![\"Holly](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/3a21ade19e83efa5d41c479a92cf48548b357bb6.png\")
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February 25, 2026 \u2014 2:00am<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n Save this article for later<\/p>\n Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n Got it<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Key pointsTexan billionaire Rhett Bennett bought an exploration permit in the Kimberley region in 2019 and his company, Black Mountain Energy, sought WA environmental approval in 2021.In January the company won the support of the state Environmental Protection Authority, but has not yet been given the green light by the environment minister.\u00a0The Appeals Convenor now has to consider an unprecedented 8000 appeals against the EPA\u2019s decision.\u00a0The assessment by the federal environmental regulator is still ongoing.In November 2025, it found Black Mountain had not justified the claim drilling would not impact local water resources, and in December the Independent Expert Scientific Committee advising the federal government labelled Black Mountain\u2019s assessment of its project as limited and disjointed.\u00a0<\/p>\n Environmental groups claim the risk of toxic chemicals to groundwater in WA\u2019s Kimberley was downplayed in the environmental watchdog\u2019s recent approval of plans for a controversial fracking project in the region.<\/p>\n Documents from Texan-owned Black Mountain Energy which cited the region\u2019s sparse population as the reason risk to human health would be low were provided to the WA Environmental Protection Authority during the assessment of the company\u2019s proposed Valhalla project.<\/p>\n But Environs Kimberley Executive Director Martin Pritchard claimed that excuse \u201ccallously disregards the pastoralists and traditional owners who live in the Kimberley\u201d.<\/p>\n Black Mountain subsidiary Bennett Resources\u2019 human health risk assessment of the Valhalla project noted pastoralists drinking from bore water was common practice, and that traditional owners hunting in the area could also drink the water.<\/p>\n But, they concluded, \u201ccommunity members are not expected to use or touch groundwater from pastoral bores unless needed in case of thirst.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Article \u201cThe idea that farmers and traditional owners would suddenly stop drinking the water they\u2019ve been safely drinking for years because of this project is absurd,\u201d Pritchard said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe responsibility sits squarely with Black Mountain not to pollute it in the first place \u2013 and the EPA not to enable them.\u201d<\/p>\n Lock the Gate Alliance WA campaign coordinator Simone van Hattem said public pressure was mounting on Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn to reject the Valhalla proposal.<\/p>\n \u201cWest Australians remain committed to stopping this project that risks destroying endangered animal habitats, polluting water sources and industrialising the Kimberley,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cA record number of public submissions<\/a> have been lodged appealing the EPA\u2019s decision.\u201d<\/p>\n Van Hattem said the EPA had also failed to consider the toxic chemicals\u2019 impact on the Martuwarra Fitzroy River catchment, and native species.<\/p>\n \u201cBlack Mountain\u2019s fracking plans threaten to contaminate precious rivers with toxic fracking chemicals,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe 20 wells currently proposed would just be the beginning. Full-scale fracking in the Kimberley would mean thousands of gas wells industrialising the region and sucking billions of litres of water.\u201d<\/p>\n Van Hattem said to date, only three wells had been fracked in the Kimberley, but there were already significant issues reported.<\/p>\n Buru Energy previously held the Valhalla title, and photos from one of the company\u2019s fracking wastewater ponds, sent to this masthead, show dead birds floating in the water.<\/p>\n \u201cSo far only three wells have been fracked in the Kimberley, and they have led to serious issues including exposed radioactive wastewater and greenhouse gas leaks,\u201d van Hattem said.<\/p>\n \u201cFracking is among the most destructive methods of gas extraction, which is why it\u2019s been banned in parts of Australia and many countries overseas.\u201d<\/p>\n Black Mountain Energy was contacted for comment but did not respond before publication.<\/p>\n However, in its human health risk assessment, the company stated: \u201cThe interest and scrutiny arise from the development of a new unconventional project following the lifting of the hydraulic fracture stimulation moratorium and the lack of public knowledge relating to impacts and risks associated with the project in region of the West Kimberley.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe closest relevant human receptor, an Indigenous community, is aware and supportive of the proposal,\u201d it reads.<\/p>\n \u201cCommunity members and associated workers such as pastoralists travelling within the proposal\u2019s area understand that they are not considered susceptible or vulnerable populations likely to be exposed by the proposal\u2019s activities.\u201d<\/p>\n A Department of Water and Environmental Regulation spokesperson said as the matter was now in the appeals process, it would be inappropriate to comment further.<\/p>\n Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n![\"One](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/17620b4e67c6b6e4ee14f8fb65fdec7305cc9d81.jpeg\")
One of Black Mountain\u2019s proposed wells is two kilometres from Mount Hardman Creek in the Kimberley.<\/p>\n![\"Protesters](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/6a0f8de8044b445568185ec6916896f445adac27cdd63bfd5d7f7f50a2586e3e.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Buru](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/b9aed11b4d733f5b1ccb673fd65f4c2c817a9125e16e054fbb90cdd5e7eab3c7.jpeg\")
Buru Energy\u2019s fracking wastewater pond in the Kimberley. <\/p>\n![\"Holly](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/3a21ade19e83efa5d41c479a92cf48548b357bb6.png\")
Holly Thompson<\/a> is a journalist with WAtoday, specialising in education and the environment.Connect via X<\/a> or email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"February 25, 2026 \u2014 2:00am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":502516,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[64,63,75,128],"class_list":["post-502515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-environment","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/502515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=502515"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/502515\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/502516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=502515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=502515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=502515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}