The Western Australian Government is most certainly in the fracking industry, and may intend to stay there for centuries.

The WA Government has thrown its full support into efforts to map and mine all the state’s reserves of coal seam gas, digging into the billions of dollars worth of shale gas supply.

WA Mining and Petroleum Minister Bill Marmion says the state will invest in developing new techniques and devices for tracking down the sub-surface stockpiles. He has also assured those concerned that state will be working in line with international standards.

“I strongly believe we can achieve this without compromising the environment or safety,” he said, adding that expanding the fracking industry will create a large pool of long-term jobs and economic activity for WA.

Reports say commercial production is up to a decade away, but will certainly be a massive boon when it is cracked – some surveys say WA has up to 280 trillion cubic feet of natural shale gas, enough to supply the state for 500 years.

To give that perspective; the largest project in the country is Woodside’s North West Shelf, with reserves of just 17 trillion cubic feet.

Marmion has hit-out at environmentalists’ claims that fracking activities damage underground water supplies and likely have other unknown effects. The Minister says the claims are baseless and politically-motivated.

“They need to be honest and up-front about their real objective, it is not about fracking,” he said.

“It is to prevent natural gas becoming a major fuel source for the generation of energy as opposed to renewable energy.”

Federal Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane recently declared himself a representative of the coal seam gas industry, adding to Mr Marmion comments on activists.

“Yes, it’s got to comply with environmental standards, yes it’s got to protect the water, etcetera, etcetera, but I think some of the protests go beyond the actual science and almost into the hearsay and what-ifs,” Macfarlane said last week.