US gas company Tamboran Resources' plan to significantly expand its fracking project in the Beetaloo Basin has been approved by the Northern Territory government.
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00:00Last month, a government celebrating.
00:04This is about securing our energy future in the Northern Territory.
00:09Today, a government in defence.
00:12There are very rigorous monitoring, there's very rigorous things in place to make sure
00:18and nobody wants to see our environment impacted.
00:21The NT government has approved Tamborin's self-assessed environment management plan
00:26to drill 15 more fracking wells in the Beedaloo Basin.
00:30The project is expected to use 375 million litres of water each year
00:36and will emit more than 170,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions yearly.
00:42But the project won't be required to undergo further independent scrutiny.
00:48I'm very, very concerned.
00:50I think this deserves the appropriate level of scrutiny for a new industry
00:58that is already causing heightened community concern.
01:02This decision is leaving our kids wondering who the adults in the room are here.
01:08Last year, Tamborin was fined over pollution violations
01:12and has faced allegations of water contamination.
01:15But the Chief Minister says there's been enough checks and balances for the gas giant to expand.
01:21They've gone through the right processes.
01:23They're not being rushed, they're being fully investigated.
01:25The critical question for everyone is will Minister Plibersek act,
01:30call in this project and have it assessed under federal law?
01:34Environment groups are calling on the Federal Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek,
01:38to pull the so-called water trigger,
01:40which would see experts examine the project's impacts on water.
01:44The NT government hasn't referred Tamborin yet,
01:47but Minister Plibersek says any breaches of environment law will be taken extremely seriously.