National Environmental Management: Air Quality Amendment Act 20 of 2014

The National Environmental Management: Air Quality Amendment Act 20 of 2014 aims:

• to amend the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act, 2004, so as:
  • to substitute certain sections;
  • to provide for the establishment of the National Air Quality Advisory Committee;
  • to provide for the consequences of unlawful commencement of a listed activity;
  • to provide for monitoring, evaluation and reporting on the implementation of an approved pollution prevention plan;
  • to empower the MEC or Minister to take a decision in the place of the licensing authority under certain circumstances;
  • to provide for the Minister as licensing authorities in situations where the province, as a delegated licensing authority by the municipality, is the applicant for an atmospheric emission licence, where the applications are trans-boundary, where the air activity forms part of national priority project, where the activity is also related to the environmental impact and waste management activities authorised by the Minister, where the air activity relates to a prospecting, mining, exploration or production activity;
  • to delete cross references to the Environmental Conservation Act, 1989;
  • to clarify that applications must be brought to the attention of interested and affected parties soon after the submission to the licensing authority;
  • to provide for a validity period of provisional atmospheric emission licence;
  • to create an offence for non-compliance with controlled fuels standards;
  • to provide for the development of regulations on climate change matters and the procedure and criteria for administrative fines; and
  • to delete certain obsolete provisions;
• to provide for matters connected therewith.

Commencement

19 May 2014