The catastrophic consequences of placing our faith in the integrity of energy companies can no longer be ignored. Accidents like the nuclear contamination in Fukushima and the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico should act as powerful warnings about the unsafe practices of big business.
Coal seam gas extraction, also known as fracking, could be the next in a long line of environmentally devastating ‘mistakes’. This technique of collecting natural gas is causing global controversy with many suggesting that the risks and dangers are just too great.
The process of fracking involves pumping millions of litres of water, sand, and toxic chemicals underground at high pressure to fracture rock, allowing natural gas to be obtained. Mining companies are adamant that the safety of this process is guaranteed, but when public figures and politicians of differing political persuasions are demanding that all coal seam gas extraction be halted, we need to ask why.
Many scientists and environmental groups believe the process may lead to the pollution of invaluable ground water supplies, human exposure to toxic chemicals and an increase in earthquake activity. Although the risks associated with fracking are still under investigation, it is known that some of the additives used are toxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic. A recent article published in Nature, a leading scientific journal, claims that many of the chemicals used in the process are kept secret.
The increasing prevalence of fracking has drawn global attention and scrutiny in the last five years. The process is currently banned in France and areas of North America due to rising public concern. The academy award nominated documentary, Gasland, warns of the perils of allowing energy and mining companies to overrun government policy and act in ways that are contrary to the national interest.
In April 2011, a gas extraction well in Pennsylvania, USA leaked thousands of litres of toxic chemicals into the local water supply. This event signalled that the safety promises made by mining companies could not be trusted. Corporations have been known to employ cunning strategies to avoid legislation and regulations. The term ‘Halliburton loophole’ refers to the methods in place which exempt fracking from many of the environmental protection laws, including the Safe Drinking Water Act, in the United States. It is worth considering that it was Halliburton’s cost cutting attempts and poor construction methods that led to the environmentally devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The alarming rise in the number of earthquakes occurring in the town of Guy, Arkansas has also been linked to fracking. The area is home to more than 3000 injection wells and many residents and local geologists believe fracking has caused increased seismic activity. Following a 4.7 magnitude quake in April, energy companies shut down the two wells closest to the fault line on which the town rests. Since fracking has been halted in the area there has been a 50% decrease in the number of quakes however, the mining companies insist that there is no scientific evidence to support a correlation between gas extraction wells and seismic activity.
In Australia, there are plans for tens of thousands of new gas wells to be built within the next five years. The majority of the construction is to occur in rural Queensland. Coal seam gas extraction is one of the rare issues that has brought farmers and conservationists together. The NSW Farmers’ Association is calling for the law to be altered in order to give property owners the right to stop mining companies from entering private land. Fiona Simson, president of the Farmers’ Association, believes “that any impact on farm operations is too much impact – anything that can’t be fully mitigated is just not acceptable”.
The main cause for concern is the risk of contaminating underground aquifers during the fracking process which are a vital source of water for many farms and townships. The groundwater and bores on a property in Kingaroy were contaminated last year after toxic chemicals, benzene and toluene, leaked from a gas well into the water supply. Many argue that major water contaminations such as this will become increasingly common. Distressed residents and farmers in Queensland and NSW believe they have suffered with a variety of illnesses as a result of living near gas wells.
Researchers around the world are working to answer the many questions about the risks that fracking poses to our health. Doctors for the Environment, an Australian organisation of medical doctors who investigate health concerns caused by environmental factors, argue that some of the chemicals used in fracking are known to cause cancer.
Get Up!, an Australian political activist group, has recently launched an anti-fracking ad campaign featuring Bob Irwin as well as a number of environmental scientists and farmers. Irwin labels coal seam gas extraction as the “greatest threat to our country”. The ad expresses the importance of protecting Australia’s great artesian basin from contamination and urges the government to halt the coal seam gas industry until the risks are fully understood. Scientists at the University of New South Wales are currently testing the long-term effects that coal seam gas extraction has on underground water supplies. Until these studies conclude that processes such as fracking are practically infallible then the risk of contaminating our water is too great.
One of the most striking aspects of the fracking debate is the mix of public figures and politicians who are speaking out about its dangers. Billionaire mining magnate, Clive Palmer, has been vocal about his concerns. He warns, “Coal seam gas technology currently used in Australia is lethal and will kill Australians, poison our water table and destroy the land.” A recent poll revealed that two-thirds of Australians would support a moratorium on coal seam gas extraction until more is known about the environmental and safety risks.
In the last week, Independent MP Tony Windsor has introduced legislation to force mining companies to prove that gas extraction will not adversely affect water aquifers. If passed, the legislation will grant the Federal Environment Minister the power to review and stop dangerous coal seam gas extraction projects.
In response to the intense media scrutiny that fracking has received, the coal seam gas industry is about to launch a major advertising campaign. The industry hopes to build public support for the massive increase in the number of gas wells to be built in New South Wales and Queensland. The mining industry emphasises the importance of coal seam gas extraction to the future of the Australian economy. A report released by the Global Warming Policy Foundation states that coal seam gas extraction “is unlikely to be a major source of pollution or methane emissions but in contrast promises to reduce pollution and accelerate the decarbonisation of the world economy”.
Many believe that fracking will bring about “massive environmental, economic and political benefits” and this may well be true. However, the potential advantages of fracking will only be realised if the process is subject to rigorous health and safety regulations which are actually complied with and enforced. It was barely a year ago that many were touting the abundant benefits of nuclear power but the potentially deadly contamination that has occurred at Fukushima demonstrates that vital safety regulations, which should be binding, are ignored when priority is given to higher profits.
The fact of the matter is that fracking may have economic and environmental benefits but governments have a duty to their citizens, present and future, to question the safety practices of energy companies and proceed with caution. History suggests that irreparable damage is caused, not only by processes, but also through carelessness and cost cutting measures.
