Amec calls for environmental approval reform
JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The Association of Mining and Exploration Companies (Amec) on Friday called for a streamlining of the environmental approvals process for mining projects, adding that the range, number and complexity of approvals processes were “constantly” increasing, resulting in unnecessary delays and additional costs.
“Industry continues to request a more streamlined and efficient approvals system, while ensuring that environmental, cultural heritage, native title and community values are not compromised,”Amec CEO Simon Bennison said in a statement.
This came as New South Wales Premier Barry O’Farrell and Western Australia Premier Colin Barnett called on newly elected Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to reverse the abandoned Labour party promise to streamline the environmental approval process.
“This needs to be back on the table as a key policy issue for the next term of government to remove the current significant duplications and additional layers of approval required by the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, while maintaining high environmental standards,” said Bennison.
Amec noted that the expansion of the existing bilateral agreements – which would see the federal government delegating its approval powers to accredited state and territory governments – was fundamental to maintaining momentum on projects that were contributing to economic growth and job creation and ensuring future investment in Australia.
“The Council of Australian Governments has acknowledged that considerable federal government resources can be saved by delegating its assessment and approval powers under the EPBC Act to accredited state and territory governments under the existing bilateral agreement process. This will create a single point of contact for environmental approvals,” Bennison said.
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