No fracking bid, says Horizons
The Horizons Regional Council says it's received no applications from TAG/Apache Oil for hydraulic fracturing activities, known as fracking.
"Our consents team have received two applications from the oil company to construct a ground-water monitoring bore, a well conductor and a cellar associated with site establishment work only. These applications are not for fracking activities," said Horizons communications adviser Ally Koehler.
In a joint partnership, Apache Corporation and TAG Oil are looking at oil exploration options on the East Coast. Mike Brown, the manager of environmental services for the Tararua District Council, confirmed he'd received an resource application from TAG Oil on Wednesday, but it wasn't for consent to drill.
"They've applied for consent to build an access track and to scrape soil away for a building platform at two sites out at Ngapaeruru, east of Dannevirke," Mr Brown said.
"Our part in this is fairly low-key."
The resource consent applications and concerns over fracking - the process whereby a chemical and water mix is pushed into rock deep underground, fracturing it to release oil or gas - weren't worrying the district council, Mayor Roly Ellis said.
"As a council, we spoke with TAG Oil over a month ago and until somebody comes up with some research about fracking which is completely neutral and not hyped up, then we're happy," he said. "However, if research does come along which says fracking is completely wrong, we'd look at it again."
