Mining Co to Explore for Oil, Gas in Limmen National Park

[Overlandman]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-23/m ... ed/4907494

The Northern Territory Government has granted a mining company a shale gas and oil exploration licence partly covering the Limmen National Park in the Gulf country.
Imperial Oil and Gas, a subsidiary of Empire Energy Group, says exploration work will begin early in next year's northern dry season.
The government approval follows an agreement with the Native Title claimants and the Northern Land Council (NLC) in June.
It is the first lease of Imperial's seven applications covering almost 60,000 square kilometres in the region to be granted.
The Environment Centre NT had urged the government to reject the exploration application, saying shale gas production in the national park would cause significant damage to the environment.
Boundaries of the Limmen National Park and Limmen Bight Marine Park were formally declared in March this year.
They cover an area of about 10,000 square kilometres on the western side of the Gulf of Carpentaria, about 500 kilometres south-east of Darwin.
The original boundaries proposed for the parks were reduced by about 20 per cent to allow mining companies to explore the region.
Also lost to the proposed parks area were prospective tenements in the Roper Bar region held by iron ore explorer Western Desert Resources.

[Hallu]

It doesn't even surprise me any more... And none of the money they make will be reversed to the parks of course...

[phan_TOM]

Mining companies in National Parks, you can add that one to the great list of oxymorons... But it's not new and it's not confined to the NT, there's mining & logging taking place or proposed in National parks across the country & as the growing exploitation of resources depletes the supplies that are currently available the pressure on National Parks, other more marginal resources & the environment as a whole will increase.

[Hallu]

The National Park in Australia is actually a tool for the state governments to keep land aside so they can sell it to mining companies... It's actually quite practical... You make something a park or reserve, no one can buy it, and then you can sell it to whoever you want. That's disgusting.