Environmental approvals
Last checked 2026-11-13
Environmental approvals rely on specialist reports. The AI does not write the ecology; it keeps the reports, versions and questions in order so the specialists and the proponent can do their part.
Australia: EPBC Act referrals
At the Commonwealth level in Australia, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water explains the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act) approval process. Its guidance says:
- You should "submit a referral if your project could impact any matters protected" under the Act.
- The minister then decides whether the project is a "controlled action", which needs assessment and approval.
- The Act protects 9 matters of national environmental significance.
- Commonwealth and state approvals are separate, so a project can need both.
Whether your project could affect a protected matter is a question for your environmental adviser. What an AI worker can do is help assemble what the adviser and the referral need, and keep the Commonwealth and state processes in separate, clearly labelled tracks.
United States: NEPA reviews
In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency explains that the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires federal agencies to assess "major federal actions significantly affecting the environment", through an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) or an Environmental Assessment (EA).
NEPA places the duty on the federal agency. If your project needs a federal decision, the agency, not the AI and not this site, determines what review applies. Your part is usually to supply accurate project information and respond to the agency's questions, which is where organised records help.
Where an AI worker helps
One source of truth
Collect the project description, site plans, consultant reports and agency correspondence into one SharePoint folder, with the current version of each clearly marked.
Checking against guidance
Compare the draft referral or application pack against the regulator's published guidance or form, and list sections that are empty, thin or inconsistent with the reports.
Consistency between reports
Flag where two consultant reports describe the project differently, such as a different disturbance area or construction period, so the consultants can reconcile them.
Requests for information
Log each request from the regulator with its due date, route it to the right consultant, and draft a covering response for the proponent to approve.
After approval, conditions can be tracked the same way as for a development consent, and the whole file kept as an evidence pack.
What stays with a person
- Whether to refer or apply. Deciding if a project triggers a referral or review is a professional judgement made with your advisers.
- The science. Ecological, heritage, water and other impact assessments are written and signed by qualified specialists.
- Statements to the regulator. The proponent approves, signs and submits every referral, application and response. The AI does not lodge.
- Commitments. Agreeing to conditions, offsets or management measures is a business decision.
Before you start
Approval files hold drawings, site details, personal information about neighbours and staff, and sometimes commercially sensitive designs. Before you point any AI tool at them, check your own obligations:
- Privacy and data location. The Everything runs against your own Microsoft 365 tenant, but its AI processing uses Microsoft Azure OpenAI and OpenAI, and its privacy policy says those providers may process information outside your country. If a contract, a client or a regulator restricts where your data goes, settle that first.
- Record keeping. Some approvals, conditions and industries carry their own rules on what you must keep and for how long. The AI helps you keep the record; it does not decide what the law requires you to keep.
- Certifications. The Everything does not claim SOC 2, ISO 27001 or any other certification. If your procurement or quality system requires one, it is not a fit for that requirement.
- Sensitive locations. Some environmental and heritage information, such as the location of threatened species or culturally sensitive sites, may carry its own handling restrictions. Check before sharing it with any tool.
Your data is not used to train AI models, and if you cancel, your files stay where they always were, in your Microsoft account.
Questions people ask
Can the AI tell me if my project needs an EPBC referral?
No. It can help organise information for your adviser, but whether a project could affect a protected matter is a professional judgement. The minister decides whether a referred project is a controlled action.
If I have a state approval, do I still need to think about the EPBC Act?
The department's guidance says Commonwealth and state approvals are separate. Ask your adviser how they apply to your project.
Who prepares a NEPA Environmental Impact Statement?
NEPA puts the duty to assess major federal actions on federal agencies. How your project's information feeds into that review is for the agency and your advisers to explain.
Can the AI write the ecology report?
No. Specialist reports should be written and signed by qualified people. The AI can check them for consistency with the rest of the application and keep track of versions.
Does the AI send responses to the regulator?
It drafts them. The Everything asks before anything important goes out, and the proponent approves and submits every response.
Try an AI worker on your next application
The Everything works inside your Microsoft 365 and Teams. It gathers, checks and drafts; you approve, sign and lodge. $400 AUD a month plus GST per company, with a 14-day free trial and no credit card.
See how The Everything works