Environmental authority for environmentally relevant activities - Boulia Shire Council - Queensland

Description

You will require an environmental authority to undertake a prescribed environmentally relevant activity (ERA). ERAs are prescribed or resource activities with the potential to release contaminants into the environment.

  • Prescribed activities are industrial or intensive agricultural activities.
  • Resource activities include mining, petroleum, geothermal or greenhouse gas storage activities.

The administering authority will be dependent on your ERA. A business that conducts any of the following activities requires an environmental authority from council:

  • asphalt manufacturing
  • plastic product manufacturing
  • metal forming
  • surface coating
  • boat maintenance or repair.

Higher risk ERAs are treated differently from lower risk ERAs. The administering authority will use 'operational thresholds' to determine the risks of your ERA, and your annual fees.

Service type

Licence

A licence defines the need to obtain recognition / certification and registration to undertake a certain business activity.

Eligibility requirements

To apply for an environmental authority, you must be a suitable operator. To be registered as a suitable operator, you must either complete the online application form or request the suitable operator registration form via email and submit the form to the department using the postal details found on the form.

You must also meet the standard conditions and eligibility criteria prescribed to your specific ERA.

You may require development approval if you are conducting the following activities:

  • changing the type of activity
  • re-establishing an ERA activity that was abandoned
  • changing the scale or intensity of activity
  • carrying out building work
  • carrying out plumbing or drainage work.

Ongoing eligibility requirements

Council is required to monitor the standard of operations in ERAs and this is achieved through a routine inspection program. The expected frequency of these inspections will depend on the type of ERA and its level of compliance.

Application process

Apply

To apply for an environmental authority, you must:

  • complete the approval application forms
  • pay the prescribed fee.

Plans are required with the development application. They should be fully legible at A3 size and show all dimensions, heights, and setbacks from boundaries.

Transfer

You cannot transfer an existing planning approval or environmental authority to a new site, however an environmental authority can be transferred to another person / entity at the same location.

Additional information

A development approval in relation to the material change of use for an ERA is considered an application for an environmental authority.

Administering agency

Boulia Shire Council

Contact details

Contact Email, Phone and Address Details for this service in simple two column table format, header then data.

Please use these contact details for help or more information:

Boulia Shire Council
Operating address: Corner Herbert and Burke Streets
Boulia
Queensland 4829
Phone: 07 4746 3188
Fax: 07 4746 3136
Email: admin@boulia.qld.gov.au
Website: Boulia Shire Council (Opens in new window)