Protection of the Environment Operations (General) Regulation 2021 No. 486.

These Regulations provide a comprehensive framework for environmental licensing, pollution control, monitoring, and enforcement in New South Wales. They define key terms and establish protocols for calculating administrative and load-based fees for licensed activities, including pollution thresholds and environmental management categories. The regulation introduce incentives for pollution reduction through a load-based licensing scheme and allow for load reduction agreements with financial assurances and penalties for non-compliance. They also create a technical review panel to advise the EPA, outlined exemptions for certain water discharges and vessel operations, and detailed procedures for vehicle inspections and environmental monitoring programs in Upper Hunter and Newcastle. These programs require licence holders to report emissions and pay levies, with penalties for late payments. The regulations designate appropriate regulatory authorities for specific activities and locations, restrict the use and sale of PFAS firefighting foam, and mandate pollution incident response plans. They include provisions for evaluating green offset schemes, maintaining public registers, and defining water and land pollution. Licensing fees varied by activity type and scale, with detailed pollutant weightings and formulas for calculating load-based fees.