Why we need the EP Regulations: Tricia Henton, director of environment protection, Environment Agency

Author Information:  Tricia

Henton is a geologist by background with long experience in many aspects of environmental management, gained in both the public and private sectors .In 1995 she joined the Scottish Environment Protection Agency as director of environmental strategy, becoming chief executive in 2000.  Whilst at SEPA she was responsible for production of the National Waste Strategy Scotland and SEPA's Environmental Strategy. In 2005 she joined the Environment Agency as director of environment protection. 

The Environment Agency has worked with Government to develop the new Environmental Permitting Regulations (EP Regulations) which come into force in England and Wales on 6 April 2008.

 This legislation will cut bureaucracy whilst maintaining high environmental standards. It will be easier for you to apply and comply with a permit, and easier for us to regulate. Our ultimate aim is to have one permit per site or operator. 

The EP Regulations will replace more than 40 pieces of legislation – notably Waste Management Licensing Regulations (WML) and Pollution Prevention Control (PPC). On 6 April 2008 all WMLs and PPC permits will become Environmental Permits, and all exempt waste registrations will also transfer across.

Environmental Permit holders will see a harmonised site approach to compliance priorities and a consistent approach to risk and outcome focussed regulation across all sites.

But the biggest changes we are making are in the way we provide environmental permits, which will make life much easier for you.

The new permitting system will be supported with shorter and easier to understand  guidance, forms and documentation.  We have also simplified our processes and introduced new regulatory tools. 

An example of this is the introduction of standard permits, which are for low and medium risk waste operations, where we know the risks and how to mitigate them. Standard permits will be quicker to issue so we can focus more of our time on the high risk operations and illegal operators – helping us protect the environment.

So when you apply for a permit in the future the process will be smoother – saving you time, resources and money.

You will also be able to apply and pay for your exemptions and permits online later this year.