Action item 14.17
Progress
Complete.
Approved by decision makers.
Recommendation implemented.
That prior to the grant of any further production approvals, the Schedule be repealed and replaced with legislation to regulate land clearing, seismic surveys, well construction, drilling, hydraulic fracturing, and well decommissioning and abandonment.
Completed
Action item update
Implementation
In 2019, the Schedule of onshore petroleum exploration and production requirements was significantly amended in response to multiple Inquiry recommendations that saw the establishment of the Code of Practice for Onshore Petroleum in the Northern Territory. The Code is on the DEPWS website.
At the time, over 100 clauses remained in the Schedule that collectively provided for a broad range of application, assessment and reporting requirements, as well technical and safety standards. A comprehensive review determined the most appropriate way to repeal the Schedule and replace it with legislation.
The Petroleum Legislation Amendment Bill 2022 was introduced in the Legislative Assembly on 12 October 2022, passed on 1 December 2022 and assented to on 16 December 2022. Refer to Special Gazette S64 published on 19 December 2022 on the Northern Territory Government website.
Amendments to the Petroleum Act 1984 will establish 3 new resource management, activity and infrastructure plans that will collectively replace all relevant approvals in Schedule. These are a well operation management plan, a field management plan and a petroleum surface infrastructure plan. The Bill also establishes approval criteria and strict assessment timelines.
Transitional arrangements are enabled by the Bill, which will require all petroleum interest holders to transition to the new approvals process once the amended Act and Regulations commence.