Email Thread - Brief To Compliance Committee Re Upcoming EP Final Decision

Written by Claude Haiku 4.5 from the extracted text on 16 May 2026. It can miss or misread redacted and scanned pages. Check the source before relying on it.

NOPSEMA refused the CGG Regia Marine Seismic Survey environment plan on 11 February 2026 after a lengthy assessment beginning in 2024, despite three opportunities for CGG to address identified deficiencies. The refusal was based on non-compliance with acceptance criteria under the Environment Regulations, specifically concerning environmental impacts and risks, performance outcomes, and implementation strategy. The primary concern was inadequate demonstration that underwater noise impacts to EPBC Act protected matters would be reduced to acceptable levels, stemming from three key issues: unreliable impact predictions with materially different modelling results that were not reconciled, control measures based on least conservative predictions without commensurate uncertainty management, and inadequate adaptive management with insufficient corrective measures if predictions proved inaccurate. The decision received substantial public attention with 14,848 comments. NOPSEMA prepared a statement of reasons and media talking points, and planned engagement with CGG and industry bodies regarding future seismic activity quality.