Environmental compliance update: New and upcoming developments
Monday, 25 August 2014 11:17am
A CE Daily weekly snapshot for environmental staff that lists changes to legislation, standards and guidelines, recent compliance activity, key events, consultations, and new government grants.
Learning curve: upcoming events
- 'Carbon capture and storage in action' is the theme of a Sydney conference that runs from August 31 to September 3 in Sydney.
- Sustainable Business Australia and CMIANZ are co-hosting a breakfast briefing in Sydney by Clean Energy Regulator, Chloe Munro on September 11.
- The Ai Group is running a series of electricity demand management seminars early next month in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.
- The ACT Government is hosting an ACTSmart Business Sustainability Expo on Thursday September 4.
- Other upcoming events include the International RiverSymposium in Canberra and Enviro14 in Adelaide.
Full details of these and all environmental events are available on the CE Daily calendar.
Jobs and appointments
- The Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection has a vacancy for a senior environmental officer based in Brisbane. Applications for the position, which is for 12-months with the possibility of extension, close on September 8.
- The Northern Territory Department of Mines and Energy is seeking a senior mining officer "to play a key role in the environmental regulation of the mining industry". Applications close on September 1.
- Applications also close on September 1 for entry to the Western Australian Department of Mines and Petroleum graduate environment program.
- Golder Associates is looking for an environmental scientist based in Melbourne, specialising in air and noise. Applications close on August 29.
- Melbourne's Metropolitan Waste and Resource Recovery Group has a 10-month vacancy for a stakeholder engagement team leader and is open to job-sharing proposals. Applications close August 31.
(Submit job vacancies and notices of recent appointments to subs@footprintnews.com.au)
National:
CE Daily comment: Debate will begin in earnest in the Senate this week on amendments and/or alternatives to the government's Direct Action policy.
- The Clean Energy Regulator has released an NGER publication calendar that lists government publications that use NGER data and explains its intended use.
- The Clean Energy Regulator has also advised that its redesigned REC registry is going live on September 1.
- The Regulator has informed CE Daily that it has so far received a total of nine 'notices of intent' from businesses interested in seeking ERF funding for projects (article available here).
From July 1, businesses and organisations have been able to lodge with the Regulator a 'notice of intent to participate in the ERF'.
Although there is no legislative backing for the notification process, it allows entities to begin planning projects without breaching ERF requirements that projects be new, ('the newness test').
- The Environment Department has for the first time made public more than 1700 maps, and supporting data, on the location of Australia's threatened species.
The maps and data draw on state, territory and national databases, as well as information published in species recovery plans and listing advice.
- The Environment Department has invited submissions on proposed changes to the National Environment Protection Measure on Air Quality that would tighten controls on particles (PM10 and PM2.5).
Submissions must be received by October 10.
Queensland:
- A new Queensland Government web page lists all relevant materials for its new environmental offsets regime, including the Environmental Offsets Act, the supporting regulation and policy, relevant forms and the financial settlement offset calculator.
- The Queensland Land Court, which is hearing a dispute over a proposed environmental licence, has ordered phosphate mining company Legend International Holdings to disclose data used by its consultant to model the impacts of a dam (CE Daily article available here).
NSW:
- A local court has fined a NSW oil recycling company, Hydrodec Australia Pty Ltd, $10,000 and ordered it to pay $12,327 in costs after poor worksite practices led to sodium hydroxide entering a stormwater channel (CE Daily available here).
- The NSW Government has launched a new water monitoring framework that will involve more extensive groundwater monitoring.
The project includes more detailed groundwater monitoring, starting in the Gunnedah, Gloucester and Clarence Moreton basins.
- The NSW Department of Planning and Infrastructure has released submissions to its review of the BASIX building rating scheme and a summary of submissions.
- Submissions close on August 29 to an inquiry by the Legislative Council's General Purpose Standing Committee No. 5 into the performance of the NSW EPA. See inquiry site and the CE Daily coverage is here.
- Submissions close on September 5 on the issues paper released by the independent panel reviewing NSW's biodiversity laws. The CE Daily article is available here.
ACT:
- In an Australian first, a new ACT 'carbon neutral' plan requires government departments to operate within capped carbon budgets.
The requirement is detailed in a carbon neutral ACT Government framework released by Environment Minister Simon Corbell (CE Daily article available here).
- The ACT Government has also released a new report on the condition and extent of ACT woodlands.
Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt and the ACT Minister for Planning, Mick Gentleman, have released a draft EPBC bilateral approval agreement.
Comment closes on September 12.
- The ACT Government has released a new search tool allowing property owners and tenants to identify whether loose asbestos was used as insulation in their home.
Victoria:
Tasmania:
- The Department of State Growth has released an energy strategies issues paper that deals with issues including renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Comment closes on September 8.
- The Tasmanian Government has gazetted Radiation Protection Regulations 2014 that update radiation safety standards.
- Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt and Tasmanian Environment Minister Matthew Groom have released a draft bilateral agreement for EPBC approvals.
Comment closes on September 11.
South Australia:
- A South Australian company is seeking approval to establish a landfill at Napperby, near Port Pirie, specifically for the large tyres used by the state's mining industry.
Comment closes on September 4 (CE Daily article available here).
Western Australia:
- The State Government has appointed Jason Banks as its inaugural Director-General of the Department of Environment Regulation. Banks has acted in the position since the creation of the DER in July 2013.
He was formerly CEO and coordinator of Energy at the Office of Energy and also worked as a senior adviser with the Department of State Development. He began his career in the WA police force.
- Environment Minister Albert Jacob has released the latest annual review of recycling activity in Western Australia (CE Daily article here).
- The Government has also released new guidelines on the use of environmental offsets, to support its offset policy.
- The Public Utilities Office has released a electricity market review discussion paper, which says there are no resource availability or quality impediments that would limit coal supply to the state's coal-fired power plants, although there are "some commercial concerns".
Comment closes on September 12.
- Public comment closes on September 1 on the public environmental review prepared by Chevron for a fourth LNG train on Barrow Island, as part of its Gorgon gas development.
Northern Territory:
- The independent inquiry into hydraulic fracking is still accepting submissions.
The inquiry expects to issue its report before the end of the year. Submissions received so far are available on the inquiry website.
- The NT EPA has ordered the Power and Water Corporation to carry out monitoring after a sewage spill from its Ludmilla sewage treatment plant, and to investigate the causes of the incident.
Grants, rebates and awards:
- The NSW Government is offering grants to local government authorities (or local authorities working in conjunction with businesses) to help build resilience to climate change (CE Daily article available here).
Applications close on September 29.
- Newcrest and Perth Argyle Diamonds are among the finalists announced for this year's 'Golden Gecko' environmental awards. Winners will be announced October 9.
- The Banksia Foundation is inviting applications until September 19 for its 2014 sustainability awards.
- The Clean Energy Finance Corporation is continuing to accept financing requests, as is the Australian Renewables Energy Agency.
- Sustainability Victoria is offering matched office building energy efficiency grants of between $20,000 and $150,000. Applications close in December, unless money runs out earlier.
- The Victorian Government also offers rebates of up to $2,000 to pay for 50% of the cost of water-efficient products purchased by small businesses before the end of June, 2015.
