Abstract
Production of unconventional petroleum resources in Australia comprises the exploration for and extraction of shale gas and coal seam gas (CSG, also known as coalbed methane). This chapter examines the issues associated with produced water from CSG and shale gas extraction, which differ greatly in both content and regulation. In examining the regulation of produced water from the extraction of CSG, only the Queensland jurisdiction will be assessed, since it is the only jurisdiction where production is occurring. Due to a moratorium on shale gas exploration and extraction in the Northern Territory, the regulation of produced water from shale gas exploration and production in Western Australia and South Australia is considered, with a particular focus on Western Australia given the advanced development of shale gas exploration in that state. This chapter provides an overview of unconventional petroleum resources (UPR) in Australia, and the regulation of UPR exploration and production in Queensland, Western Australia, and South Australia. It considers issues relating to produced water from both shale gas and CSG production and analyses the legal and environmental issues related to produced water in shale gas and CSG activities.
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Notes
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The Interim Report, released in July 2017, can be found at https://frackinginquiry.nt.gov.au/interim-report.
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The definition of “petroleum” in each jurisdiction may be found in the following legal authorities: Petroleum (Onshore) Act 1991 (NSW) § 3; Petroleum (Onshore) Act 1991 (NSW) § 3; Petroleum Act (Northern Territory) § 5; Petroleum Act 1923 (Queensland) § 2 and Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act 2004 (Queensland) § 10(1); Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Act 2000 (South Australia.) § 4; Petroleum Act 1998 (Victoria) § 6 (defined under “conventional petroleum”) and Mineral Resources (Sustainable Development) Act 1990 (Victoria) § 5 (defined under “unconventional petroleum”); and Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Resources Act 1967 (Western Australia) § 5.
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Hunter, T.S., Campin, D. (2020). Regulating the Disposal of Produced Waters from Unconventional Oil and Gas Activities in Australia. In: Buono, R., López Gunn, E., McKay, J., Staddon, C. (eds) Regulating Water Security in Unconventional Oil and Gas. Water Security in a New World. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18342-4_12
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