29 February 2012
HBRC supports potential study on fracking in Oil Exploration
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council has put its support behind any potential study into hydraulic fracturing used in oil
exploration.
At its full council meeting today Council voted unanimously to request the Parliamentary Commissioner for the
Environment to instigate a study on the likely risks and benefits of oil exploration using hydraulic fracturing on the
East Coast.
The recommendation was put forward by Councillor Liz Remmerswaal, who said the report was needed given the huge public
interest in oil exploration and hydraulic fracturing, or fracking as it is known.
HBRC Group Manager Iain Maxwell told the meeting the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment was already
undertaking a scoping exercise to help determine whether to do a full investigation into fracking. The recommendation
supports any potential study by the Commissioner.
He says HBRC has so far not received any recent resource consent applications for oil exploration in the Hawke’s Bay
region.
HBRC Chief Executive Andrew Newman says it is important the public understands it is not Council’s role to have a view
for or against oil exploration in Hawke’s Bay, but rather gather the information it needs to make an informed decision
on any resource consent application it may receive in the future.
“The more independent information in the public domain the better.”
He says councils are obliged by law to accept and process any resource consent applications they receive.
“HBRC’s Regional Resource Management Plan has a range of controls relevant to this type of activity that provides for
sustainable management of natural resources.”
He says as the statutory authority HBRC’s role is to process any resource consent applications that are made, assess the
effects of the activity under the Resource Management Act, and to monitor any resource consents that are issued to
ensure they are complying with the conditions of any consent.
ENDS