Correspondence, reports and exploration results, and any further information, regarding permits 52614, 52605 and 38264.
Paul McMahon made this Official Information request to Ministry of Economic Development
The request was successful.
From: Paul McMahon
Dear Ministry of Economic Development,
May I please request under the Official Information Act: any information, reports, correspondence and exploration results regarding permits 52614, 52605 and 38264 since January 2010.
With it, I would like all the correspondence, reports, memos, or other communications regarding hydraulic fracturing in Canterbury, from or to the Minister of Economic Development, the Minister of Energy of Resources Energy and Resources and the Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery
Yours faithfully,
Paul McMahon.
From: Daniel Rood
Ministry of Economic Development
Dear Paul,
NZP&M are in receipt of your OIA request for concerning hydraulic
fracturing.
Your request in its current form is extremely broad in nature and will
require a significant amount of collation and research effort to make this
information available to you. Could you please refine your request to make
it more manageable and less of an administrative burden.
Moreover, could you please list which organisation you are a part of as
required on the OIA form.
Happy to discuss.
Regards,
Danny Rood | Geologist (Petroleum) | New Zealand Petroleum & Minerals |
Ministry of Economic Development | Phone: +64 4 978 3808 | Ext: 8808 |
Fax: +64 4 471 0187 |
Email: [1][email address] 33 Bowen Street | PO Box 1473
Wellington 6140 | [2]www.nzpam.govt.nz
P Be green - read on the screen
[3]newzealand.govt.nz - connecting you to New Zealand central & local
government services
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2. http://www.nzpam.govt.nz/
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Alex Harris left an annotation ()
"Moreover, could you please list which organisation you are a part of as required on the OIA form."
Requestors are not required to say anything about which organisations they represent, and attempts to require requests to be made in (or on) a specified form contravene the Act. If they refuse to process your request on those grounds, then you should complain to the Ombudsman.
Paul McMahon left an annotation ()
Thanks guys,
Any suggestions on narrowing it?
I am wanting to know:
- what the Ministers know about fracking or potential fracking in Canterbury.
- what the results of all exploration for unconventional gas are (and the details).
- whether there was significant deposits of hydrocarbons found around Banks Peninsula.
Joshua Grainger left an annotation ()
To narrow it instead of sending a request to MED asking for all communication you could send a separate request to each individual Minister. This would split the request, and hence the administrative workload (although Ministers are notorious for answering requests poorly, so YMMV).
If you're focused on the results of those particular permits: I'd ask for the results, and copies of any reports, but clarify that for correspondence you're *not* interested in internal emails or correspondence. Alternatively, you could ask for the tiles or subjects of any documents, and then pick and chose those reports that appear interesting.
Often if you spell out your purpose of your request, as you did in your annotation, it'll help clarify to the official exactly what you're looking for so they can get the right documents. The only exception to this is if you're asking for something politically embarrassing, in which case the less you tell them about your purpose the less chance they'll have to deny you for some reason.
From: Paul McMahon
Dear Daniel Rood,
Thank you for your response to my request for information under the OIA.
I will happily narrow my request, but I will not be specifying or naming any group that I may or may not be a member of, affiliated with, or have an association with. I am a NZ citizen resident in NZ, and that is sufficient under s12(1) of the Act.
My narrowed request is as follows:
May I please have any reports and exploration results
regarding permits 52614, 52605 and 38264 since 1 January 2009.
With it and within the same time-frame, may I please have all reports regarding (or containing information regarding) hydraulic fracturing and/or Coal Seam Gas/Shale Gas in Canterbury
Yours sincerely,
Paul McMahon
From: Daniel Rood
Ministry of Economic Development
Hi Paul,
See attached re your OIA request.
Regards,
Danny Rood | Geologist (Petroleum) | New Zealand Petroleum & Minerals |
Ministry of Economic Development | Phone: +64 4 978 3808 | Ext: 8808 |
Fax: +64 4 471 0187 |
Email: [1][email address] 33 Bowen Street | PO Box 1473
Wellington 6140 | [2]www.nzpam.govt.nz
P Be green - read on the screen
[3]newzealand.govt.nz - connecting you to New Zealand central & local
government services
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References
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1. mailto:[email address]
2. http://www.nzpam.govt.nz/
3. http://newzealand.govt.nz/
From: Paul McMahon
Dear Daniel Rood,
Thank you for your response. I look forward to receiving the information in due course.
Regards,
Paul McMahon
0211841072
From: Andrew Horwood
Ministry of Economic Development
DOIA Letter to Mr Paul McMahon.pdf
409K
Download
View as HTML
Fracking Briefing 2 March 2012.pdf
3.7M
Download
View as HTML
Fracking Briefing 20 December 2011.pdf
716K
Download
View as HTML
L M Half Yearly Report 1 July to 31 December 2011.pdf
201K
Download
View as HTML
Tçnâ koe Mr McMahon,
Please see the attached documents in response to your request for “any
reports and exploration results regarding permits 52614, 52605 and 38264
since 1 January 2009” and “all reports regarding (or containing
information regarding) hydraulic fracturing and/or coal seam gas/shale gas
in Canterbury” within the same time frame.
Ngâ mihi,
Andrew Horwood
Policy Analyst | Resources | Energy and Communications Branch
Ministry of Economic Development - Manatû Ôhanga
PO Box 1473, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
DDI + 64 4 978 3173 | Fax + 64 4 473 7010
[1]www.med.govt.nz
[2]newzealand.govt.nz - connecting you to New Zealand central & local
government services
show quoted sections
References
Visible links
1. http://www.med.govt.nz/
2. http://newzealand.govt.nz/
From: Paul McMahon
Dear Andrew Horwood,
Thank for your response to my request under the OIA. I would like to follow my inquiry up with another one.
Under the OIA, can you please provide me with an answer to the following?
Whether injection wells have been permitted anywhere in New Zealand as a disposal method for frack fluid and, if they have been, the location of said wells.
Yours sincerely,
Paul McMahon
From: Andrew Horwood
Ministry of Economic Development
Tēnā koe,
I am out of the office until 21 June. I'll respond to your query as soon
as I can upon my return. If it is urgent, please contact Simon Lawrence
via [email address].
Ngā mihi,
Andy
[1]newzealand.govt.nz - connecting you to New Zealand central & local
government services
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From: Andrew Horwood
Ministry of Economic Development
Tēnā koe Mr McMahon,
Thank you for your request made under the Official Information Act 1982 on 20 June 2012. We will respond within twenty working days from that date.
Ngā mihi,
Andrew Horwood
Policy Analyst | Resources | Energy and Communications Branch
Ministry of Economic Development - Manatū Ōhanga
PO Box 1473, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
DDI + 64 4 978 3173 | Fax + 64 4 473 7010
www.med.govt.nz
show quoted sections
From: Paul McMahon
Dear Andrew Horwood,
Thank you for your response to my OIA request. Can I also have: 1. the number of wells using horizontal hydraulic fracturing in New Zealand, and 2. the locations of those wells.
Yours sincerely,
Paul McMahon.
From: Andrew Horwood
Ministry of Economic Development
Tēnā koe Mr McMahon,
This email is to acknowledge receipt of your request for information on: (i) the number of wells using horizontal hydraulic fracturing in New Zealand; and (ii) the locations of those wells. We will respond to this request for information within twenty working days from the date we received it.
Ngā mihi,
Andrew Horwood
Policy Analyst | Resources | Energy and Communications Branch
Ministry of Economic Development - Manatū Ōhanga
PO Box 1473, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
DDI + 64 4 978 3173 | Fax + 64 4 473 7010
www.med.govt.nz
show quoted sections
From: Paul McMahon
Dear Andrew Horwood,
Can you please update me on the status of my OIA requests on 20th and 21st of June? The Ministry has not provided me the information within the required time-frame.
Yours sincerely,
Paul McMahon
From: Andrew Horwood
Ministry of Economic Development
Dear Mr McMahon,
Under the Act we have 20 working days to respond after receiving a request. Hence, we will respond to your requests by 18 July and 19 July.
Yours faithfully,
Andrew Horwood
show quoted sections
From: Andrew Horwood
Ministry of Economic Development
Tçnâ koe Mr McMahon,
I will respond to two of your requests made under the Official Information
Act in this email.
On 20 June 2012 you asked:
“Whether injection wells have been permitted anywhere in New Zealand as a
disposal method for frack fluid and, if they have been, the location of
said wells.”
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment does not hold this
information. MBIE administers the Crown minerals estate by allocating
permits that give a right to prospect, explore or mine Crown owned
minerals, including petroleum. The Ministry does not regulate the
environmental effects of extraction activities.
The environmental effects of resource extraction activities are
administered by local authorities under the Resource Management Act 1991.
Depending on the provisions in the relevant plan, resource consents will
generally be required to discharge return fluid back into a well. This
means that any potential environmental effects of this practice will be
thoroughly considered by councils before activity can begin so that
appropriate conditions can be placed, if needed, on the consent.
In New Zealand, fracking has occurred in three regions: Southland,
Taranaki and Waikato. For information on the fluid disposal mechanisms
required under particular resource consents, I suggest contacting the
appropriate regional councils.
On 21 June 2012 you requested:
“1. the number of wells using horizontal hydraulic fracturing in New
Zealand, and 2. The location of those wells.”
There has been one horizontal well that has been hydraulically fractured.
It is Cheal-BH1, which is located onshore in Taranaki.
I trust this information meets the demands of your requests. If you think
there is a problem with the way your requests have been handled you have
the right to make a complaint to an Ombudsman under section 28(3) of the
OIA.
Ngâ mihi,
Andrew Horwood
Policy Analyst | Resources | Economic Development Group
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
PO Box 1473, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
DDI + 64 4 978 3173 | Fax + 64 4 473 7010
[1]www.med.govt.nz
[2]newzealand.govt.nz - connecting you to New Zealand central & local
government services
show quoted sections
References
Visible links
1. http://www.med.govt.nz/
2. http://newzealand.govt.nz/
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Joshua Grainger left an annotation ()
Looks like MED needs some OIA education: you don't need to disclose what organization you're part of (or the purpose of a request) in order to make an OIA request.
Link to this