting shale oil and gas exploration licences in the Tasmanian Midlands.
Greens Mining spokesperson Paul O’Halloran MP said the potential impacts of petroleum projects on arable farmland needed to be carefully assessed.
“In Tasmania there is virtually nothing a landowner can do to prevent exploration and development of petroleum projects on their property, which can leave farmers in a powerless situation,” Mr O’Halloran said.
“There is still very little detail in the company’s proposal regarding the possible impacts on productive farmland from a large scale shale oil and gas project.”
“There are a range of methods for extracting shale oil and gas, and the company has still not indicated whether it plans to use controversial techniques like hydraulic fracturing.”
“All around the world, fracking has been responsible for wrecking productive farmland and harming human health by poisoning the underground water table.”
“There’s no point rolling out new irrigation infrastructure to farms in the Midlands, if we are just going to poison the well.”
“This is not about being anti-industry, it’s about supporting Tasmanian farmers and ensuring the security of the state’s rural industries and food supply.”
Paul O’Halloran MP Greens Mining Spokesperson Tuesday, 16 July 2013
