Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett must assess the road under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act and decide if it impacts on any matters of national environmental significance before it can be built.

The Environment Department sent a letter to the state Infrastructure Department last week, seeking studies of how the road could affect threatened species.

Opponents to the road believe it will guarantee the extinction of Tasmanian devils in the wild by spreading the devil facial tumour disease into disease-free areas of the Tarkine and negatively impact the spotted quoll, wedge-tailed eagle and numerous plant species.

The State Government believes the proposed 131-kilometre road will reinvigorate Tasmania's tourism industry and has allocated $23 million to the works in this year's state budget.

An Infrastructure Department spokesman yesterday said the Government would endeavour to get the information together as soon as possible.

He said there was no deadline for the information.

Tarkine National Coalition tourism project officer Scott Jordan said the Environment Department's request was "no surprise".

"We said from the day it was lodged that it was clearly insufficient," Mr Jordan said.

"In our view it deserved to be knocked back on that basis."

Mr Jordan said the group would contact the Environment Department today to find out what process would be put in place to allow public submissions on additional information put to the minister.

Meanwhile, the public will have its chance to air its view on the loop road tomorrow at Wynyard.

A state parliamentary inquiry into the project will start today.