Environmental Management

NOPSEMA is the regulator of environmental management law under the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 and associated regulations including the Offshore Petroleum Greenhouse Gas Storage (Environment) Regulations 2009. 

The Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Regulatory Levies) Act 2003 and the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Regulatory Levies) Regulations 2004 have been amended to allow NOPSEMA to function on a full cost recovery basis.

Click here for further information on environmental legislation. Full versions of Commonwealth legislation, is available from ComLaw.

Objective and Function

The objective of the environmental regulations are to ensure that any offshore petroleum or greenhouse gas storage activity is carried out in a manner consistent with the principles of ecologically sustainable development and in accordance with an accepted environment plan.

NOPSEMA’s specific functions in relation to environmental management of petroleum and greenhouse gas storage activities in Commonwealth waters, are;

  • Development and implementation of effective monitoring and enforcement strategies to ensure compliance under environmental management law;
  • Investigation of accidents, occurrences and circumstances with regard to deficiencies in environmental management;
  • Monitoring of environmental incidents and reporting of investigations, to the responsible Commonwealth Minister and State and Northern Territory Minister;
  • Assessment of environment plans, including associated oil spill contingency plans;
  • Provision of advice to persons on matters relating to environmental management;
  • Provision of information, assessments, analysis, reports, advice and recommendations to the Commonwealth Minister on petroleum and greenhouse gas storage activities;
  • Maintenance of a record of operators; and
  • Provision of contracts for related services on a cost recovery basis for State/Northern Territory governments and foreign governments.

Contact us
If you have any further queries or would like to get in contact with a member of the NOPSEMA environmental management team please email: information@nopsema.gov.au.