After flaring illegally at Ngaere for 10 months, Tag Oil is seeking permission to continue the practice until March. A hearing was held at the Stratford District Council yesterday in front of commissioner Mick Lester, to look at Tag Oil's application to continue flaring, which came after the council called them to task. Under its resource consent the oil company is allowed to flare only at its Cheal A site in response to an emergency situation. Giving evidence on behalf of Tag Oil, Andrea Smith said that when the initial consent was granted last year, the existing infrastructure connecting Cheal A to the Waihapa gas-processing plant was being used and there was no need to flare. "However, a number of unforeseen factors beyond Tag's control, including changes in ownership of the Waihapa gas processing facility, resulting in a shutdown of continuous gas transportation and a substantial increase in solution gas from increased oil production, resulted in nearly continuous flaring at the Cheal A site for 10 months." The council then issued the oil company with an abatement notice and Tag applied for a variation on the conditions of its resource consent. Mike Avery, council director community and environmental services, said the flaring had been at the upper end of the spectrum and going into Stratford in the early morning was like going into the "bowels of Mordor". "Under certain atmospheric conditions the glow was amazing to see and it was having a significant effect on the surroundings," he said. One