Draft Environmental Impact Statement
Once the proponent receives a copy of the final Guidelines and a direction from the Minister for Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage to prepare the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), the proponent proceeds to prepare a draft EIS. There is no statutory timeframe in which the proponent is to prepare the draft EIS unless specified by the Minister.
Once the draft EIS is completed, it undergoes a minimum public review period of 28 days. During this time, the draft EIS is also circulated to advisory bodies for comment in their area of expertise. Invitation for public comment is advertised by the proponent in various media and copies of the draft EIS are placed on display at NT libraries and other suitable locations as well as this website. The proponent also makes copies available for sale.
After the close of the public review period, the Environment, Heritage and the Arts (EHA) Division forwards all comments that have been received to the proponent. The proponent is required to prepare a Supplement to the EIS which addresses the issues and concerns raised during the public review period. When the Supplement is lodged with the EHA Division, the Minister has 35 days in which to make a determination on the proposal. This determination includes any suggestions or recommendations concerning conditions that should apply to the proposal in order to minimise potential environmental impacts and to protect the environment. An Assessment Report is prepared containing the Minister’s determination and advice and this is forwarded to the approving Minister for consideration (that is, the Minister responsible for giving approval to the proposal).
The Assessment Report is publicly available through this web site. All Assessment Reports are available to the public as a hard copy at the EHA Division.
