Synergies in the role of the Office of Groundwater Impact Assessment and the Independent Expert Scientific Committee on coal seam gas and large coal mining development in environmental assessments

Abstract

The Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Coal Seam Gas and Large Coal Mining Development (IESC) is a statutory committee that provides scientific advice to Australian governments on the impacts that each coal seam gas (CSG) and large coal mining development may have on water resources. In this context, the IESC consider all aspects of a water resource, including water, organisms and ecosystems that contribute to or rely on them. The Office of Groundwater Impact Assessment (OGIA) is an independent statutory entity responsible for undertaking cumulative impact assessments from CSG and other petroleum production in Queensland, including the Surat Cumulative Management Area (CMA). OGIA also establishes impact management arrangements and identifies responsible tenure holders to implement specific aspects of those arrangements. Neither the IESC nor OGIA are regulators. Due to their respective functions both entities have different roles and interaction with CSG development in the Surat CMA. The IESC and OGIA engage regularly to ensure a shared understanding of knowledge, research and management. This paper provides an overview of key synergies between the roles and functions of the IESC and OGIA and considerations for proponents when using OGIA assessment in their environmental assessments that are referred to IESC for advice.