affected by the activity including relevant values and sensitivities of National Heritage places details of all the environmental impacts and risks of the activity including those to the values of National Heritage places an evaluation of all the environmental impacts and risks of the activity including those to the values of National Heritage places. This includes the selection and application of appropriate control measures to reduce potential impacts and risks to acceptable levels environmental performance outcomes, environmental performance standards and measurement criteria against the performance of the titleholder in protecting the environment, including the values of National Heritage places is to be measured a clear demonstration that the environmental impacts and risks of the activity will be reduced to acceptable levels and ALARP a description of the legislative and other requirements that apply to the activity and that are relevant to the environmental management of the activity. Sections 324U and 324X of the EPBC Act set out the requirements for Section 324S plans for the management of listed National Heritage places. If no Section 324S plan exists, Section 324U refers to consideration of the National Heritage management principles (Schedule 5B, EPBC Regulations). If these requirements are relevant to the activities of a petroleum titleholder the Environment Plan must describe the requirements and provide appropriate control measures to ensure that these requirements will be met By placing the above obligations on titleholders the OPGGS(E) Regulations facilitate protection of the values of NOPSEMA prepares and publishes guidance on the content requirements of Environment Plans, which provides further detailed interpretation of the requirements of the OPGGS(E) Regulations with respect to the identification and management of impacts to the environment. NOPSEMA will update this guidance on approval of classes of actions to ensure that, where relevant, titleholders give specific consideration to National Heritage management obligations, principles and management plans to ensure that activities proposed in their Environment Plans are not inconsistent with these requirements. NOPSEMA will issue further guidance that directs titleholders to consider relevant policies, documents and other material issued by DoE in the preparation of Environment Plans to ensure that management of impacts to the values of National Heritage places is appropriately taken into account.
Environment Plans such as gazettal instruments, bioregional plans, plans of management and EPBC Act guidance documents. In undertaking assessments, NOPSEMA will have regard to relevant policy documents, gazettal instruments, bioregional plans of management and guidance documents on the DoE website. These requirements ensure that an Environment Plan that proposes unacceptable impacts to the environment cannot meet the criteria for acceptance. NOPSEMA Responsibilities: Section 341V of the EPBC Act requires that a Commonwealth agency must not authorise any person to do anything that may contravene a plan made Section 341S for management of a Commonwealth Heritage place. If there is no section 341S plan, a Commonwealth agency must take all reasonable steps to ensure that acts relating to the property are not inconsistent with the Commonwealth Heritage management principles (Schedule 7B, EPBC Regulations). Section 362 of the EPBC Act requires that a Commonwealth agency must not perform its functions or exercise its powers inconsistently with a management plan that is in operation for a reserve. If there is no plan in operation, Section 357 requires a Commonwealth agency to not exercise its powers or perform its functions inconsistently with the Australian IUCN reserve management principles (Schedule 8, EPBC Regulations) or a management plan previously in operation. The OPGGS(E) Regulations contain clear acceptance criteria against which NOPSEMA must assess all Environment Plans. NOPSEMA must not accept an Environment Plan that does not meet these criteria. In particular NOPSEMA is unable to accept an Environment Plan that does not demonstrate that impacts to the environment will be reduced to an acceptable level. Mechanisms to ensure NOPSEMA’s responsibilities are met: The Environment Plan content requirements of the OPGGS(E) Regulations [regulations 13 and 14] ensure that potential impacts to the environment are appropriately identified, evaluated and mitigated to levels that are acceptable and ALARP. NOPSEMA must not accept an Environment Plan if the requirements of the OPGGS(E) Regulations have not been met [sub-regulation 10A].