The Australian government has announced there will be increased transparency for all environmental plans for offshore oil and gas activities.
All plans will be published, and draft environment plans for offshore seismic and exploration drilling activities will be open for public comment under changes to environmental regulations.
Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Matt Canavan said the new requirements are part of a suit of changes to improve and increase transparency of the country’s offshore petroleum work.
“Australians need to be confident that oil and gas activities being carried out offshore meet our stringent environment regulations, and that all environmental risks and impacts of the proposed activity are taken into account,” he said.
“The public will have a 30-day comment period to give feedback on the environmental management of proposed seismic and exploration drilling activities, providing a new level of accountability, Canavan said.
“Environment plans for all offshore activities will be published when they are submitted to the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) before they are assessed,” he added.
“If the plan is accepted by NOPSEMA, it will be published, along with an explanation of how public comments have been taken into account, enabling the community to see how their concerns have been addressed,” he said.
The new regulations will come into action on Apr. 25. All draft environment plans submitted from that date onwards will be published on the NOPSEMA web site, along with information on how to make comments on the plans.
