The national offshore petroleum safety and environmental management authority nopsema is an australian commonwealth statutory agency established under the offshore petroleum and greenhouse gas storage act 2006 opggs act. Nopsema means the national offshore petroleum safety and environmental. Council on environmental qualitys nepa regulations and guidance. When nopsema detects a potential breach of the environment regulations or a serious incident is reported, the authority will commence an investigation. Greg hunt mp has approved all petroleum and greenhouse gas activities taken in commonwealth waters in accordance with the program report strategic assessment of the environmental management authorisation process for petroleum and greenhouse gas storage activities administered by the national offshore petroleum safety and. It is important to note, environment plan submissions that are published on the open for comment page have not undergone an assessment by nopsema. Providing opportunities for public participation and consultation is an integral part of transparency. The requirements and guidance described in this handbook are based on federal regulations andor guidance documents in place in the fall of 2010. Acts and regulations department of environmental affairs. The following is a summary of the major federal environmental laws. Petroleum activity guidance note pdf 174kb petroleum activities and australian marine parks guidance note pdf 781kb offshore project proposal offshore project proposal content requirements guidance note pdf 560kb environment plan. I, bomo edith edna molewa, minister of environmental affairs, hereby make the regulations pertaining to environmental impact assessments, under sections 245 and 44 of the national environmental management act, 1998 act no. Does a lack of time or resources prevent your organization from taking charge of its environmental obligations.
Nopsema government response department of industry. Summaries of major statutes administered by the environmental protection agency david m. Regulations require that once the prescribed permissioning documents have been accepted by nopsema, dutyholders must operate in accordance with the arrangements documented within the relevant safety case, well operations management plan or environment plan. An assessment of the plan has commenced in accordance with the offshore petroleum and greenhouse gas storage environment regulations 2009 the environment regulations and nopsemas assessment policies. This is in addition to the multitude of other federal acts, rules, and administrative environmental regulations. The legislation represents the governments national policies and strategies on the safety, well integrity and environmental management of offshore petroleum activities. The program proposal, if implemented, will result in nopsema becoming the sole regulator for all offshore petroleum environmental assessments and approvals meaning companies no longer need a separate approval from the minister for environment under part 3 of the environmental protection and biodiversity act 1999 cth act the epbc act. Rather, it is a quick guide to the environmental regulatory and associated programs that typically apply to most small communities. The offshore petroleum and greenhouse gas storage act 2006 opggs act provides the regulatory framework for all offshore petroleum exploration, production and greenhouse gas activities in commonwealth waters those areas more than three nautical miles from the territorial sea baseline and within the commonwealth petroleum jurisdiction boundary. Ceq regulations for implementing the procedural provisions.
Bearden, coordinator specialist in environmental policy claudia copeland specialist in resources and environmental policy linda luther analyst in environmental policy james e. Nopsema serves as the national regulator for the health and safety, well. Nopsema makes assessment decisions based on the requirements of the law and the merits of the proposed management of environmental risks and. Assurance of tempsc and associated systems guideline pdf 98kb diving operations. Environmental management and the offshore petroleum lifecycle pdf 522kb. There are two key areas in which nopsema may have fallen short, the. The aim is to standardise australias offshore petroleum regulation to a quality, best. International association of drilling contractors appendix 1. These regulations, made by the minister of state under sections 43 and 4 of the environmental management act, concern a wide variety of matters regarding environmental protection including air quality control, waste management, hazardous waste and other substances harmful to the environment such as pesticides and ozonedepleting substances. A commonwealth government agency, nopsema is the regulator of environmental. Policy documents provide nopsemas interpretation of legislative requirements and guideline documents provide guidance on how to meet those legislative. Nopsema is the national offshore petroleum safety and environmental management authority, an independent statutory agency regulating the health and safety, structural integrity, and environmental management of all offshore petroleum operations in commonwealth federally regulated waters of australia.
Nov 28, 20 regulations means regulations made under the act, including these regulations. Nopsema was established as an independent statutory authority by the opggs act on 1 january 2012. Is the state of your organizations environmental affairs a significant liability. Legislative context decommissioning activities are regulated by nopsema under the offshore petroleum and greenhouse gas storage act 2006 opggs act and associated regulations. The formal assessment process will commence when the titleholder submits an environment plan to nopsema following the public comment process. Offshore petroleum and greenhouse gas storage environment.
Nopsema offers a subscription service for members of the community who want to be kept informed about environment plan proposals that are open for comment or under assessment. Offshore petroleum and greenhouse gas storage act 2006 the opggs act and offshore petroleum and greenhouse gas storage environment regulations 2009 the opggse regulations. The nrcscpa52 environmental evaluation worksheet, course number nrcsnhq000048 usda eauth required for access national environmental policy act nepa of 1969. Nopsema has developed a series of advice documents to inform and assist stakeholders to interpret and meet the requirements of the offshore petroleum and greenhouse gas storage environment regulations 2009 environment regulations policy documents provide nopsema s interpretation of legislative requirements and guideline documents provide guidance on how to meet. Nopsema has today accepted equinors environment plan for exploratory petroleum drilling in the great australian bight, which represents the second of four approvals required before activity can commence. Regulations is detailed in the environment plan content requirements pdf 963kb.
Nopsema is the commonwealth government body that administers and enforces the ohs aspects of this legislation. Strategic assessment of the environmental management. The environment regulations provide eight acceptance criteria that. Environment plans listed on this page are being assessed in accordance with the environment regulations, nopsemas assessment policy and decision making guidelines to receive updates about environment plans under assessment click subscribe button. Special submission to nopsema on the proposed equinor. Pdf conocophillips is pleased to advise that the national offshore petroleum safety and environmental management authority nopsema has published the barossa area development offshore project proposal barossa opp for public comment. International organization for standardization, iso 14001 environmental management systems, specification with guidance for use. Offshore petroleum and greenhouse gas storage safety. Regulations made under the occupational health and safety act, 85 of 1993 and published in gn. Petroleum exploration in the great australian bight gab region has been undertaken without reported or identified environmental harm since the late 1960s. The offshore petroleum and greenhouse gas storage environment regulations 2009.
Nopsema s interpretation of the content requirements for an environment plan as specified in the environment regulations is detailed in the environment plan content requirements pdf 963kb. Environment protection and biodiversity conservation act 1999 endorsement for nopsema from 28 february 2014 to become single national offshore petroleum regulator. Protection and biodiversity conservation act 1999 cth epbc act, nopsema now holds the role of environmental assessment and regulation of equinor s ep. Nopsema is the national offshore petroleum safety and environmental management authority, an independent statutory agency regulating the health and safety, structural integrity, and environmental management of all offshore petroleum operations in commonwealth federally regulated waters of. Ethylene glycol united states environmental protection agency. Nopsema annual offshore performance report officer of. Under a onestopshop agreement, approval powers for offshore oil and gas were handed over to nopsema. Everything you wanted to know about environmental regulations. Nopsema has a role in promoting and clarifying with industry its understanding of its obligations under the offshore petroleum and greenhouse gas storage act 2006 opggs act and associated regulations. International association of drilling contractors appendix. The aim of the assessment is to deliver a one stop shop for environmental approvals of offshore. If nopsema accepts an environment plan that demonstrates these outcomes and meets all other criteria for acceptance under the regulations, and demonstrates compliance with all other legislative and regulatory requirements, 4. Validation guideline pdf 248kb facility safety case.
International organization for standardization, iso 14004, environmental management systems general guidelines on principles, systems and supporting techniques. Nopsema a new report from the national offshore oil and gas regulator has revealed that both the regulatory bodies and industry have largely been able to manage an escalation in commissioning and production activity without compromising safety and with no fatalities for the sixth year in a row. The ministerial statement of expectation states that nopsema should act in. Under nopsemas regulation, the offshore petroleum industry has achieved significant progress in improving safety and environmental management outcomes. Petroleum exploration in the great australian bight key points. Environment plans listed on this page are being assessed in accordance with the environment regulations, nopsema s assessment policy and decision making guidelines. In most states and in the northern territory, there is corresponding legislation for offshore petroleum. What is the abbreviation for national offshore petroleum safety and environmental management authority. Core concepts requirements under the offshore petroleum and greenhouse gas storage safety regulations 2009 opggss. This site will help you find and participate in public comment consultations that may be of interest. Draft terms of reference for a strategic assessment of the. Safety and environmental management authority nopsema, a commonwealth government agency and regulator of environmental management law.
Mccarthy specialist in environmental policy mary tiemann. National environmental management act, 107 of 1998. Are you looking at ways to improve your overall environmental performance. Ceq regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of. Responsibility for the ongoing environmental performance of the keraudren extension 3d marine seismic survey activity remains, at all times, with santos wa northwest pty ltd. In that agreement, nopsema committed to protect matters of national environmental significance, including commonwealth marine areas. Environmental management and the offshore petroleum lifecycle pdf. The environment regulations seek to ensure that every offshore petroleum. Nopsema abbreviation stands for national offshore petroleum safety and environmental management authority. In 20, the rate of accidents and injuries requiring three or more days off work reached the lowest level recorded since the authority commenced operations in 2005. The protection of the gab and its adjacent coastal environment is a primary concern for the south australian government. Statements of reasons under the adjr act policy pdf 184kb sets out how nopsema prepares and issues statements of reasons under the administrative.
The inclusion of environmental regulations in nopsemas remit has broadened the stakeholder landscape for nopsema and for the offshore petroleum sector. To receive updates about environment plans under assessment click subscribe button. Protecting matters of national environmental significance. The chemical formula for ethylene glycol is c 2 h 6 o 2, and its molecular weight is 62. Guidance notes provide nopsema s expectations on a specific topic. Authorisation process administered by nopsema under the. National offshore petroleum safety and environmental. Role of operator and workforce in planned inspection guideline pdf 126kb health and safety representatives. Nopsas role was expanded to include environmental regulation in. The winner for industry understatement of the year might go the offshore environmental regulator for this pearler. There is also an option to subscribe to individual environment plan proposals of interest.
Complying with the diving safety regulations guideline pdf 878kb ohs inspections. Chief executive officer of nopsema as the regulator under the environment regulations, the environment manager assessment and inspection, as the delegate of the regulator made the decision to accept the environment plan and provided notice of this decision in accordance with subregulation 111 of the environment regulations. Nopsema considered that most of the new eps did not meet the acceptance criteria as specified in the opggsa environmental regulations 2009. To be referred under the epbc act for approval by the minister for environment if it is likely to have an impact on a matter of national environmental significance within stateterritory waters. Nopsema administers the opggs act and its associated regulations. Nopsema recognises the need for further clarification in. Barossa offshore project proposal published for public. Anedo is strongly opposed to the delegation of commonwealth environmental. Nopsema has legislated responsibilities to inspect and investigate offshore petroleum and greenhouse gas storage activities, and to enforce compliance with environmental law. Environmental impact statements shall be concise, clear, and to the point, and shall be supported by evidence that agencies have made the necessary environmental analyses.
Nopsema inspectors may also request the company to provide the regulator with proposed actions to address issues highlighted in the inspection report. Petroleum exploration in the great australian bight key points 1. To receive email updates, click the subscribe button. Council on environmental quality ceq nepas forty most asked questions pdf, 478kb usda nepa regulations.
Nopsemas environment division is responsible for ensuring that all offshore. Establishment and administration of the national offshore. Submission resources sector regulation study submission. Made under subsection 602b2 of the commonwealth offshore petroleum and. There are also scores of environmental laws that have been enacted by state and local government. Core concepts requirements under the offshore petroleum and greenhouse gas storage safety regulations 2009 opggss regulations to which supporting safety studies may contribute include those related to hazard identification, risk assessment, adoption of control measures and emergency planning. Since the establishment of nopsema in 2012, a combination of factors has seen eps grow in size and complexity. The minister of environmental affairs and tourism hereby publishes, in terms of section 245 read with section 44 of the national environmental management act, 1998 act no. Jan 21, 2015 environmental impact means any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, that wholly or partially results from an activity. Bass strait environment plans and oil pollution emergency. Strategic assessment of the environment management. Alarp and environmental impacts reduced to alarp and acceptable levels.
Streamlining offshore petroleum environmental approvals. Council on environmental quality executive office of the president regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of the national environmental policyact reprint 40 cfr parts 15001508 2005 this page is blank inside front cover table of contents part 1500purpose, policy and. For details about a specific activity undergoing assessment including a location map. It demonstrates that australians can be confident that offshore oil and gas activities are regulated by nopsema in a way that meets our stringent environmental regulations, and that the. The overall aim of an environment plan is to demonstrate to the regulator, the national offshore petroleum safety and environmental management authority nopsema, that esso has a comprehensive understanding of how its operations interact with the environment, and to demonstrate the implementation of environmental safeguards to reduce the risks. The objective of the program is to ensure all offshore petroleum and greenhouse gas activities are carried out in a. Report nopsemas involvement in environmental management collaborative networks july 2016 pdf 102kb. Nopsema has prepared high level information and education material to explain oil spill risk evaluation, however titleholder documents at times include oil spill risk evaluation outputs presented in a way that enable them to be misinterpreted or misrepresented. Schedule 3 of the opggsa is the primary piece of ohs law, and is supported by a consolidated set of regulations. As the stringency of those regulations has increased so too has the incentive for.
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