Antifracking coalition delivers petition to Parliament
The AfriForum and Treasure the Karoo Action Group (TKAG) alliance on Thursday petitioned Parliament to uphold its duties and hold the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) to account over shale gas-related activities.
The coalition was demanding oversight over the DMR and its approach in pursuing shale gas in the Karoo after developments over the past year brought South Africa closer to the exploration and potential extraction of yet-to-be-determined volumes of shale gas, with the DMR publishing hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, regulations and initiating a comprehensive strategic environmental assessment of the unconventional gas.
AfriForum head of local government affairs Marcus Pawson questioned the standard of scientific openness and transparency and insisted on an approach wherein “policy was informed by science and not politics”.
The petition, which was submitted to the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces in Cape Town on Thursday, raised concern over several unresolved issues, including what the parties labelled “improper” regulations, along with an alleged lack of adequate public consultation and government’s limited capacity for monitoring and implementation, besides others.
TKAG CEO Jonathan Deal said the economic benefits of shale gas mining had not been proven and that it could cause serious environmental damage.
“Today marks another milestone in a long and hard-fought battle for just, fair, open and transparent administration and decision-making,” he added.
“In a year when South Africans are counting the daily increasing impact of drought in our country, one would think that any sensible person would at all costs avoid a controversial technology that requires deep and high pressure drilling in, above, through and around South Africa’s precious water supplies.”
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