Environmental Protection Bulletin No. 18 - Sea level rise Summary: The purpose of this Bulletin is to set out the EPA’s expectations for environmental impact assessment (EIA) with respect to sea level rise.
The EPA notes that
- sea level rise may significantly alter aquatic ecosystems and coastal terrestrial ecosystems;
- proponents are expected to use the latest climate change science and projections to consider a proposal’s impact on ecosystems likely to be affected in the future by rising sea levels;
- proponents are expected to minimise the risks of damage to the environment from damaged infrastructure caused by sea level rise and climatic events; and
- managing for the risk of sea level rise is important both to protect infrastructure and mitigate the impact of proposals, particularly those that have a long operational life, on a changing natural environment.
Status: Final
Release Date: 14 June 2012
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Environmental Protection Bulletin No. 17 - Strategic and derived proposals Summary: The purpose of this bulletin is to:
- clearly define strategic proposals and derived proposals;
- outline the purpose and intent of the strategic and derived proposal provisions of the Environmental Protection Act 1986, and the expected benefits and outcomes which will be achieved by assessing strategic proposals;
- describe the assessment process for strategic proposals, and how derived proposals are determined and regulated;
- outline the process and the EPA’s expectations for public consultation on strategic and derived proposals;
- outline the EPA’s general approach to assessing strategic proposals and recommending conditions which should apply to derived proposals; and
- describe the EPA’s expectations of proponents of both strategic and derived proposals to ensure that the intent and outcomes can be met.
Status: Final
Release Date: 15 February 2012
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Environmental Protection Bulletin No. 16 - Minor or preliminary works or investigation work Summary: This Bulletin is aimed at clarifying:
- What is meant by ‘minor or preliminary works’?
- What is meant by ‘investigation work’?
- What information a proponent needs to submit to the EPA if it wants the EPA’s consent to undertake minor or preliminary works.
Status: Final
Release Date: 8 December 2011
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Environmental Protection Bulletin No. 15 - Hydraulic fracturing of gas reserves Summary: The EPA acknowledges there is community interest about hydraulic fracturing (known as fracking). Fracking is a process that pumps fluids and other materials under high pressure into wells to open channels in the rock formations, increasing the flow of and allowing extraction of gas reserves.
Status: Final
Release Date: 5 September 2011
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Environmental Protection Bulletin No. 14 - Guidance for the assessment of benthic primary producer habitat loss in and around Port Hedland Summary: This Environmental Protection Bulletin provides a Local Assessment Unit and guidance for its application to the assessment of cumulative loss of benthic primary producer habitat in Port Hedland.
Download the accompanying spatial data package here.
Status: Final
Release Date: 31 August 2011
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Environmental Protection Bulletin No. 13 - Guidance for the use of the Albany Regional Vegetation Survey in Environmental Impact Assessment Summary: The Environmental Protection Authority has endorsed the Albany Regional Vegetation Survey report (Sandiford and Barrett 2010) as a key information source to guide land use planning in the Albany Region. The survey report provides information on native vegetation and flora at a regional level to assist the EPA in making informed decisions on proposals in the area.
View the Albany Regional Vegetation Survey on DEC's website here.
Status: Final
Release Date: 5 May 2011
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Environmental Protection Bulletin No 12 - Swan Bioplan - Peel Regionally Significant Natural Areas Summary: The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) endorses the use of the Swan Bioplan - Peel Regionally Significant Natural Areas (Peel RSNAs) information to guide strategic land use and conservation planning in the Peel Sector of the Swan Coastal Plain.
Download the accompanying spatial data package here. (zip 12.8 MB)Status: Final
Release Date: 13 December 2010
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Environmental Protection Bulletin No. 11- Consultation on Conditions Recommended by the EPA Summary: The Environmental Protection Authority EPA has adopted a new administrative arrangement to consult proponents and key decision making authorities DMAs when the EPA is recommending implementation conditions for proposals it has assessed. This arrangement applies to the EPA and does not constrain the Minister for Environment in any way.
Updated March 2012
Status: Final
Release Date: 8 June 2010
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Environmental Protection Bulletin No. 10 - Geraldton Regional Flora and Vegetation Survey Summary: The Environmental Protection Authority EPA has endorsed the Geraldton Regional Flora and Vegetation Survey GRFVS as a key information source to help minimise the environmental impact of future development in the Geraldton region. The survey, produced by the Western Australian Planning Commission WAPC, covers an area of more than 40,700 hectares in the City of Geraldton-Greenough and the Shire of Chapman Valley.
The Geraldton Regional Flora and Vegetation Survey is available from the Department of Planning website at
http://www.planning.wa.gov.au/Plans+and+policies/Publications/2141.aspx. Maps and datasets produced through the GRFVS are available from the Department of Planning - email
corporate@planning.wa.gov.au or call 08 9264 7777.
Status: Final
Release Date: 3 May 2010
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Environmental Protection Bulletin No. 8 - South West Regional Ecological Linkages Summary: The EPA strongly supports a state wide comprehensive, adequate and representative CAR reserve system to protect Western Australia's biodiversity values. The EPA recognises this reserve system would be strengthened by the retention and restoration of well-planned and managed ecological linkages. Such linkages would ameliorate the threatening impacts on flora and fauna of habitat fragmentation and promote the maintenance of ecosystem function and the conservation of many native species in the south west region of Western Australia.
Status: Final
Release Date: 2 October 2009
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Environmental Protection Bulletin No. 6 - The Natural Values of the Whicher Scarp Summary: The EPA will, as required under the
Environmental Protection Act 1986, continue to consider proposed developments for this area on an individual basis, however, the EPA recognises the significance of the natural values of the Whicher Scarp across a range of biodiversity characteristics at the genetic, species and community levels, and the small overall extent of the Whicher Scarp environments. Where the EPA considers a proposal is likely to pose significant risk to the outstanding natural values of the Whicher Scarp, it will be formally assessed, and/or may be considered environmentally unacceptable.
Status: Final
Release Date: 10 August 2009
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Environmental Protection Bulletin No. 5 - Deep Drainage in the Wheatbelt Summary: The State of the Environment Report 2007 highlighted land and inland waters salinisation as
a major issue with some 1.08m hectares of land in the South West salt affected.
Status: Final
Release Date: 29 June 2009
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Environmental Protection Bulletin No. 3 - EIA Review - Interim Assessment Procedures Summary: An important aspect of the Review process has been the progressive implementation of specific outcomes agreed and endorsed during the Review. Implementation of Review outcomes will continue beyond the Review as they are refined and the supporting implementation requirements confirmed.
Status: Final
Release Date: 30 March 2009
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Environmental Protection Bulletin No. 2 - Port Hedland Dust and Noise Summary: In the Environmental Protection Authority's EPA Report 1311 released concurrently with this Bulletin the EPA noted in the 'Other Advice' section that while the Utah Point Berth Project Stage B proposal would lead to some local improvement in air quality and reduction in noise levels in the west end of Port Hedland, it would not result in improvements in the overall area of Port Hedland where dust and noise impacts are already of concern. As a new facility, the proposal would result in an incremental increase in dust and noise emissions to the overall air-shed of Port Hedland.
Status: Final
Release Date: 12 January 2009
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Environmental Protection Bulletin No. 1 - Environmental Offsets - Biodiversity Summary: Western Australia's growing society and strong economy pose many challenges to protecting and conserving our natural environment. In the past, some adverse environmental impacts may have been regarded as an acceptable consequence of economic and social growth. Today, we must find a way to ensure the protection and improvement of the environment while allowing for development. Environmental offsets are one management tool that can help achieve sustainable outcomes.
Status: Final
Release Date: 8 September 2008
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