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Resource consent applied for by TAG Oil, Apache
Saturday, June 09, 2012
GISBORNE District Council has received a resource consent application from North American oil companies TAG Oil and Apache Corporation for site work in relation to oil exploration in the district.

The application is requesting to carry out site establishment work on pastoral hill country near Kanakanaia Road, 12km north-west of Te Karaka.

The application does not involve deep well drilling or hydraulic fracturing (fracking).

If approved, the site is likely to be used at a later date for exploratory petroleum drilling but the companies have acknowledged there is no guarantee subsequent resource consent applications for this will be granted.

The proposed works involve the formation of a 120- metre long access track, levelling of a 0.9 hectare well pad, metalling of both of these, construction of a 2.5m x 2.5m concrete cellar extending from the ground surface to a depth of 1.4m, construction of a 0.5m metre diameter conductor pipe to a depth of 10m, a groundwater monitoring well, and associated sediment control measures.

Council environment and policy manager Hans van Kregten said the council has yet to formally accept the application for processing.

“The council will not do so until we are sure there is sufficient information on which to assess potential environmental effects,” he said.

“Once the application is formally received, the council will need to make a decision on whether to publicly notify this application.”

Residents will have an opportunity to talk to council staff about the resource consent process for oil exploration in the district at two public meetings in Gisborne and Te Karaka on Monday.

Anti-fracking group Frack-Free Tairawhiti has organised the meetings to keep the public informed about the issue, and had been expecting the application from Tag Oil and Apache.

Mr van Kregten will be a speaker at the meeting, along with Hawke’s Bay landowner Haana Wilcox, who will share her family’s experience of denying Tag Oil access to her land at Porangahau for exploratory drilling.

Frack-free Tairawhiti spokeswoman Melua Watson says it is good Gisborne District Council is taking part in the discussion on hydraulic fracking.

“There are a lot of unanswered questions, especially around who the council will be taking their advice from when they consider whether to notify, and whether those advisers are sufficiently experienced and independent.

“People want to know exactly how much time the community will have, if indeed they get a chance to make submissions about fracking and oil exploration at all.”

Hundreds of signatures have been collected in a petition calling on the council to notify any fracking-related resource consents.

Meetings will be at the Gisborne District Council offices at 12 noon and at Te Karaka Bowling Club at 6.30pm.

Each is expected to last an hour, followed by a screening of Australian documentary Gas Rush.

- The resource consent application and the applicant’s assessment of environmental effects can be viewed on the council’s website www.gdc.govt.nz/tag-oil-and-apache-corporation-resource-consent-application.
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