A Footprint weekly snapshot for ISO 14001 system managers and environmental and carbon professionals.

• Upcoming events
• Corporate news
• Jurisdictional round-up (national, states and territories)
• Jobs and appointments

** Feature vacancy: The ACT Government is recruiting for the independent statutory post of Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment.

Upcoming events:

• International conference on sustainable water management A November 29 to December 3 conference in Perth, with speakers including WA Water Minister Mia Davies.
• Bioenergy Australia 2015 A November 30 to December 2 conference in Launceston.
• 1015 legal review: Who got done for what? A December 2 Sydney forum hosted by the Australasian Land and Groundwater Association.
• Environment and waste conference A December 2 Sydney conference hosted by the Australian Sustainable Business Group.
• Transitioning to ISO14001:2015 A December 3 workshop in Melbourne, hosted by the Australian Environment Business Network.
• The 36th Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium A December 7 to 10 conference in Hobart, hosted by Engineers Australia.
• Dangerous goods and GHS workshop A seminar in Sydney on December 8, hosted by the Australian Sustainable Business Group.
• Contaminated land conference A seminar in Sydney on December 9, hosted by the Australian Sustainable Business Group.

For other events, including a 'summer study' in Sydney on energy productivity, see the extensive Footprint what's on listings.

Corporate news

• A new analysis by Reputex of the second ERF auction concludes few participants – particularly larger sophisticated industrial bidders – lodged bids near their minimum cost. It estimates that of the 131 projects which won contracts at the second ERF auction, 88% – or 115 projects –secured contracts above the average auction price of abatement ($12.25).
• The Green Building Council of Australia has released a report on mid-tier commercial office buildings: a national pathway to improving energy productivity.
• Climate Focus has issued an initial progress report on implementation of the New York Declaration on Forests, a major global initiative to reduce forest loss and degradation.
• The CitySwitch building energy efficiency program has announced its 2015 award winners.
• A leader of the campaign against significant environmental problems at Glencore's McArthur River mine in the Northern Territory, Jack Wongili Green, has received the Australian Conservation Foundation's 2015 Peter Rawlinson Award for his contribution to environmental protection.
• The Australian Solar Council has appointed three patrons to advocate for solar energy –Labor ACT Environment Minister Simon Corbell, former federal Greens leader Christine Milne and former federal Liberal leader John Hewson.

National:

• Environment Minister Greg Hunt will speak at the Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday.
• NOPSEMA, the regulator of the offshore oil and gas industry, has advised BP that its proposed environment plan for exploration drilling in the Great Australian Bight has not satisfied regulatory requirements. BP has the option of submitting a revised plan.
• Treasurer Scott Morrison has instructed the Productivity Commission to identify any unnecessary regulation of the agricultural sector, with the scope of the inquiry including environmental protection and native vegetation laws.
• The Federal Government has gazetted the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Amendment Regulation 2015, which amends exemption requirements for imports of methyl bromide and adjusts exemption provisions for pre-charged refrigeration equipment containing a hydrochlorofluorocarbon.
• The Federal Government has gazetted a new regulation on fees payable under the Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards Act and other regulations specifying new standards for dishwashers and washing machines.
• The Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Coal Seam Gas and Large Coal Mining Development has issued a review of its activities for 2014-15.
• Applications close on Wednesday for expressions of interest to receive a grant under AusIndustry's $25 million Carbon Capture & Storage Research Development Fund.
• Coalition members of the Senate environment committee have cut short deliberations on a Government bill that would prevent third parties launching appeals against EPBC decisions and have recommended that the bill be passed. Labor and Greens senators on the committee express strong opposition to the bill in their dissenting reports. See report here.
• Comment closes on December 14 on a Department of Health discussion paper on proposed changes to assessment procedures for industrial chemicals.
• Environment Minister Greg Hunt has added three species to the EPBC 'critically endangered' list and one to the 'vulnerable' list.
• The Greens have launched a renewAustralia policy that aims to generate at least 90% of the nation's electricity from renewables by 2030, through measures including 'reverse auctions' and emissions intensity standards for power stations.
• Humane Society International has secured a Federal Court order that Japanese company Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha Ltd pay $1 million for contempt of court, for ignoring 2008 orders to cease whaling in the Australian Whale Sanctuary. The company did not participate in the original trial that led to the 2008 order to cease whaling in the area (see background here).

Queensland:

• A parliamentary committee has released its report into the Government's Liquid Fuel Supply (Ethanol and Other Biofuels Mandate) Amendment Bill 2015, recommending that it be passed.
• Submissions are due by December 18 to a parliamentary committee inquiry into the State Government's Water Legislation Amendment Bill 2015.
• Submissions are due by January 18 to a parliamentary committee inquiry into the State Government's planning bills.
• The Queensland Government has gazetted the Sustainable Planning Amendment Regulation (No. 3) 2015, which an explanatory note says will improve the clarity of referral triggers and reduce the number of low-risk applications that are referred to the State Government for assessment.
• Comment closes on December 24 on a proposed Wet Tropics water plan for far North Queensland. The plan aims to establish 199 tradeable water allocations totalling more than 112,000 megalitres.
• Comment closes on December 18 on a 10-year biofuels roadmap released by the Palaszczuk Government.

NSW:

• After a conciliation conference in the NSW Land and Environment Court, the EPA and Centennial Newstan Pty Ltd have agreed on a variation to water discharge limits for its Newstan coal mine. "The resolution process involved experts from both Centennial Newstan and the EPA discussing the unresolved matters and reaching agreement on water discharge limits for the disputed values," an EPA spokesperson told Footprint. "The process used provides an effective model for resolving technical issues of this nature in the future," the spokesperson said.
• The NSW EPA and the NSW Radiation Advisory Council have issued a draft revised version of Radiation Guideline 6: Compliance requirements and industry best practice for ionising radiation apparatus used in diagnostic imaging.
• The NSW EPA has issued a revised model waste and recycling collection contract.
• Comment closes February 29 on a draft coastal management bill that includes a mechanism to classify areas as vulnerable to climate change and other hazards. (See the Footprint article 'NSW unveils coastal bill and policy').
• Comment closes on December 11 on the NSW EPA's draft revised version of the raw mulch order, which governs the use of mulch created from waste plant material and timber residues.

ACT:

• Environment Minister Simon Corbell has released a review of the ACT's climate change action plan, which was launched three years ago.
• A new study by Professor Will Steffen colleagues estimates the reductions in greenhouse gas emissions that will result from the first stage of Canberra's light rail network.

Victoria:

• EPA Victoria is holding a 'section 20B' conference on November 26 to discuss an application from Organic Matter Solutions for works approval to use mobile air curtain burners to incinerate green waste, wood waste, biohazardous materials, and waste collected after emergency clean-ups.
• EPA Victoria has issued a new position statement on what constitutes commercial food waste.
• The administrator of the VEET energy efficiency scheme administrator is inviting suggestions by December 11 on new activities that should be subsidised through the scheme.
• Comment closes on December 14 on EPA Victoria's review of its scheduled premises regulation. (See the Footprint article 'Victoria signals changes to controls on high-risk sites').
• Comment closes on December 20 on a draft priority statement that would govern the expenditure of money raised through landfill levies.
• The Metropolitan Waste and Resource Recovery Group is seeking comments by December 18 on a draft metropolitan waste and resource recovery implementation plan.
• Grant opportunity: Applications close on February 12 (energy assessments) and May 13 (materials assessments) for Sustainability Victoria resource efficiency grants.
• Grant opportunity: Applications close on December 29 for a new $1.5 million grants program to help councils cut emissions and boost climate resilience. Grants of between $10,000 and $80,000 are available.

South Australia:

• State Parliament's Natural Resources Committee has released the interim report of its inquiry into fracking.
• South Australia's new Environment Protection (Water Quality) Policy 2015 will take effect from the start of next year.
• A new South Australian waste strategy aims to divert more commercial and industrial waste from landfill, but leaves other diversion targets unchanged. (See the Footprint article 'SA toughens target for industrial waste').

Western Australia:

• WA's Department of Environment Regulation is seeking feedback on draft guidance statements dealing with the siting of prescribed premises near sensitive ecosystems and with approval procedures for mine dewatering.
• A WA Parliamentary committee has released the report of its inquiry into unconventional gas. (See the Footprint article 'Fracking: WA goes for greater penalties').
• WA Environment Minister Albert Jacob has told State Parliament that several environment protection policies would be repealed on the basis that they were outdated. The policies to be repealed are the Environmental Protection (South West Agricultural Zone Wetlands) Policy 1998, the Environmental Protection (Gnangara Mound Crown Land) Policy 1992 and the Environmental Protection (Swan Coastal Plain Lakes) Policy 1992.
• In response to questions from the Opposition, Environment Minister Albert Jacob has told State Parliament that work on the establishment of a multi-million dollar Pilbara strategic conservation fund is continuing, and consultation on its design is under way with companies that will be the major contributors to the fund.
• WA Energy Minister Mike Nahan has told State Parliament that a demand-side management program in the State is expensive and rarely used. Nahan was referring to an arrangement in which "we pay people to put in installed capacity", telling Parliament that it had resulted in about 500MW of capacity that was rarely called upon and last year cost about $65 million. The Minister said a report on the issue would be released in a few weeks.

Northern Territory

• Acting on advice from the author of a major review of the EPBC Act, the Northern Territory Government has announced plans to rework and strengthen its environmental approvals regime. Several recommendations deal specifically with mining, and the NT Government has confirmed its intention to end existing arrangements allowing mining and petroleum activities to operate without being subject to the Water Act. (See the Footprint article 'NT overhauls environmental assessments and approvals').
• The NT Government has released a draft oil and gas strategy and a summary of it, with comment closing on December 31.
• Logistics company Northline Pty Ltd has reported to the NT EPA a spill of nitric acid from a bulk container at its East Arm warehouse.
• The NT EPA has released its latest annual report and an annual report on the administration of the Environment Protection (Beverage Containers and Plastic Bags) Act.

Jobs and appointments:

• Retailer Myer is seeking a Melbourne-based national sustainability manager.
• Lend Lease is seeking a Sydney-based EHS, Quality and compliance operations advisor for its Living Utilities business.
• Property company Stockland has a six-month vacancy for a Sydney-based sustainability manager - retail.
• Cushman and Wakefield are recruiting on behalf of a large federal government department that has a large property portfolio for a Canberra-based sustainability manager.
• ALRA is recruiting on behalf of a large consultancy for a Sydney-based site environmental engineer.
• Cardno is seeking a Melbourne-based contaminated land auditor.
• Cardno is also seeking a Sydney-based environmental economist.
• CIMIC subsidiary Leighton Contractors has a maternity leave vacancy for a Melbourne-based environmental manager, overseeing teams in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.
• The Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection is advertising for an executive director, strategic environment and waste policy, environmental policy and planning.
• A manufacturing company in Dandenong (Melbourne) is seeking an EHS manager.
• The Sunrise Project, established to hasten the shift to an economy based on renewables, is seeking a Sydney-based deputy director.