The latest guidance, consultations and legislation.
Guidance:
Water management
Comes into force: 1 April 2018
Scotland
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has developed a guide to help support the reservoir industry under the Reservoirs (Scotland) Act 2011. It is part of a series of documents that offer advice and good practice on how to fulfil the requirements of legislation.
Consultations:
Environmental permitting
Comes into force: 11 April 2018
England and Wales
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has launched a consultation on proposals to make changes to some of the flood risk exemptions and exclusions in the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016.
Marine management
Comes into force: 18 April 2018
Northern Ireland
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs seeks views on the Draft Marine Plan for Northern Ireland. The plan has the vision to develop a “healthy marine area, which is managed sustainably for the economic, environmental and social prosperity of present and future generations”.
Environmental assessment
Comes into force: 23 April 2018
EU
The European Commission is consulting the public on the evaluation of Directive 2001/42/EC. This assesses the effects of certain public plans and programmes on the environment (the so-called Strategic Environmental Assessment or SEA Directive).
Legislation:
Renewable fuel
Comes into force: 15 April 2018
England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales
The Renewable Transport Fuels and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Regulations 2018 aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fuels supplied in transport, and will require fuel companies to more than double the amount of renewable fuel they supply by 2020.
Environmental permitting
Comes into force: 2 May 2018
England and Wales
The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2018 amend the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016, in order to implement EU requirements on basic safety standards for protection against exposure to ionising radiation.
Waste management
Comes into force: 7 May 2018
Northern Ireland
The Waste (Fees and Charges) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2018 increase the fees and charges for waste management licences and registering as a carrier of controlled waste.
REACH
Comes into force: 9 May 2018
EU
Various EU legislation has been published relating to Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). This sees methanol and 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidone added to Annex 17 restricted substances, and dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP) identified as a substance of very high concern.
