JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The Australian oil and gas industry has welcomed Environmental Minister Greg Hunt’s endorsement of streamlined approvals processes for offshore oil and gas operations that maintain existing high environmental safeguards.

Hunt had endorsed making the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (Nopsema) the sole environmental approvals assessor for offshore petroleum activities in commonwealth waters, concluding a process initiated by the Julia Gillard-led government in 2013.

This change removed unnecessary duplication in the approval process, the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (Appea) said, explaining that previously companies required equivalent approvals from two federal government bodies, namely Nopsema and the Department of Environment.

This streamlining of environmental approvals would mean clearer approvals processes and would increase returns to project developers, suppliers, government and the Australian people, Appea CE David Byers said.

“By eliminating unnecessary duplication, this move will save taxpayers and industry millions of dollars without impairing environmental outcomes. It will reduce costs and delays for companies undertaking offshore exploration and production activities. But it will also reduce costs for regulatory agencies and taxpayers,” he said.

Byers added that this was an important early step in the federal government’s move towards ‘one-stop shops’ for environmental approvals and for its deregulation agenda as a whole.

“Policies that undermine the development of energy projects and curtail energy production impose real costs on Australia through lost jobs, forgone economic growth and higher energy bills.

“The oil and gas industry welcomes the bipartisan approach that the major parties have taken to this important issue,” Byers said.