The Office of the Appeals Convenor continues to investigate the appeals lodged against EPA Report 1800 for the Valhalla Gas Exploration and Appraisal Program.
To support the investigation, the Appeals Convenor recently met with appellants in Perth, Broome and Fitzroy Crossing.
Current activities include:
- reviewing information from consultation activities and appellant meetings
- reviewing the EPA's Section 106 report to the Minister
- undertaking further technical review and analysis of issues raised in the appeals
- considering information from other relevant stakeholders
All information is being considered impartially and in accordance with the appeals process.
Where relevant, information has been shared with appellants, including the EPA's suggested changes to conditions in response to appeals.
These changes include:
- wastewater containment and climate resilience: additional requirement for pond designs to consider climate change and extreme rainfall events
- flood modelling: additional requirement for quantitative flood modelling to inform the Groundwater Management Plan for each well site.
The Appeals Convenor has not yet reached any conclusions regarding the matters raised in the appeals.
The Appeals Convenor is also considering any procedural fairness obligations that may arise during the investigation. Given the number and complexity of appeal grounds and the volume of information received, the investigation remains ongoing.
Further updates will be provided as the investigation progresses.
