Australian Capital Territory
Environment Protection (Consultation for Environmental Authorisation Application) Exemption 2007 (No 1)
Disallowable instrument DI2007—195
made under the
Environment Protection Act 1997, s 48 (Consultation on application for environmental authorisation)

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

The Environment Protection Act 1997 (the Act) establishes a scheme for application and grant of environmental authorisations for activities that may harm the environment. Part of that scheme includes a requirement in section 48 that the Environment Protection Authority (the EPA) advertise applications for authorisations and accept submissions from the public about them.

Subsection 48(6) empowers the Minister to declare that Section 48 (and its requirement for advertisement of authorisation applications) does not apply to a given activity.

This instrument exempts the EPA from publicly notifying an application for authorisations for:

(a)	lighting, using or maintaining a fire in the open air, or causing or permitting a fire to be lit, used or maintained in the open air, for the purpose of burning plant matter-
(i)	to reduce a fire hazard;
(ii)	to clear the land; or
(iii)	to conserve biological diversity or ecological integrity.
(b)	the commercial use of chemical products registered under the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Code as in force for the time being under the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Code Act 1994 of the Commonwealth for pest control or turf management.
(c)	the sale or supply in the ACT of firewood to the person who uses it, unless-
		(i)	the quantity of firewood sold or supplied is less than 100kg; or
		(ii)	the firewood is sold under a scheme in which an annual fee is paid for the right to collect waste softwood in pine plantations.

This exemption is intended for all authorisation applications for the above activities.