Environment Minister Sussan Ley will on Tuesday announce details of a $128.5 million budget package, which includes $10 million to "progress" plans to hand the states and territories decision-making powers on projects.

The package also includes funding aimed at fast-tracking approvals for major mining projects.

The Morrison government has been pushing to create a so-called "single touch" environmental approvals regime to speed up the process for getting projects off the ground.

The change is part of a wider rewrite of environmental protection laws, which was prompted by Graeme Samuel's scathing review of the existing regime.

But the overhaul has been met with resistance from Labor, the Greens and some crossbenchers, who argue the government has ignored key recommendations from Professor Samuel's landmark review in 2020.

Two bills to enact the changes, which also include creating new national environmental standards and establishing a new watchdog, have been languishing in the Senate for months without being brought on for debate.

The Canberra Times last year reported that independent senator Rex Patrick had pulled out of negotiations with the government on the environmental protection shakeup in protest about its lack of transparency over the JobKeeper scheme.

The pre-budget announcement also includes $62.3 million to create a new system for streamlining development approvals - including for major mining and gas projects - in up to 10 regional areas across Australia.

Regional plans would establish general rules for an area, and if project fit the criteria it wouldn't have to be re-assessed through the national environmental protection system.

"This will boost investor confidence by identifying areas within a particular region where development activities may be undertaken while ensuring that strong environmental protections are maintained," Resources Minister Keith Pitt said.

The Beetaloo Basin in the NT and Bowen Basin in central Queensland are among the regions in the government's sights.

The March 29 budget will include almost $28 million to help meet timeframes for decisions on environmental assessments and $12 million to "modernise" the environmental offsets policy.

Ms Ley said the measures would help protect the environment while supporting Australia's economic recovery and creating jobs in regional and remote communities.