Draft guidelines for new water trigger under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act released for public comment

Introduction

The Federal Government has released the Draft significant impact guidelines - Coal seam gas and large coal mining developments: impacts on water resources (Draft Guidelines) for public comment.

The Draft Guidelines aim to provide proponents with greater certainty in relation to the application of the new water trigger under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) to current and future coal seam gas (CSG) and coal mining developments.

Background

On 21 June 2013, the EPBC Act was amended to include a new matter of national environmental significance in relation to CSG and large coal mining developments, known as the 'water trigger'.