The cumulative effects of coal seam gas projects are poorly understood and the companies involved should bear the full environmental, social and economic costs of any effects on water systems, says a National Water Commission position statement.
Two years after reporting crude oil-contaminated groundwater to South Australia's EPA, Santos says it has spent $15 million but hasn't pinpointed the source of the leak at its Port Bonython hydrocarbons plant, while the EPA says new studies show the extent of the contamination 'is greater than previously known'.
Australia Pacific LNG maintains that small traces of BTEX found in its coal seam gas exploration wells at Surat Downs, Queensland, are completely unrelated to its fracking activities.
A company seeking to build a major contaminated soil treatment facility at Melbourne's Altona petrochemical complex has lost its bid to proceed without first obtaining a local planning permit and now expects "a long and expensive legal tussle" with Hobsons Bay City Council.
A proposed revamp of the contaminated site assessment NEPM, including new guidance on asbestos and petroleum hydrocarbons, could shave millions of dollars off the cost of major remediation projects, says an impact statement released on behalf of environment ministers.
The NSW Supreme Court has found Shell guilty of misleading or deceptive conduct and breach of contract over its handling of contamination on a Sydney site and has found that it intervened in the production of a URS report in order to limit the consultancy's ability to report on the 'extent and effect' of the oil company's remediation efforts.
The latest environmental incident at an NT mine could add further weight to the argument that the territory's environment department should have responsibility for environmental assessment of mining operations, says an EPA spokeswoman.
Western Australia's legal requirement for accredited auditors to be involved in assessment of contaminated sites can be costly for proponents that fail to manage the process carefully, warns Jeremy Hogben, partner at consultancy Environment Resources Management.
