The move is among the first by new environment minister Rob Stokes who gazetted a regulation to base licence fees on performance earlier this month.
Now Stokes wants to introduce legislation that will require companies storing at least 1,000 tonnes of waste to secure a licence, down from 2,500 tonnes and increase penalties for companies that breach the conditions of their environment protection licenses.
Fines for the most serious environmental offences will attract a $15,000 fine for corporations, up from $1,500 and $7,500 for individuals, up from $750.
"For too long, the EPA has been operating under conditions that make it difficult for them to effectively regulate operators who continually do the wrong thing, with penalties that are simply not significant enough to change poor behaviour," Stokes said.
"The changes will shift the balance back in favour of the regulator rather than the polluter, allowing the EPA to operate more effectively, while better reflecting community expectations around environmental crimes."
The proposed penalties and introduction of risk-based licensing from July 1, 2015 will provide the EPA with the toughest regulatory powers in the country.
“In addition to increased penalties, poor environmental performance will now cost companies more through higher costs for their environmental licenses," Stokes said.
“The changes will give the EPA access to the highest penalties for any environment regulator in Australia and increased powers to bring polluters to justice."
EPA CEO Barry Buffier welcomed the changes.
"These changes will give the EPA more firepower when it comes to serious environmental crimes and serious offenders. Each of these changes on their own are significant but when combined they will greatly increase the powers and effectiveness of the EPA, allowing us to better focus regulatory efforts on the most serious offenders," Buffier said.
Last month, EPA director waste and resource recovery Steve Beaman told Inside Waste News that he was proud of the EPA's work and direction it was in heading in to reform the industry and improve performance and it appears that the regulator has been cracking the whip over the last few months.
In early May, it issued a number of penalty notices and cautions for unlawful waste transportation and storage (see Related Stories).
It also wants to introduce requirements for waste consignors and waste transporters to track waste tyres within NSW as part of the review of the Protection of the Environment Operations (Waste) Regulation.
It has proposed tracking requirements for loads of waste tyres that are greater than 200kg or more than 20 tyres and the receiving facility must confirm details of receipt of the material.
