Amy Adams27 FEBRUARY,
2014 - Activities involved in exploratory
drilling for oil and gas will be classified
as non-notified discretionary under new
EEZ Act regulations, Environment Minister
Amy Adams announced today.
“The non-notified discretionary
classification is the pragmatic option for
exploratory drilling, and will provide a
level of regulation proportionate to its
effects,” Ms Adams says.
“This is part of the
National-led Government’s overhaul of the
laws and regulations governing the oil and
gas industry.
“The classification
will provide effective oversight and environmental
safeguards without burdening industry with
excessive costs and timeframes.”
Exploratory drilling
is the drilling of an offshore well to identify
oil or gas deposits under the seafloor,
and to evaluate whether they would be suitable
for production.
As part of the marine
consent application, operators will need
to submit an impact assessment that identifies
impacts on the environment and existing
interests. The impact assessment must describe
any consultation undertaken with people
identified as existing interests.
The Environmental Protection
Authority (EPA) will fully assess the effects
of the activity on the environment and existing
interests. If a marine consent is granted,
the EPA can impose such conditions as it
thinks necessary to properly manage any
adverse effects of the activity.
Obtaining a marine consent
to drill an exploratory well does not give
the consent holder the right to begin producing
oil or gas.
The operator would need
to apply for a separate, discretionary marine
consent before any production activities
could take place. During this stage, the
public would have the opportunity to make
submissions on the proposed activities.
The decision for activities
involved in exploratory drilling for oil
and gas to be classified as non-notified
discretionary follows a seven week consultation
period on the draft regulations from 12
December 2013 to 31 January 2014.
Public consultation
on the regulation of activities involved
in exploratory drilling also occurred during
August and September last year.
The new regulations
come into effect on 28 February 2014.
The EEZ Act came into
force on 28 June 2013, bringing a comprehensive
approach to managing activities in the exclusive
economic zone and continental shelf.
Under the EEZ Act, activities
can be classified as permitted, discretionary,
non-notified discretionary or prohibited.
+ More
200,000 TVs collected
under Govt’s TV Takeback programme
Amy Adams19 FEBRUARY,
2014 - Environment Minister Amy Adams says
more than 200,000 televisions have now been
collected for recycling under the Government’s
TV TakeBack programme.
The TV TakeBack programme
aims to divert televisions from going to
landfill in an initiative that involves
the Government partnering with a range of
councils, recyclers and retailers to provide
a nationwide network of television recycling
drop-off locations.
Ms Adams applauded those
New Zealanders who have taken part in the
TV TakeBack initiative across the country.
“The collection of 200,000
televisions represents a significant milestone
for the programme. This means hundreds of
tonnes of recyclable material has been kept
out of landfills,” Ms Adams says.
“Due to the success
of this programme, New Zealanders now know
that old televisions need to be disposed
of responsibly and are choosing to drop
their unwanted sets at one of the TV TakeBack
collection points.”
Ms Adams has also announced
the winners of a competition to raise awareness
among school students and their communities
of the need to recycle televisions.
The Enviroschools Challenge
was a joint initiative organised by the
Ministry for the Environment and the Enviroschools
Foundation, as part of the TV TakeBack programme.
Residents across the
North Island were encouraged to take an
unwanted television to a participating drop-off
site and nominate an Enviroschool of their
choice.
Orautoha School in Ohakune
and Russell School in the Bay of Islands
had the best participation rates, and each
school has won a 46-inch LED Smart Television
and a Home Theatre System.
For further information
about TV TakeBack, including where televisions
can be taken to be recycled, go to: www.tvtakeback.govt.nz
