Environment resources

NOPSEMA has developed a series of advice documents to inform and assist stakeholders to interpret and meet the requirements of the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Environment) Regulations 2009 (Environment Regulations). Policy documents provide NOPSEMA's interpretation of legislative requirements and guideline documents provide guidance on how to meet those legislative requirements. Guidance note documents provide NOPSEMA's expectations on a specific environmental management topic and information papers provide further information, background and practices on a topic to foster improved environmental management outcomes.  

Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse
Gas Storage Act 2006

Establishes the National Offshore Energy Regulator (NOPSEMA) and provides the regulatory framework for all offshore petroleum exploration, production and greenhouse gas activities in Commonwealth waters.

Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas
Storage (Environment) Regulations 2009

Defines the regulatory requirements relating to environmental management that must be met when undertaking a petroleum or greenhouse gas activity.
Statutory
Requirement

Environment plan
assessment policy

Outlines the objectives and provides guiding principles on how NOPSEMA administers the requirements of the legislation.

Environment plan decision
making guidelines

Provides specific detail on the approach, expectations and criteria NOPSEMA uses in applying statutory discretion. In general a titleholder not complying with the guidelines should provide good justification for not doing so.
NOPSEMA must
take into consideration
during decision making

Guidance
notes

Provides NOPSEMA’s interpretation of regulatory requirements, however this advice is not authoritative. Titleholders may offer an equally valid interpretation and provide a plan based on their interpretation of the regulations (but must still show that it meets the regulations).

Info
Paper*

Provides information, background and practices to foster good/better practice within industry. The advice shall be broadly consistent with the regulations, the concepts of an objective based regime and government policy.
Good practice



*Other guidance also includes brochures, environment alerts, bulletins, the Regulator articles, forms and other published material.


Policies

PL1347 - Environment plan assessment - Rev 7 - April 2019 (PDF 307KB)

PL1650 - Offshore project proposal assessment - Rev 1 - September 2018 (PDF 198KB)

PL1780 - Financial assurance requirements for petroleum titles - Rev 1 - May 2019 (PDF 126KB)

PL0973 - Petroleum environmental inspections - Rev 5 - June 2018 (PDF 197KB)

PL0067 - Enforcement - Rev 15 - March 2017 (PDF 235KB)

PL1305 - Sharing information with Australian and international agencies - Rev 1 - May 2019 (PDF 125KB)

PL0050 - Assessment - Rev 15 - August 2019 (PDF 172KB)

PL1791 - Environment plan levies and cost recovery - Rev 0 - June 2019 (PDF 256KB)

Guidelines

GL1721 - Environment plan decision making - Rev 5 - June 2018 (PDF 342KB)

GL1381 - Financial assurance for petroleum titles - Rev 7 - June 2019 (PDF 287KB)

GL1566 - Environment plan summaries - Rev 2 - April 2019 (PDF 230KB)

GL1705 - When to submit a proposed revision of an environment plan - Rev 1 - January 2017 (PDF 466KB)

GL1691 - End of the operation of an environment plan – Regulation 25A - Rev 1 - October 2016 (PDF 175KB)

GL0225 - Making submissions to NOPSEMA - Rev 17 - April 2019 (PDF 200KB)

Guidance notes

GN1847 - Responding to public comment on environment plans - Rev 0 - April 2019 (PDF 207KB)

GN1343 - Petroleum activity - Rev 2 - April 2016 (PDF 174KB)

GN1344 - Environment plan content requirements - Rev 4 - April 2019 (PDF 963KB)

GN1785 - Petroleum activities and Australian marine parks - Rev 0 - July 2018 (PDF 781KB)

GN1746 - Change to the titleholder with operational control of activities - October 2017 (PDF 615KB)

GN1488 - Oil pollution risk management - Rev 2 - February 2018

GN0926 - Notification and reporting of environmental incidents - Rev 4 - February 2014 (PDF 148KB)

Information papers

IP1411 - Consultation requirements under the OPGGS Environment Regulations 2009 - Rev 2 - December 2014 (PDF 184KB)

IP1765 - Acoustic impact evaluation and management - December 2018 (PDF 701KB)

IP1349 - Operational and scientific monitoring programs - Rev 2 - March 2016 (PDF 1.6MB)

IP1664 - Making public comment on offshore project proposals - Rev 3 - September 2018 (PDF 156KB)

IP1764 - Considerations for five year revisions - Rev 1 - January 2018 (PDF 150KB)

IP1382 - Streamlining environmental regulation of petroleum activities in Commonwealth waters - Rev 0 - February 2014 (PDF 189KB)

Forms

FM1846 - Titleholder report on public comments - Rev 0 - April 2019 (DOCX 102KB)

FM1848 - Environment plan summary statement - Rev 0 - April 2019 (DOCX 91KB)

FM1257 - Environment plan submission cover sheet - Rev 8 - April 2019 (DOCX 102KB)

FM1653 - OPP submission cover sheet - Rev 2 - October 2016 (DOCX 112KB)

FM1465 - Financial assurance confirmation - Rev 4 - June 2019 (PDF 236KB)

FM1519 - Financial assurance declaration - Rev 2 - December 2018 (PDF 304KB)

FM1408 - Regulation 25A - Notification of end of operation of environment plan - Rev 3 - February 2018 (DOCX 94KB)

FM1405 - Regulation 29 - Notification of start and end of activity - Rev 2 - February 2017 (DOCX 144KB)

FM0831 - Report of an accident, dangerous occurrence or environmental incident - Rev 8 - Jan 2015 (DOCX 127KB)

FM0928 - Monthly environmental incident reports - Rev 3 - March 2014 (DOC 74KB)

FM1405 - Regulation 29 - Notification of start and end of activity - Rev 2 - February 2017 (DOCX 144KB)

FM1408 - Regulation 25A - Notification of end of operation of environment plan - Rev 3 - February 2018 (DOCX 94KB)

Bulletins

Bulletin #1 - Oil spill modelling - April 2019 (PDF 273KB)

Regulator articles

Complete issues of the Regulator are published on the Publications page.

2019

Science and evidence informs best-practice environmental management

Effective testing of oil spill response arrangements

Source control workshop brings together global experts

Insight into the public comment process for exploration environment plans

Referring to supporting documentation in published environment plans

More than a century of experience behind our Spill Risk Team

Benchmarking leading practice environmental management regulation

2018

Engaging with stakeholders on environmental management 

Contingency measures for subsea drilling operations

Improving environmental impact assessments for seismic surveys

New publication requirements for environment plans - referring to information already provided

Managing biosecurity risks 

NOPSEMA's expectations of industry to improve oil spill response

Overcoming scientific uncertainty and oil spill preparedness challenges

The regulators perspective on marine seismic surveys: Identifying and managing environmental impacts

Environment inspections focus on source control

Plans for marine parks take effect

Meeting your obligations for decommissioning

Improved consultation and transparency gains momentum

2017

Marine oil pollution response arrangements in Western Australia: Are you compliant? 

Inspecting oil spill response service providers and equipment stockpiles

An open discussion about environmental management

Is your activity occurring where it shouldn't be?

International meeting of environmental regulators

Oil spill response - competency and training

Lessons learned from environmental enforcement action 

New national recovery plan for marine turtles

Continuous improvement of oil spill response preparedness through international engagement

Finished the petroleum activity?  How to end your environment plan

Improved transparency in environment plan submissions

NOPSEMA concerned about misuse of ‘management of change’

Improving access to environmental management information

Preparing your EP five-year revision?

2016

Working with stakeholders to address environmental management challenges

NOPSEMA supports WA strategy for marine science collaboration

IOPER annual general meeting and new research outcomes on sound and marine life

Has your Environment Plan reached the end of its life? …if so, here’s how to end it!

Offshore Project Proposal (OPP) – guidance updated

The importance of a nominated liaison person

Collaborative opportunities for oil spill preparedness and response

Inspecting environmental consultation performance

Deciding on environmental consultation requirements

Monitoring financial assurance compliance

2015

Chemical selection and substitution warnings

Consultation for larger scale seismic surveys

Optimising dispersant selection for offshore pollution risks

Managing scientific uncertainty in environmental impact assessments for seismic surveys

Effective consultation and opposing views

2014

Monitoring of impacts to the environment from oil pollution

Referring to information previously submitted

Request for further information

Commencement of financial assurance requirements

Addressing stakeholder concerns on consultation

Environment plan levies for title applicants

Environment inspections post 1 October 2014

Clarifying environmental input in oil pollution response arrangements

Science in complex environmental decisions

New ‘Oil pollution risk management’ information paper

Changes to environmental reporting requirements

Achieving effective consultation with relevant persons

Produced Formation Water - Oil in water

2013

Sufficient information for consultation

Effective environmental consultation for offshore petroleum activities

Environment culture - planning to respond

Developing appropriate environmental performance standards

Building strong environmental foundations

2012

Off the shelf monitoring programs

Managing the risks of marine pests

Environmental monitoring – one size fits all?

Reporting environmental incidents can drive continuous improvement

 

See the Resources page for frequently asked questions, publications, presentations and data reports and statistics.

Note: NOPSEMA's advice documents should not be relied on as advice on the law, nor treated as a substitute for legal advice in any relevant situation. NOPSEMA's assessment, monitoring and enforcement activities are undertaken in accordance with the Environment Regulations. NOPSEMA’s advice documents are subject to periodic review and update. Comments and suggestions on the content of any advice documents are welcomed can be directed to environment@nopsema.gov.au.