Fast-tracked oil consents bypass mayor, public
NEIL REID
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Gisborne Council officials have already granted exploration consents to Canadian oil companies without seeking public approval – or consulting their own mayor.
The Sunday Star-Times revealed two weeks ago that a joint-venture between TAG Oil and Apache believed there was potential to build "thousands" of onshore wells on the East Coast of the North Island and pump "billions of barrels" of oil.
Documents written by TAG said the area was "literally leaking oil and gas", and the joint venture was prepared to undertake an "aggressive East Coast Basin programme".
A Gisborne District Council document, obtained by the Sunday Star-Times, reveals officials have allowed some of the exploration developments without giving the public opportunity to raise any objections.
"Resource consents have recently been issued for activities associated with drilling shallow shot holes and seismic testing," the paper said. "The environmental impact of this is minimal, and the applications were not notified."
The document was prepared by Hans van Kregten, the council's group manager of environment and policy, before a meeting on Thursday night to discuss the TAG/Apache exploration and whether the council would send an official on the 10-day trip to Canada.
But Gisborne mayor Meng Foon was unaware of the consent applications' success when contacted by the Star-Times.
"In actual fact, I don't know anything about it," he said.
When asked if he believed he ought be consulted on any exploration-related consents, he said: "Yeah, maybe on hot topics like this, I should be told about what is happening so I can respond to you appropriately.
"But on this occasion, obviously our staff never talked to me."
Consent applications don't need to go through the public consultation process but councils must publicly notify an application if "the activity will have, or is likely to have, adverse effects on the environment that are more than minor".
Van Kregten's four-page memo – titled "Management of petroleum exploration/production guidelines" – also revealed that the TAG/Apache consortium planned to drill "two exploratory wells" in the Gisborne district in the middle of the year. Those wells would be up to 2500m in depth and "will be tested where oil is found".
The well testing process will include fracking, a highly controversial procedure which is being banned in a growing number of countries due to claims it can lead to increased seismic activity and cause significant health defects if toxic chemicals leak into the ground and water table.
"Some of the fracking fluids will remain underground; some will flow back up the well to the surface," van Kregten wrote. "The technique is controversial and has been banned in some jurisdictions.
"Risks are that fluids or hydrocarbons will migrate up the well casing into groundwater, that flows occur from the well that are uncontrollable, blowout, or that fracking fluids or contaminated well water are improperly contained and contaminate land or surface water."
The council has admitted it was not currently qualified to make binding decisions on consent applications asking for permission to carry out fracking. For that reason, the Gisborne District Council was considering sending an official on a research trip to North America which Apache will pay for, a move revealed by the Star-Times last week.
The trip would only feature management and technical staff from affected councils and not elected councillors. It's understood that the trip would cost Apache $5000 a head.
GDC chief executive Lindsay McKenzie said there was nothing untoward about the paid-for trip. It was an opportunity for staff to upskill to deal with new approaches to oil and gas exploration. "We understand that some people may be dubious about a trip for staff to Canada being paid for by an oil company. It is important to remember that under the Resource Management Act when someone wants to do something new with our resources, the cost of ensuring council is well informed is met by the applicants, not the ratepayers. This is exactly what is happening here."
- © Fairfax NZ News
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This basically is not a good look...a democratic process appears to have been bypassed. When the Mayor of GIS Meng Foon has no idea then my initial thought is that he is either telling the truth (how did it slip by the Mayor?) or lying through his teeth! I guess the future will hold the answer...
What are you talking about "Barbara"? The seismic testing onshore hasn't even started in Gisborne and the seismic testing off the East Cape was done in April. The whales washed up in the last few weeks. What was I 'fudging'? I have been to the public meetings with Apache & TAG and videoed and uploaded them for others interested to hear firsthand from the companies and the very real concerns of locals - who are not conspiracy theorists but have valid questions that need proper answers that reassure us all based on independent science that the proposals for onshore drilling present no unacceptable risk to people or the environment. If those assurances cannot be satisfied then the drilling should not happen.
To all the hysterical, know nothing posters: "Gasland" is not a documentary, it is a highly effective piece of anti fossil fuel propaganda that preys on the willful ignorance of the uninformed tools of the green jihadist groups.
In the USA, fracking has been in practice over 40 years. In that time, the EPA (Environmental Protections Agency) has not documented a SINGLE instance of contamination of ground water from fracking. Most aquifers are at about three to five hundred feet deep. Most horizontal "fracked" wells are at around 10,000 feet. If there is any contamination, it is because of a bad cement job on the well casing that penetrates the aquifer, and is relatively easily remedied.
It would sure be nice of anti fossil fuel crowd actually did research before opening their mouths...or putting fingers to keyboards.
I told Manu Caddie that he was fudging online he was asking the group I was in, to provide evidence that he cud call on to the negative, further into the conversation it became apparent that he was hiding something I suspect this consultaqtion process had not been widely advertised to the public at large, so i told him he was fudging the issue, especially with regard to the beaching of whales and the use of sonar in fracking exploration techniques that both Andarko, a Canadian drilling company that has permits for Christchurch and Apache TEG oil for North of Dannevirke, it is fact from overseas experience that these methods of extraction of oil cause pollution of the acqufiers with heavy water, earthquakes in areas that have little or no records of earthquakes, my question is How can they in all conscience continue with this without impact reports etc when they Know full well the detrimental effect this will have in NZ and especially in regions that are earthquake prone!!!!
Ummm the ellected officials dont give a stuff about our environment or us for that matter as it appears more and more obvious that NZs ecconomic policy has changed from Tourism & farming where we had to pretend to be "clean & green" to one of oil/gas/minerals.. Canterbury already has a permit consented for fracking from Timaru up to Ashburton with the second permit in process now from Ashburton to past Kaikoura (yes they want to frack beautiful Kaikoura too) heres a link https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=224297470991978&set=o.122557837848947&type=1&theater ... Canterbury is going to be the great experiment to find out exactly what happens when you frack in an extremely seismically active area... Thanks all who voted National and let these clowns in to sell us out.. bravo... But really i dont think it would have made a difference.. its either "rescue our economy" after a disaster or make some excuse to cause a war (remember Iraq..??) .. NZ has been known as an oil potential for decades... they just needed to give us our iPhones, make us ignorant to our environment & soften us up so we wouldnt know how to fight anymore... and find a reason and a way in.... well now its happening.... watch our country change.... oil, food bill, mega-upload, more american BS tv.. we are now americas bitch...
Good information here as well. Fracking and Apache's safety record. One of the worst.
um wake up. you guys voted in national knowing to well that these guys are just here to sell out the people of this country so that buinesses can make maximum profit. you all fell for the "we to can be rich" carrot on the stick. every time these guys get in they sell every day hard working kiwis down the river. remember the "trickle down effect". lol this is worse than the nigerian lottery. wave good bye to your rights and due process becuase these guys are just getting started.
Please forward this to as many people you can! put it facebook, tweet it etc. This page has disappeared off the stuff website so unless you had a link to it the common person won't see it. This action by elected officials in Nz is truly sad.
This government is going to sell New Zealand to the highest bidder or if they can't sell it they will lease it to the highest bidder consequences be damned !
Hire the documentary called "Gaslands" ...it will shock you !
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@Doug Browder... You neglect to pay attention to the fact that in the US, Bush and Cheney actually gutted the EPA just as Nats have been trying to do here. In the USA, the government has largely been co-opted by lobby groups and candidates bough and paid for by the oil and gas companies and let us not forget that both Bush and Cheney came from oil families/industry in the first place. Furthermore, the US right has been overtaken by right wing religious fanatics that do not believe in science and they have busily been doing away with much of the EPA and other government departments that are capable of investigating such claims. Also, Bush and Cheney amended the Clean Air and Water Act and placed in it clauses that specifically stated that oil and gas industry would not be held accountable for any environmental damage incurred in exploration and extraction. Mind you, Cheney used to head up Haliburton and that company is a giant in oil drilling so who stood to benefit? You also are not paying any attention to the fact that several nations have now banned fracking and there have been several recent studies in at least 4 countries that showed a high level of correlation between fracking and earthquakes that had been set off in places that never have quakes AND, at least 1 government study that demonstrated water contamination from fracking sites....and it was at one of the sites mentioned in Gasland I might ad. So, before you go trying to whitewash the potential threats to our environment, I suggest that you get your facts straight and give fair time to both sides of the story...or is it that you are one of the many "paid" PR people who is charged with defending oil companies in the media by attacking such posts?