Canadian firm Vermilion judged the chance of the December spill as "rare" - the same probability it claims for seven planned exploration wells that could affect anywhere along the Pilbara coast.
Chief executive Bill Oplinger told Wall Street the miner had responded to all 60,000 comments on its WA expansion plans—in fact, it responded to fewer than 10, and some were unacceptable.
The WA government will soon decide whether Black Mountain Energy can frack 20 wells near the Kimberley's Fitzroy River, but promised measures to protect the environment and the rights of local people are not yet in place.
ASX-listed Triangle Energy owns the majority of the shuttered Cliff Head oil field off WA's Mid-West coast. It also explores for oil and gas in the Perth basin and overseas.
A struggling deal between two companies will determine if an unused oil platform off the WA coast is used for carbon storage or needs to be decommissioned.
Triangle Energy has six months to find a viable route to market for oil that now goes to BP Kwinana or its Cliff Head operation could become a liability for the Federal Government.
