Fracking - Coming to a Karoo Near You

[Dewi]

Info here for those interested in reading further.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmen ... fracturing

[dup]

Shell is one of the concession holders,remember the polution of the Nigeria delta .I think it is easy to remind everybody about their track record.
Stop buying shell products.

[Mel]

[Flutterby]

World joins South Africans in fight against fracking

10/09/20120

Last week, the South African government lifted the moratorium on fracking in South Africa. Is this the end of the road? In this guest post, Jonathan Deal, Chairman of Treasure the Karoo Action Group, vows it’s just the beginning and promises to take it to the Constitutional Court if need be.
International groups opposed to fracking in the United States, Europe and Australia have rallied in support of the Treasure the Karoo Action Group (TKAG) in our fight to prevent the government from giving fracking in South Africa the green light.

The support we have received locally and internationally since the government lifted the moratorium on fracking in South Africa on Friday 7 September 2012 has been overwhelming. It is clear that there is widespread abhorrence to this environmentally harmful, potentially polluting form of mining.

The harm done by fracking is potentially irreversible. It has a negative impact on the environment, affects the health of local communities, and does not deliver sustainably on the promises of job creation, community upliftment and energy provision as claimed by mining companies, such as Royal Dutch Shell, who – despite their overt concern with ‘what is good for SA’ – are only keen on growing profit.

International groups which have promised their support to TKAG include Food & Water Watch, FrackAction, Waterdefense, Attac International and Attac France, Artists Against Fracking USA, anti-fracking activists Mark Ruffalo and Josh Fox – producer of the film Gasland –Fracking Ireland and Lock the Gate in Australia.

Locally, TKAG is part of a strategic alliance of established NGOs, including KZN-based African Conservation Trust. TKAG has also received a vote of support from the Southern Cape Land Committee (SCLC), which is a local organisation representing the interests of rural communities. They have been independently outspoken about their opposition to fracking in South Africa.

Fracking opponents in South Africa are planning a national demonstration in front of Parliament on Saturday 22 September – Global Anti-Fracking Day.

Fracking has been banned or restricted in 155 jurisdictions throughout the world.

The South African Cabinet announced on Friday that it had decided to lift the moratorium on fracking in the Karoo. The moratorium was endorsed by the SA cabinet in April 2011, followed by the appointment of a task team by Minister Shabangu with the purpose of investigating fracking. She announced that the task team would focus on the feasibility of fracking as well as its likely impact on the environment.

Since that time the task team has met in total secrecy and consistently refused to make its composition or findings public. On Friday, 7 September, Cabinet also apparently requested the mineral resources minister to ‘hold a series of public consultations with interested and affected stakeholders to provide further details’.

Meanwhile, the Treasure Karoo Action Group has pledged to take the fight to oppose fracking in South Africa to the Constitutional Court.

Our research, as well as a legal-scientific review of the environmental management plans (EMPs) of the three current applicants (Royal Dutch Shell, Bundu and Falcon) has revealed fatal flaws. These flaws mean that the plans of the applicants are at odds with various South African laws and regulations as well as the Constitution of the country.

In addition, the internationally critical reputation of fracking, and the rejection of the destructive polluting technology by tens of millions of people in other countries has never been dealt with by our government (despite formal notification of these facts to our cabinet by TKAG) nor by any of the applicants
to mine for shale gas in South Africa.

It is our conviction that there are other less harmful and more sustainable means – including solar – to create jobs, generate energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A sensible approach now will pay dividends for the future children of this country and enable them to meet their needs.

We do not have to sacrifice our health, well-being and environment in the short term to line the pockets of foreign oil companies.

We simply cannot allow this threat to our water resources, our environment and the health of our communities to be carried out. We will take this fight to the highest court.

Jonathan Deal
Chairman, Treasure the Karoo Action Group

[Flutterby]

Environmental group questions existence of fracking report

BY PAUL VECCHIATTO, 10 SEPTEMBER 2012
Business Day Live

THE existence of the government’s report on the use of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, to explore for shale gas in the Karoo has been questioned by Treasure the Karoo Action Group (TKAG) chairman Jonathan Deal.

Fracking involves pressurised water, chemicals and sand being pumped underground to release gas trapped in rock formations. It has been opposed by landowners and environmentalists who say the process can pollute water supplies. Proponents have said it can help assure South Africa’s energy security and create jobs.

At a press conference on Monday, Mr Deal questioned why Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu had lifted the 14-month moratorium on hydraulic fracturing without releasing the report to the public as she had promised.

"On numerous occasions we have asked the minister for the report, as well as who was on the task team that compiled it. However, it has all been done in secrecy … in fact, I question if there was even a moratorium in the first place," he said.

His group went to court, using the Promotion of Access to Information Act to compel the minister to disclose who was on the task team and other details of its work. Judge Ben du Plessis’s decision in January in favour of the TKAG was challenged by the Ms Shabangu.

The task team, appointed by Ms Shabangu in April last year, included the directors-general of the departments of mineral resources, science and technology, and trade and industry, plus the CEO of the Petroleum Agency South Africa. Mr Deal said on Monday that it did not include members from other departments such as tourism, health and housing.

"Those departments are necessary as they are the ones who have to deal with the fallout of fracking," he said.

When the task team was announced last year, he said it should also include environmental groups.

Ms Shabangu is due to release the task team report, either fully or parts of it, at a press conference in Parliament next Tuesday.

Mr Deal said he would be present at that conference to ask Ms Shabangu a slew of questions about the release of the report and the public consultations that were supposed to have taken place before it was finalised.

The TKAG vowed on Sunday to fight the lifting of the moratorium.

Mr Deal said his group would first exhaust all avenues of appeal against the decision to lift the moratorium and only once that had happened would it pull the trigger on court action.

He said that since the announcement of the moratorium’s lifting late last week, his organisation’s bank account had received about R110,000, mainly in small donations from individuals.

Mr Deal said his group was totally dependent on public donations and it had no single large funder.

He said the action group had also received a great deal of support from international anti-fracking groups and that it would demonstrate in front of Parliament on September 22.

Shell SA on Friday welcomed the decision to lift the moratorium. It said its exploration phase could take nine years and cost up to $200m.

However, only 1% of the area applied for would actually be drilled as large tracts had been reserved for other uses such as the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope project, the Southern African Large Telescope and nature parks.

[Richprins]

Shell SA on Friday welcomed the decision to lift the moratorium. It said its exploration phase could take nine years and cost up to $200m.

However, only 1% of the area applied for would actually be drilled as large tracts had been reserved for other uses such as the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope project, the Southern African Large Telescope and nature parks.

So ShellSA must then be incredibly stupid?

Government is on board here big time...end of story!

And BTW, 1% of that area is more than enough initially...it is an experiment and not an "exploration", as TKAG rightly says.

[H. erectus]

Fracking will go ahead I believe.
A lot of research has been done behind the scenes!!
Shell is not the only oil company active in this country!

Fact is .gov owns a oil company.

[H. erectus]

Remember when in those bad old days of "apartheid" our
then ministers of transport sold off property to themselves
which he aquired when he was minister of agriculture!!!!

We must take this bad habit, of apartheid, and prevent it
ever happening again!!

[iNdlovu]

It is so evident that there is some hidden agenda here, why would everything be kept hush-hush. This is so typical of this government and the way it operates.
AW supports TKAG 100%

[H. erectus]

why would everything be kept hush-hush

Just maybe 'cause they hate to see you as a stick in the spokes!!!!
They care for you Indlovu!! Heh he