On 30 September 2021 Environment Centre NT drafted a submission to the Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority regarding Cleveland Agriculture on behalf of Ucha Pty Ltd’s application to clear pastoral land (s38(1)(h)) on Ucharonidge Station.
A summary of the submission to the Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority is below or download the full letter here.
The Environment Centre NT (ECNT) is the peak community sector environment organisation in the Northern Territory of Australia, raising awareness amongst community, government, business and industry about environmental issues and assisting people to reduce their environmental impact and supporting community members to participate in decision-making processes and action.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide a comment on the referral under the Environment Protection Act 2019 (NT) of Cleveland Agriculture on behalf of Ucha Pty Ltd’s application for a permit to clear Pastoral Land under section 38(1)(h) of the Pastoral Land Act 1992 (NT) in respect of Ucharonidge Station Pastoral Lease 1072 (Proposal).
ECNT submits that, for the reasons given below, the Proposal requires an environmental approval and should be assessed at the level of environmental impact statement (EIS). In sum, there is inadequate information in the referral documentation provided by the proponent for the NTEPA to be able to assess the environmental impacts of the Proposal. It is not appropriate, nor possible, to regulate the ongoing impacts of a development of this scale and complexity through a pastoral land clearing permit alone.
- Scale of the Proposal, and the conservation significance of the Mitchell Grass Downs bioregion.
- Cumulative impacts of the Proposal (including other reasonably foreseeable impacts in the region).
- Potential non-compliance with the Pastoral Land Act.
- Stakeholder and public engagement about the proposal.
- Inadequate information about impacts on terrestrial ecosystems.
- Inadequate information about terrestrial environmental quality.
- Inadequate information regarding impacts on aquatic environmental quality.
- Unsubstantiated claims regarding greenhouse gas emissions.
- Cultural and heritage issues - change in land use requiring free prior and informed consent from native title holders.