Question 139 from hon
Smit is in two parts; Firstly, when an application for prospecting rights or mining rights is lodged, the applicant is required to simultaneously lodge an application for an environmental authorisation. Depending on the activities to be undertaken, the applicant will be required to submit either the basic assessment
report or the full scope and Environmental Impact Assessment, EIA, as per listing notices in as far as the application of environmental is concerned.
The document on applicable report shall be compiled as prescribed by EIA regulations. The decision on environmental authorisation application precedes the actual granting and subsequent issuing of prospecting or mining right. When the due process has been followed, the environmental authorisation, EA, application, the granting of the prospecting or mining right will be considered taking into account and into consideration the outcome of such application as per the criteria. Where necessary, the preinspection is also arranged. The provision of both National Environmental Management Act and EIA regulations are duly followed in this regard.
Secondly, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy works very closely with the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries. It is imperative to firstly indicate that the one environmental system was established to ensure that these departments can work closely in ensuring that environmental sustainability is fully considered as part of any development especially relating to mining.
To this end, as part of environmental authorisation applications, if any interested or affected party seeks to appeal, the decision made by the Department of Mineral Resources, the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries is the appeal authority.
Furthermore, the departments are working closely together on a number of task teams formulated under the Interdevelopmental Project Implementation Committee. These task teams are tasked to deal with, amongst others, all aspects relating to environmental authorisation application process.
The formulation and alignment of legislation, regulations and guidelines as well as formulation of mechanism to deal with the compliance and enforcement aspects by the environmental management inspectors and environmental mineral resource inspectors; continuous meetings are held in this regard. That is the answer to Question 139. [Applause.]