Applying for an environmental authority assessment

The Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI) requires large resource projects to hold an environmental authority (EA) under the Environmental Protection Act 1994 and for any estimated rehabilitation costs to be paid before commencement of operations.

The process of being granted an EA must also be completed before a mining lease can be granted. The EA places conditions on the project to help reduce or avoid potential environmental impacts of the proposed project.

Three types of EAs may be issued for a mining lease:

• standard
• variation
• site-specific.

To find out what type of EA you need, refer to environmental authorities for mining projects.

Before you begin

Your project must be moving through the resource authority (tenure) application process with the Department of Resources before you apply for an environmental authority.

You must also be a registered suitable operator, or make your application to be one, at the same time as lodging your application for an EA.

How to apply

Before applying for an EA, read the approval processes for environmental authorities (PDF, 942KB).

You can apply for an EA through Online Services.

Alternatively, you can complete a standard application form (DOCX, 153KB), variation application form (DOCX, 171KB) or site-specific form (DOCX,202KB) and submit to DESI by email or hard copy.

Next steps

The next step in the process is receiving a decision for an environmental authority.

Contact us

Department of Environment, Science and Innovation

Email: palm@des.qld.gov.au
Phone: 13 QGOV (13 74 68)