New NSW contaminated land Bill will catch many unaware

摘要

Landowners in NSW may not be aware of the extent of their obligations under a new bill on contaminated land - putting themselves at risk of large fines and remediation costs, according to Clayton Utz environment and planning partner, Peter Briggs.rnMr Briggs said the Contaminated Land Management Amendment Bill 2008 (CLM Bill), which was tabled in Parliament on 26 June 2008, would not only impose tougher fines on polluters but will also cast a wider net in terms of what is considered 'contaminated' land.rn'If the CLM Bill is passed, any person or business that has ever owned land they know is or suspect of being contaminated would need to look closely at the new reporting obligations to see whether they have a duty to report to the NSW Environment Protection Authority,' Mr Briggs said.rn'They may have an obligation to report a site that previously fell outside the scope of contaminated land laws.