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Environmental and Mining / Legal Updates

NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT (107/1998): ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REGULATIONS

Posted 15 September 2014

The Minister of Environmental Affairs has given notice of her intention to make the regulations pertaining to environmental impact assessments under section 24(5) and 44 of the NEMA, as set out in the schedule to the notice.

The proposed EIA regulations intend to repeal the previous EIA regulations published under GNR 543 on 18 June 2010. In addition the proposed EIA regulations include appendices which stipulate the specific information required for a Basic Assessment Report, Scoping Report, Environmental Impact Assessment Report, Environmental Management Programme, Closure Plan, Specialist Reports and Environmental Audit Reports.

Furthermore the Minister has given notice of her intention to publish new Listing Notices 1, 2 and 3 (setting out those activities which require an environmental authorisation in terms of the NEMA), which listing notices will repeal Listing Notices 1, 2 and 3 as published under GNR 544, GNR 545 and GNR 546 on 18 June 2010 respectively.

Still further, the Minister has given notice of her intention to publish a new Listing Notice 4, which notice sets out new listed activities which may not commence without an environmental authorisation and will be subject to a basic assessment.

Members of the public are invited to submit written representations on the above notices to the Minister within 30 days of publication of the notices (i.e. on or before 29 September 2014).