Open access. Highlights include new NGER data, company commitments on plastics, and Safeguard Mechanism changes. Jobs include posts with Woodside and Queensland Rail.

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• Upcoming events
• Resources and corporate news
• National, state and territory round-up
• Jobs and appointments

Upcoming events:

• AEBN national conference: Environment, climate and energy. A March 6 conference in Melbourne, hosted by the Australian Environment Business Network.

• Building a sustainable energy economy. A March 11 lunch event in Brisbane, featuring Ross Garnaut and Queensland Energy Minister Anthony Lynham. Hosted by CEDA.

• Climate update 2020. A March 12 evening seminar in Melbourne, hosted by the ANU Climate Change Institute.

• From risk to remediation 2020. A March 23 to 27 contaminated sites conference in Newcastle, hosted by CRC CARE.

• Australian hydrogen conference. A March 30 and 31 conference in Melbourne, hosted by Informa.

• Wind industry forum 2020. A March 31 conference in Melbourne, hosted by the Clean Energy Council.

• Climate and carbon in agriculture. A March 31 and April 1 conference in Adelaide.

• The potential of hydrogen. An April 3 lunch event in Sydney, featuring ARENA chief executive Darren Miller.

• National sustainability conference. An April 27 and 28 conference in Brisbane, hosted by the Association for Sustainability in Business.

• Waste 2020. A May 5-7 conference in Coffs Harbour.

• Large-scale solar forum 2020. A May 14 event in Brisbane, hosted by the Clean Energy Council.

• PFAS forum. A May 19 forum in Melbourne, hosted by Informa.

• Accelerating to zero: Seventh Australasian emissions reduction summit. A May 19 and 20 conference in Melbourne, hosted by the Carbon Market Institute.

• National energy efficiency conference. A May 26 to 27 conference in Melbourne, hosted by the Energy Efficiency Council.

• Australian clean energy summit. A July 14 and 15 event in Sydney, hosted by the Clean Energy Council.

• Climate leadership conference. A July 20 and 21 conference in Sydney.

• Energy storage forum. A September 3 forum in Adelaide, hosted by the Clean Energy Council.

Resources and corporate news:

• Nestlé and Australian recycler iQRenew today announced a trial that will collect soft plastics collected from more than 100,000 homes for diversion from landfill. Footprint premium coverage here.

• Bank Australia is offering discount home loans to Victorian customers who score highly using the state's Residential Efficiency Scorecard when buying, building or renovating. The move expands on the bank's discount offerings to customers using other rating schemes.

• The Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation will coordinate the development of an Australia-New Zealand-Pacific plastics pact, which will be part of the global plastics pact network coordinated by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

• Chemistry Australia has established an organisation called Plastic Stewardship Australia which it says will "support the sustainable use and recovery of plastics".

• Rigid plastics company Pact Group has set a target of investing $500 million in circular economy initiatives, comprising contributions from investors and governments, in addition to its own funds. The money will be spent on new and upgraded facilities, and acquisitions.

• The Australia Institute has issued a report on expanding summers and shrinking winters in sub-tropical and temperate Australia.

National:

• Greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generators fell by 4.8 million tonnes last financial year, new NGER data shows, but emissions from the oil and gas industry rose by almost double that amount. Footprint premium coverage here.

• The federal government is poised to settle three Federal Court class actions over PFAS contamination near Defence bases. Footprint premium coverage here.

• The Clean Energy Regulator has released the latest large-scale renewable energy market data.

• Chief scientist Alan Finkel will lead a diverse group advising the government on climate change technology investments, and a key goal will be to slash the price of hydrogen. Footprint premium coverage here.

• The Clean Energy Regulator has made adjustments to the national registry of emission units so market participants can more readily identify environmental and other co-benefits associated with various projects generating credits. However, non-market participants can't view Australian carbon credit holdings via the registry.

• The Threatened Species Committee will fast-track work on new EPBC Act listings as part of its response to the summer bushfires. Footprint premium coverage here.

• Former resources minister Matt Canavan has quizzed federal bureaucrats over requirements for Woodside to provide emissions data on its Browse LNG project, and has asked about 'national interest' exemptions from the EPBC Act. Footprint premium coverage here.

• The Clean Energy Regulator is now accepting registrations to participate in the March 25 and 26 ERF auction, with applications accepted until March 17.

• Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor has registered important changes to the Safeguard Mechanism, but has yet to clarify how they will apply to mining, oil and gas projects. Footprint premium coverage here.

• The Senate inquiry into the Greens product stewardship bill will conduct a public hearing in Sydney on March 19.

• A new Senate inquiry has invited public submissions into a Greens-instigated Bill that would make greenhouse gas emissions a trigger for EPBC Act assessment. Footprint premium coverage here.

• Environment Minister Sussan Ley will increase the Threatened Species Committee from 10 members to 12, to help bring in expertise on matters including fire ecology, and managing fragmented populations.

• The federal pesticides authority (APVMA) has registered the Curiosity bait for use against feral cats.

• Have your say!: A new Senate inquiry into a Bill that will facilitate the establishment of a low-level radioactive waste repository at Kimba (SA), and establish a community fund, is accepting submissions until March 26.

• Have your say!: Submissions to the natural disaster arrangements Royal Commission, established following this summer's bushfires, are due by April 3.

• Have your say!: Comments close March 19 on an Australian Energy Market Commission issues paper on integrating electric vehicles into the grid.

• Have your say!: Comment closes April 15 on a draft EPBC wildlife conservation plan for seabirds, which provides a framework to guide the conservation of 76 seabird species.

• Have your say – last chance!: Submissions are due by March 13 on proposed fees and charges under the new industrial chemical assessment and approval scheme that will start on July 1.

• Have your say!: Submissions to a House of Representatives inquiry into land management and bushfires are due by March 31.

• Award opportunity: Nominations must be submitted by March 16 for the national energy efficiency awards, with winners in the 12 categories announced May 26.

• Have your say!: Submissions on the EPBC Act review discussion paper are due by April 17. Footprint premium coverage here.

Queensland:

• The state government is providing $10 million to Burdekin Shire Council for 'stage 2' water supply works planned in response to the identification in 2018 of PFAS in water provided to the towns of Ayr and Brandon.

• The state government is providing a $500,000 waste-to-biofutures grant to Licella, to investigate producing fuel from sugarcane wastes.

• Grant opportunity: Applications are now being accepted for a share in $100 million to support land-based carbon abatement projects, offered through the Land Restoration Fund. The deadline for the second investment round is April 15.

NSW:

• Interest-free loans of up to $14,000 for a solar-battery system, or up to $9,000 for adding a battery to an existing PV system will be available to households in the Hunter region with an annual income of up to $180,000. The CEFC will provide finance for the pilot project, which will eventually go state-wide.

• A parliamentary inquiry into uranium has recommended that the state repeal long-standing legislation prohibiting uranium mining and nuclear energy, with Labor dissenting.

• The state government has issued a guideline on biodiversity assessment methods for severely burnt sites.

• A hearing has been scheduled for March 30 for a parliamentary committee inquiry into the costs of remediating of coal ash repositories.

• Court ruling: A commissioner of the Land and Environment Court has approved a waste storage licence application by Aussie Skips Pty Ltd that the EPA had initially refused, due to concerns that the company lacked development consent for the site.

• The EPA has fined Crawfords Freightlines Pty Ltd $15,000 for allegedly carrying out fumigation activities outside licenced hours, marking the latest development in long-standing agency efforts to improve the company's fumigation performance.

• The EPA has issued a prevention notice to Weddin Shire Council over poor management of the Grenfell landfill.

• Have your say!: The Natural Resources Commission has invited comments by March 22 on upcoming water audits under the Water Management Act.

• Have your say – last chance!: Comments are due March 13 on an EPA guideline on the powers of authorised officers.

ACT:

• Have your say!: The ACT government has issued draft environmental protection for construction and land development, with comments due by April 3.

Victoria:

• The state's Governor-General, Linda Dessau, has formally set July 1 as the start date for the state's new environment law.

• The state government will clamp down on the expansion of the thermal waste to energy industry. Footprint premium coverage here.

• Have your say – last chance!: The Essential Services Commission is inquiring into the maximum prices that should be charged by owners of embedded networks that service sites such as caravan parks, retirement villages, shopping centres, or apartment buildings. Comments are due by March 10.

• The state's Conservation Regulator has executed further search warrants related to koala deaths as a result of land clearing on a farm near Portland. So far, six search warrants have been issued over the incident. Footprint premium coverage here.

• The EPA has issued a summary of its approval decision for the North East Link tunnel ventilation system.

• The state government has delayed until April the release of its response to submissions on proposed changes to the treatment of lighting under its Victorian Energy Upgrades scheme.

• Grant opportunity: Grants of up to $500,000 are available under a new Sustainability Victoria e-waste infrastructure funding round, with a total of up to $2 million on offer. Applications must be submitted by March 30.

Tasmania:

• Premier Peter Gutwein has announced an ambitious new renewables target and might bring forward the existing emissions target of net zero by 2050. Footprint premium coverage here.

South Australia:

• Green Industries SA is inviting tenders to assess the potential economic, greenhouse gas and other benefits of the organics processing sector.

Western Australia:

• The state government, has released a progress report on its future battery industry strategy.

• The state government, in conjunction with Meat and Livestock Australia, is conducting workshops on carbon accounting for sheep producers.

• Grant opportunity: The state government is offering community groups grants of up to $2,000 to establish collection points for its container deposit scheme.

• Have your say!: The state government has released a consultation paper on the circular economy that proposes changes to legislation on waste, and has also released a waste levy consultation paper on waste levy changes. Comment closes May 15. Footprint premium coverage here.

• Award opportunity – last chance!: The WA Waste Authority is inviting nominations by March 10 for the 2020 Infinity waste awards.

Northern Territory:

• Have your say!: The EPA has released draft terms of reference for an EIS for a proposed pyrolysis plant at Daly River that would process used tyres and other waste into crude oil.

• The EPA has [recommended]d approval for the Toms Gully underground gold project.

Jobs and appointments:

• Victoria's Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning is hiring a senior manager, reform projects to work on urban water and stormwater policy ($120,692 - $161,511).

• Queensland Rail is seeking a principal advisor, environment programs.

• Woodside is hiring an environment advisor, based in Perth.

• Queensland Alumina Ltd has a vacancy for an environmental monitoring officer.