2016 No. 1154

Environmental Protection, England And Wales

The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016

Made

Coming into force in accordance with regulation 1(1)

The Secretary of State and the Welsh Ministers make these Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by—

a

sections 2 and 7(9) of, and Schedule 1 to, the Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999 (“the 1999 Act”)1;

b

sections 61 and 90 of, and Schedule 8 to, the Water Act 2014 (“the 2014 Act”)2; and

c

paragraph 1A of Schedule 2 to the European Communities Act 19723.

The Secretary of State also makes these Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by section 62 of the Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008 (“the 2008 Act”)4.

These Regulations make provision for a purpose mentioned in section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 19725 and it appears to the Secretary of State and the Welsh Ministers that it is expedient for the reference to Commission Decision 2000/532/EC6 mentioned in paragraph 1(1) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 3 to these Regulations to be construed as a reference to that instrument as amended from time to time.

In accordance with section 2(4) of the 1999 Act and section 61(5) of the 2014 Act, the Secretary of State and the Welsh Ministers have consulted—

a

the Environment Agency,

b

the Natural Resources Body for Wales,

c

such bodies or persons appearing to them to be representative of the interests of local government, industry, agriculture and small businesses as they consider appropriate, and

d

such other bodies or persons as they consider appropriate.

In accordance with section 61(3) of the 2014 Act, the Secretary of State and the Welsh Ministers have had regard to the desirability of reducing burdens by ensuring that so far as is reasonably practicable any system established by regulations under that section is combined with, or is consistent with, systems for regulating activities or other matters that cause pollution.

In accordance with section 66 of the 2008 Act, the Secretary of State is satisfied that the Environment Agency will act in accordance with the principles referred to in section 5(2) of that Act in exercising the powers in Schedule 26 to these Regulations to impose a civil sanction in relation to an offence.

A draft of this instrument has been approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament and by the National Assembly for Wales pursuant to section 2(8) and (9)(d) and (e) of the 1999 Act7 and sections 62(7) and (8) and 90(3) of the 2014 Act.