SUBMISSIONS ON THE GAS AMENDMENT BILL [B9 – 2020]

The CER and groundWork oppose the Gas Amendment Bill [B9-2020], asserting that it facilitates fossil fuel development contrary to South Africa's climate obligations and the 1.5°C target. They argue the Bill lacks meaningful public consultation, fails to provide adequate access to information, and irregularly grants environmental regulatory powers to the Energy Regulator, thereby encroaching on the mandate of the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment.

• The Bill is deemed irrational because it facilitates new fossil fuel infrastructure at a time when South Africa must abandon fossil fuels to meet its constitutional obligations and international climate commitments under the Paris Agreement.
• The CER argues that gas is not a viable 'bridge fuel' because the 1.5°C target cannot be met with new gas development, and the greenhouse gas footprint of gas—particularly methane emissions—may be worse than coal or oil over a 20-year timescale.
• The Bill's consultation and objection processes are insufficient, specifically the 60-day time limit, which the CER claims prevents meaningful public participation and violates the constitutional right to fair administrative action.
• The Bill irregularly grants the Energy Regulator powers over compliance notices and environmental regulation, which the CER asserts violates the 'One Environmental System' (OES) and encroaches on the authority of the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment.
• The CER identifies a lack of transparency in the Bill, noting that interested parties are expected to object to license applications without having automatic access to the full application documents.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2021). SUBMISSIONS ON THE GAS AMENDMENT BILL [B9 – 2020]. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/26-07-21-CER-comments-on-the-Gas-Amendment-Bill_.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. SUBMISSIONS ON THE GAS AMENDMENT BILL [B9 – 2020]. 2021. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/26-07-21-CER-comments-on-the-Gas-Amendment-Bill_.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=SUBMISSIONS ON THE GAS AMENDMENT BILL [B9 – 2020] |date=30 July 2021 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/26-07-21-CER-comments-on-the-Gas-Amendment-Bill_.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrights2021submissions, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{SUBMISSIONS ON THE GAS AMENDMENT BILL [B9 – 2020]}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2021}, month = jul, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/26-07-21-CER-comments-on-the-Gas-Amendment-Bill_.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }