The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) and Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) are reviewing the Scheduled Premises Regulations to help ensure industrial premises with the potential for significant environmental impacts are appropriately designed and operated.
A regulatory impact statement (RIS) and the proposed 2017 Scheduled Premises Regulations have now been published and comments are being sought by Friday 16 December 2016. The final Regulations will be published in June 2017.
The current Environment Protection (Scheduled Premises and Exemptions) Regulations 2007 (Scheduled Premises Regulations) will expire in late June 2017.
The RIS finds the preferred option is to remake the current Regulations, with some amendments. The proposed amendments are outlined below and are explained in the RIS.
EPA Executive Director of Knowledge Standards and Assessments Tim Eaton said the proposed regulations will ensure there continues to be a strong framework for managing activities with the potential for significant impacts.
‘These Regulations are a critical aspect of Victoria’s environment protection framework. They require a range of industry activities to obtain an EPA works approval and/or operating licence. These requirements help to minimise the risks to the environment and human health from pollution and waste,’ Mr Eaton said.
The proposed amendments to the Regulations will directly affect some industries, including e-waste reprocessors, glass reprocessors and water corporations.
Proposed changes to the Regulations include:
- requiring larger reprocessors of electronic waste and glass to obtain an EPA works approval and/or licence
- limiting works approval and licence exemptions for new sources of emissions to air of fine particles (PM2.5)
- limiting works approval exemptions for small municipal landfills to those in use prior to the commencement of the proposed Regulations
- removing works approval and licensing requirements for premises that temporarily store asbestos and lower-hazard liquid wastes under strict conditions
- exempting potable water treatment plants and some modification works at sewage treatment plants from works approval requirements
- clarifying the descriptions and/or thresholds relating to organic waste processing (previously composting), intensive animal industries and beverage manufacturing
- making minor and administrative changes in relation to the emergency storage of biomedical waste, energy from waste facilities, livestock saleyards and holding pens, fish farms, rendering facilities, contaminated soil facilities, seafood processing premises and printing facilities.