Business
CSIRO fracking research ‘doesn’t pass the pub test’, expert says – ABC News
The CSIRO is accused of having a conflict of interest after releasing a report on coal seam gas that says fracking has little-to-no impact on the environment, while critics also question the sample size and location of sites studied.
The CSIRO has been accused of having a conflict of interest with the coal seam gas (CSG) industry after releasing a report that says it found fracking has little to no impact on the environment.
Key points:
- Six fracked gas wells were tested, chosen by industry, out of the 19,000 wells in Queensland
- There are concerns the CSIRO is compromised by its relationship with the CSG industry
- The CSIRO and GISERA have been contacted for a response
Research by an alliance between the Commonwealth research agency and major CSG companies has been used to argue that fracking is a safe method of extracting gas.
The CSIRO said the report Air, Water and Soil Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing in the Surat Basin, Queensland found “little to no impacts” from fracking “on air quality, soils, groundwater and waterways”, but the organisation was subsequently criticised for testing just six gas wells out of the 19,000 across the state.
The research was conducted by the Gas Industry Social and Economic Research Alliance (GISERA), which is a joint research venture that includes the CSIRO and major gas companies.
An environmental scientist from Queensland’s Griffith University, Emeritus Professor Ian Lowe, said that sample size “doesn’t pass the pub test”.
“Six
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