"I said the other day, is this hearing as bad as we think. It...

"I said the other day, is this hearing as bad as we think. It certainly feels bad from my perspective, but u have to ask some simple questions"

Liam - in my view the Hearing has the potential to be 'bad' but I think that is unlikely.

My guess is that the ASLB will require some additional work from Strata (in water quality monitoring and/or plugging of old bores or both) and/or some reassessments by NRC. Such requirements may take some time, but probably not a great deal (maybe just a few months).

Much depends on how the conflicting parties respond to the ASLB's decision in Jan 2015. If they are both relatively happy with the outcome and there is no further litigation, then there is likely to be little or no further delays. However, if there is further litigation and this is associated with stays then there could be lengthy delays. There is no way of knowing for sure, either way, before the decision in Jan 2015. The preliminary rulings, early November, will however provide some guidance.