The Environment Centre NT has filed an urgent application with the NT Civil and Administrative Tribunal to stop Tamboran Resources drilling at its Beetaloo Basin Shenandoah South fracking project until a final ruling is made on ECNT’s claim that the project poses “unacceptable” risks to water.

In a separate legal proceeding, last Wednesday NT Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Grant ruled that the threat of climate change was not a relevant consideration in the approval of 12 exploratory wells at Tamboran’s Amungee delineation area project.

The ECNT’s application was filed on an unspecified day last week.

The centre’s executive director Dr Kirsty Howey said her organisation wanted an injunction to halt the NT government’s endorsement of Tamboran’s environmental management plan until NTCAT delivered its final ruling on a merits review that was initiated last month. Arguing its review case, ECNT sought to overturn approval of the Shenandoah South fracking project.

In August the centre asked the tribunal to review former Labor Environment Minister Kate Worden’s approval of Tamboran’s environment management plan, which included drilling up to 15 new fracking wells at four locations in the Beetaloo Basin. ECNT’s grounds for review included that the approval posed unacceptable risks to surface water and aquifers.

Dr Howey said Tamboran proceeded with drilling on August 29.

“This stay application is about making sure the tribunal has an opportunity to assess what we argue are unacceptable risks to surface water and groundwater, including the ancient Cambrian limestone aquifer, which sustains flows to iconic waterways like Bitter Springs and the Roper River,” she said.

Dr Howey said it was the first challenge to a fracking project initiated under new third party merits review provisions in the Territory’s Petroleum Act, which were recommended by the Scientific Inquiry into Hydraulic Fracturing, commonly known as the Pepper Inquiry.

In response, Tamboran Resources spokesman Leo Shanahan said Tamboran noted the stay application was brought by the ECNT seeking to limit the company’s activities under its Shenandoah South environment management plan.

“Tamboran’s Shenandoah South environmental management plan was approved, following rigorous evaluation and assessment by the independent Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority, by the Northern Territory minister for environment,” Mr Shanahan said.

“Tamboran takes the protection of the environment and water extremely seriously and remains committed to following the Northern Territory’s environmental regulations, informed by two years of international investigation by leading scientific experts in the Pepper Inquiry.

“Tamboran has successfully drilled four wells across our operated Beetaloo Basin acreage, and we will continue to undertake our operations in an environmentally safe and low impact manner. Tamboran looks forward to continuing our operations so that we can deliver reliable, affordable and secure locally sourced gas to the people of the Northern Territory.”

Dr Howey said Tamboran’s Shenandoah South project is the most extensive fracking initiative approved in the NT.

“We live in the Territory. This is our home. We are fighting to protect our water from the dangers of fracking. We are asking the Tribunal to stop Tamboran from drilling until the risk to groundwater is properly assessed,” Dr Howey said.

“Territorians don’t want our precious water put at risk. This is the largest fracking proposal ever approved in the Territory, and it’s crucial it gets the scrutiny it deserves.”

Early this month federal Environment and Water, Minister Tanya Plibersek directed three fracking exploration projects in the Beetaloo Basin to the Independent Scientific Expert Committee to evaluate the effects on water resources. Tamboran’s is one of those projects.

In response to Ms Plibersek’s announcement Tamboran said its activities were already subject to an environmental management plan and water extraction license applications approved by the NT Environmental Protection Agency and the NT Environment Minister.

Last week Justice Grant had said the “practical and rational operation” of the legislation limited environmental risks to be considered about the planned activities, which are the wells to be drilled rather than the “indirect, cumulative and conjunctive causes” of any future approvals.