"It has also been noted that the Hollywood anti-hydraulic fracturing blockbuster Promised Land starring Matt Damon, is being financed by an entity controlled by the government of the United Arab Emirates."
Conservative United States think-tank, the Heritage Foundation, latched on to the funding link, pointing out the UAE had a vested interest in keeping America more dependent on Middle East oil than on more local gas that has been produced in vast quantities by fracking.
Although the UAE funders say they back many Hollywood movies, some social media users say the film is propaganda and are pointing to a conspiracy.
The Todd report also refers to Gasland, which catapulted fracking to the worldwide public consciousness with a celebrated scene showing flames coming from a water tap, apparently the result of fracked gas leaking into the pipes.
In "independent commentary" in the report's appendices, Imperial College geologist Dick Selley says Gasland is discredited.
"Studies showed that the gas was marsh gas, biogenic methane. It had absolutely nothing to do with hydraulic fracturing," he says.
The Todd submission says conventional fracking techniques used in New Zealand were in tight limestone formations at much greater depth and on a smaller scale than techniques used to extract gas from coal and shale formations in the US.
Two views
* Fracking is long standing practice safe at great depths away from aquifer. - Todd Energy
* Turkeys don't vote for an early Christmas. It is not surprising Todd Energy is calling for its controversial practices to be allowed to continue. - Green Party
What next
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Jan Wright is conducting her own inquiry and is due to release her findings on November 27.
