Nats Reiterate Plans For Environment Protection Authority
October 15th, 2008
National has disclosed more details about its proposed Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), which it would create by merging the Environmental Risk Management Authority and the Environment Ministry. Environment Spokesman Nick Smith says the EPA will be modelled on best practice from Aust, the US and Europe.
If National heads the next Govt, the EPA’s responsibilities will include the national regulatory functions of the Resource Management Act, including development of National Policy Statements and National Environmental Standards. The EPA will also be responsible for fast-tracking major projects under national proposed priority consenting regime.
Smith says the Resource Management Act is “the most devolved environmental law in the world” and it needs greater national direction. National believes it is inefficient to have 85 councils “reinventing the wheel” on planning decisions. As an example of the type of project that would be handled by the EPA, Smith cites the controversial Mokihinui hydro scheme on the West Coast. He believes it is unfair to expect a small council such as Buller District to deal with a major consent such as the Mokihinui scheme, which has environmental and economic implications well beyond the Buller community.
Smith says the recent botched Mapua contamination clean-up also highlights the need for an EPA. He believes the Environment Ministry was ill-equipped to oversee the project and the way it breached the resource consents brought the whole process into disrepute. But the Green Party is sceptical about whether National’s proposed EPA would prevent botch-ups such as the Mapua clean-up. The Greens’ West Coast Tasman candidate, Kevin Hague, agrees the actions of the Environment Ministry were “nothing short of scandalous” but adds he is not convinced the agency National is proposing would necessarily do a better job, as it would be “just wearing different hats.”
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