The NT EPA is preparing to implement the Northern Territory Government's newly reformed environmental regulatory regime.
The Environment Protection Regulations 2020 has now been assented to by the Administrator and gazetted on 15 April 2020. When it commences on 28 June 2020, the Environment Protection Act 2019 will replace the current environmental impact assessment process. The new process is described in The Guide to Environmental Impact Assessment and Approval in the NT PDF (854.7 KB) and this flowchart PDF (689.7 KB).
Transition of existing environmental impact assessment processes
The NT EPA has developed a Policy for the transition of proposals undergoing environmental impact assessment under the Environmental Assessment Act 1982. Proponents affected by transition arrangements should continue to direct enquiries to the Environmental Assessments team in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
New guidance material
To assist proponents of development proposals and other stakeholders to understand and participate in the new environmental impact assessment process, the NT EPA is developing a series of guidance documents in consultation with stakeholders.
These guidance documents will be made available for public comment for six weeks before being finalised. When the Environment Protection Act 2019 commences, the new guidance documents will replace all previous environmental impact assessment guidance. To view the draft guidance and make a comment, please visit the consultation page.
The new guidance material is being developed in focused streams, and organised in the following structure.
| Guidance for stakeholders | Guidance for proponents | Technical guidance |
|---|---|---|
| 4: Guidance on preparing a public submission during the EIA process PDF (729.5 KB) | 5: Referring a proposed action to the NT EPA PDF (552.1 KB) 6: Preparing a supplementary environmental report (SER) PDF (523.3 KB) 7: Preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS) PDF (531.3 KB) 8: Referring a significant variation PDF (449.7 KB) 9: Stakeholder engagement PDF (551.1 KB) 10: Referring a proponent initiated EIS 11: Environmental management, monitoring and reporting | To be developed for each of the NT EPA environmental factors and objectives. |
The NT EPA intends to finalise guidance 1 to 9 (above) prior to commencement of the Environment Protection Act 2019. Other guidance, including technical guidance, is currently being prepared and will be published for public comment when available.