Australian Capital Territory Current Acts

ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION ACT 1997 - SECT 49

    (1)     Subject to section 61, the authority must, within 20 working days of the receipt of an application under section 47, or within 20 working days of the date specified in a notice under section 48 (1) (c) and after taking into account any submissions received in response to that notice, as the case requires—

        (a)     grant an environmental authorisation in relation to a specified activity, for the period and subject to the conditions (if any) specified in the authorisation; or

        (b)     refuse to grant an environmental authorisation in relation to a specified activity; or

        (c)     require the applicant to provide further specified information by a specified date, not earlier than 10 working days after the date of the notice; or

        (d)     request the Minister under section 94 to direct that an EIS be prepared in relation to the possible environmental impact of a specified activity.

    (2)     If under subsection (1) (c) the authority requires the applicant to provide further information, the authority must within 10 working days after receiving the further information—

        (a)     grant the environmental authorisation under subsection (1) (a); or

        (b)     refuse to grant the environmental authorisation under subsection (1) (b); or

        (c)     make a request of the Minister under subsection (1) (d).

    (3)     If within 20 working days after the authority makes a request under subsection (1) (d) or (2) (c) the Minister has not acceded to the request, the authority must—

        (a)     grant the environmental authorisation under subsection (1) (a); or

        (b)     refuse to grant the environmental authorisation under subsection (1) (b); or

        (c)     require further information under subsection (1) (c).

    (4)     If under subsection (3) (c) the authority requires the applicant to provide further information, the authority must within 10 working days after receiving the further information—

        (a)     grant the environmental authorisation under subsection (1) (a); or

        (b)     refuse to grant the environmental authorisation under subsection (1) (b).

    (5)     Subsection (6) applies if—

        (a)     before the authority makes a decision granting or refusing to grant an environmental authorisation under subsection (1), (2), (3) or (4), the Minister, on the Minister's own initiative under section 94, directs that an EIS be prepared in relation to the possible environmental impact of the specified activity; or

        (b)     before the authority makes a decision granting or refusing to grant an environmental authorisation under subsection (3), the Minister agrees to a request under subsection (1) (d) or (2) (c).

    (6)     The authority must, not later than 20 working days after the day the EIS is finalised—

        (a)     grant the environmental authorisation under subsection (1) (a); or

        (b)     refuse to grant the environmental authorisation under subsection (1) (b).

    (7)     The authority must give written notice of its decision to anyone who has made a submission in relation to the application under section 48 (1) (c).

Note     See s 136 for the requirement to notify other people.

    (8)     In this section:

"finalised", for an EIS (other than a public health EIS), means the day the EIS is finalised under the Planning Act 2023

, section 128 as applied by this Act, section 94A.

"public health EIS"—see the Planning Act 2023

, dictionary.