NSW polluters to require ‘credible’ plan for mitigating climate impact
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By: Peter Hannam
May 19, 2024
New coalmines, gas fields and other big sources of greenhouse gases in New South Wales will need to provide more rigorous plans to minimise pollution and reduce carbon emissions before they are approved, under new rules imposed on Monday.
Revised assessment requirements and guidelines from the Environment Protection Authority mark a “foundational” tightening of rules for firms planning new projects or modifying existing ones that emit at least 25,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent a year, said Tony Chappel, the NSW EPA chief executive.
“It’s one step but it’s an important one,” Chappel said. “It brings the assessment of climate impacts front and centre into the planning process in a way that should be clear and transparent for the community and for industry.”
Developers’ environmental impact statements in the past had often been “using emission factors which have been found to be significantly inaccurate”, he said, adding that independent third-party verification will be needed “every step of the way”.
“We can’t regulate if we don’t have clarity of the data,” Chappel said. “We can’t have the data if the proponent isn’t doing the rigorous work on making that available.”
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