EPA Reports
EPA reports and recommendations can be found in the first dot point under the heading ‘Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)’ called “EPA Reports”.

Environmental Protection Bulletins
Information intended to provide an avenue for the EPA to make pronouncements or make its position clear on matters of process or policy requiring urgent attention are now known as Environmental Protection Bulletins (EPBs). The EPBs may also be used to establish interim policy while the formal process for policy development is being completed.

EPBs will focus on clear, simple and brief explanations of environmental policy but may also be used to announce proposed changes to administrative procedures or guidelines where there is an urgent need to notify such changes in advance of administrative procedures or guidelines being amended.

These documents as they are prepared and released can be found under the heading ’Policies” called “Environmental Protection Bulletins”.

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is a universally recognised and important predictive tool for ensuring that attention is paid at the early planning and design stages of development proposals to enhance the prospects of environmentally sustainable development. Early identification and characterisation of significant risks and impacts to critical environmental assets allows the public and the Government to form a view about the environmental acceptability of a proposed development and what conditions should apply to mitigate or reduce those risks and impacts.

It sits alongside other mechanisms, eg environmental regulation of existing activities, environmental policy and programmes, market-based instruments and community/business education and awareness-raising, in providing a suite of tools that can be used individually, sequentially or collectively to ensure sustainable development.

With the resources boom has come calls and attendant pressure for streamlined environmental impact assessment and approval processes. While this is understandable, and indeed regulatory reform is an essential component of good public administration, it is important to ensure that the quality of the environment and ecosystem integrity are not compromised in the long term through hasty or ill-conceived reform measures that do not deliver government, industry or community expectations.

In accordance with these needs, the EPA is undertaking a review of critical aspects of the EIA process. In doing so, the EPA is keen to ensure that the underlying principles of the system of EIA in WA are not lost. These fundamental process principles include transparency, accountability, public involvement, evidence-based decision-making, predictability and proportionality.

As part of the Environmental Impact Assessment review process the EPA will be changing the titles of some documents: