Anti-fracking group launches Supreme Court action against the NT government's approval of Beetaloo Basin exploration plan

An anti-fracking group has launched a Supreme Court action against the Northern Territory government's decision to approve a gas company's fracking plans in the Beetaloo Basin. Key points: NT Environment Minister Lauren Moss approved a plan by Tamboran Resources to frack 12 wells in the Beetaloo Basin as it explores for shale gas The company's environment plan included a breakdown of the project's estimated carbon emissions An anti-fracking group argues the minister failed to consider the broader climate impacts of full-scale gas production when approving the plan It comes as the NT government prepares to announce whether full-scale fracking can go ahead, based on its own assessment of whether it has implemented the recommendations of its scientific inquiry. Since lifting its ban on fracking in 2018, the NT government has issued several exploration permits to gas companies in the Beetaloo Basin, an enormous shale gas reserve about 500 kilometres south-east of Darwin. Legal action may delay fracking plans Environment Defenders Office CEO David Morris said if the Supreme Court action is successful, Ms Moss will have to go back and reconsider Tamboran's project in the context of its broader climate impacts.