Dept of Climate Change, Energy, Environment & Water
The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) regulates impacts to matters of national environmental significance, these include consideration of significant impacts from actions on water resources, in relation to a coal seam gas or large coal mining development (the water trigger).
On 15 December 2023, the EPBC Act Water Trigger was amended to include consideration of likely significant impacts on water resources in relation to all types of unconventional gas, for example, shale and tight gas related developments.
This means actions relating to all types of unconventional gas developments with potential significant impacts on water resources may need to be referred to us for assessment under the EPBC Act.
The
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