Why is it controversial?
Much of the water used in fracking is collected from the well and processed, but there are concerns that potentially carcinogenic chemicals can sometimes escape and find their way into drinking water sources. Some American householders also claim that shale gas leaking into their drinking supply causes tap water to ignite.
FRACKING WHATATUTU
Every day in the New Zealand media there are stories about fracking.
But have you noticed how little real informed debate there is? How
little solid information?
We looked at each other and said - someone has to make a documentary
about this: a comprehensive, scientifically sound look at fracking
in New Zealand - a film that answers all the questions.
So here we are: FRACKING WHATATUTU, economic boom or environmental
bust?
With just five streets and 300 residents, Whatatutu is an East Coast
town you can miss in a blink. It's a tight-knit community surrounded
by forestry and traditional family farms -- and reserves so vast the
area is "literally leaking oil and gas", according to Canadian
mining company Tag Oil.
Armed with exploration licenses issued by the NZ government, Tag Oil
and its partner Apache intend to extract oil and gas from the earth
around Whatatutu using hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking".
Mining advocates claim the practice is safe; others insist it leaves
a toxic legacy.
Feature film documentary Fracking Whatatutu will cross-examine
environmentalists and oil companies alike. Centering on Whatatutu,
the film will delve into fracking throughout New Zealand. It will
cut through the spin as it drills for the truth about land ownership
and mineral rights, water use and waste disposal, economic benefits
and environmental impacts.