Penalties will be increased, and courts will be empowered to penalise polluters taking into account their profits from illegal behaviour, under proposed changes to Western Australia's main environment law.
Industry has blasted the prospect of the WA EPA recommending carbon offsetting, but the environmental consulting sector has come out firmly in favour of the concept.
A Western Australian EPA recommendation to amend a carbon condition attached to Chevron's Gorgon LNG project would result in the company having to buy millions of offsets.
The air pollution condition applying to Yara Pilbara's ammonium nitrate plant on the Burrup Peninsula should be updated and tightened, Western Australia's EPA has recommended.
In another sign that independent environmental decision-makers favour tougher climate change conditions than their state governments, a NSW commission has imposed an export restriction on a coal project.
The Western Australian government today unveiled a new policy on greenhouse gas conditions for major projects that is weaker than EPA proposals ditched earlier this year.
The Western Australian government is planning an industry-funded buyout of homes in Port Hedland's West End, to resolve longstanding complaints about dust from port operations.