Offshore Petroleum Amendment (Greenhouse Gas Storage) Act 2008 (117 of 2008)

Schedule 1   Amendments relating to greenhouse gas storage etc.

Offshore Petroleum Act 2006

136   After section 146

Insert:

146A Joint Authority may defer taking action on application for production licence if there is a pending application for a greenhouse gas assessment permit

Scope

(1) This section applies if:

(a) an application for the grant of a production licence has been made under:

(i) section 142 or 144; or

(ii) clause 2 or 4 of Schedule 4; and

(b) assuming that the applicant were granted a production licence over the block or blocks as to which the Joint Authority is so satisfied as mentioned in paragraph 145(1)(b), the production licence would be a post-commencement production licence; and

(c) when the application for the grant of the production licence was made, an application for a greenhouse gas assessment permit was being considered by the responsible Commonwealth Minister; and

(d) the Joint Authority is satisfied that it would be in the public interest to defer taking any action under section 145 or 146 in relation to the application for the grant of the production licence until the application for the greenhouse gas assessment permit is finalised.

Deferral

(2) The Joint Authority must not take any action under section 145 or 146 in relation to the application for the grant of the production licence until 24 hours after whichever of the following events happens first:

(a) the responsible Commonwealth Minister grants a greenhouse gas assessment permit to the applicant for the permit;

(b) the application for the greenhouse gas assessment permit lapses;

(c) the responsible Commonwealth Minister refuses to grant a greenhouse gas assessment permit to the applicant for the permit.