US report spurs SA anti-fracking activists

EXPLOSIVE reports of contaminated drinking water due to oil and gas prospecting activity in the United States prompted the Treasure Karoo Action Group to appeal yesterday to the mineral resources minister to review the government's stance on fracking.

TKAG chief executive Jonathan Deal said he brought the latest information, referencing a report by the Wall Street Journal and Associated Press, to the attention of Mineral Resources Minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi and would also include the information in the complaint the anti-fracking lobby group had lodged with the public protector last week.

A total of 243 cases in which state regulators concluded drilling companies were responsible for impacting on private drinking-water wells were reported by the US media. The problems listed, some of which were temporary, included methane gas contamination, spills of wastewater and other pollutants, dried-up wells and undrinkable water.

Deal said TKAG had placed a "smoking gun" in front of the minister in a letter addressed to his office yesterday.

This comes after Mineral Resources Department director-general Thibedi Ramontja last week briefed the parliamentary portfolio committee on mineral resources, stating that the department's regulations would be effective in dealing with the risks that shale gas exploration might pose to the environment.

Deal said: "The [anti-fracking] alliance is delighted that this has come to the fore only days after the Department of Minerals was blowing its own trumpet about how it will protect South Africa's water supply ...

"This is a landmark report which our government must seriously consider before any steps are taken to advance shale gas exploration or extraction. We are requesting that the government take stock of all the uncertainties, risks and costs which it appears it has brushed aside in favour of the claimed economic benefits," he said.

"We urge the government to halt the process, consider all of the evidence ... and consult with South Africans."

Deal said the latest report dealt only with Pennsylvania and was the tip of the iceberg of shale gas mining pollution in the US.

The Wall Street Journal three days ago reported the 243 cases of contamination, following lawsuits and open- records requests filed by the Associated Press and others concerning drillingrelated water contamination cases.

In his letter to Ramatlhodi, Deal said the government had been provided with "yet another opportunity and a very sound reason to put an end to the current process in favour of a detailed ... investigation into shale gas mining".

Afriforum environmental affairs head Julius Kleinhans said monitoring alone would not protect water resources.

"In South Africa sufficient research ... has not been completed, leaving the current regulations completely inadequate as a base for appropriate regulations. It is a recipe for disaster and a huge uncalculated risk," Kleinhans said.

The Mineral Resources Department did not respond to queries yesterday. - Cindy Preller