Opponents of the oil drilling practice of fracking are unmoved by a report showing the controversial process does not cause earthquakes.

The GNS Science study commissioned by the Taranaki Regional Council was released in response to growing public and media scrutiny of fracking.

“There is no evidence that hydraulic fracturing activities in Taranaki between 2000 and mid-2011 have triggered, or have had any observable effect on, natural earthquake activity,” the study says.

Neither would there be any earthquake caused by long-term deep injection activities. The earthquake study follows the council’s report last year stating fracking posed no meaningful risk of contaminating Taranaki fresh water.

however, Gareth Hughes, Green Party spokesman on energy and fracking, said the process should be halted “in the interests of caution”, including an investigation by the parliamentary commissioner for the environment.

“Earthquakes are but one of only a number of concerns the public, environmentalists and farmers have.

“Many countries and states around the world are banning fracking or placing moratoriums because they’ve got enough concerns around this controversial process.”

Council environment quality director Gary Bedford said fracking caused a “shift trigger” in the earth of a few millimetres, whereas an earthquake would travel hundreds of kilometres.

– © Fairfax NZ News

Fracking critics not put off by GNS earthquake report