The Environment and Public Affairs Committee will be chaired by Simon O’Brien and look into a number of public concerns about fraccing.

The inquiry will investigate and report how hydraulic fracturing may impact on the use of land.

It will also look at the regulation of chemicals used in the process, the use of groundwater in the process and the rehabilitation of land that has been fracced.

The committee is seeking submissions to be considered in the investigation.

The WA Department of Mines and Petroleum recently released fact sheets about shale, tight gas and fraccing to ease community concern.

The online fact sheets provide information on how fraccing works and where it may take place in WA.

DMP petroleum executive Bill Tinapple said they were part of a commitment to keep the community informed about the future of the state’s energy industry.

“WA’s shale and tight gas industry is currently in its early exploration and proof-of-concept phases, with 15 wells explored since 2005,” he said at the time.

“With any significant production anticipated to be five to 10 years away, DMP is taking a proactive approach to informing the community about the regulations in place to manage shale and tight gas and fraccing activities in WA.”

He said the resources that could be extracted by fraccing could provide for the state for years to come.

The inquiry will be important for the state, with development tipped for shale reserves in the Perth and Canning Basin.

Buru Energy and Mitsubishi are two big players to have moved early in flagging the shale potential of WA.