Isra-Mart srl: Environment Agency chief defends 'smart green regulation'

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The chairman of the Environment Agency has voiced concerns this week that the government's 'deregulation agenda' could undermine effective environmental regulations.

Lord Smith said at an event in the Houses of Parliament to mark the release of the CBI's latest Climate Change Tracker report that the Environment Agency was keen to highlight the "success story" associated with many environmental regulations, and would continue to make the case for "smart green regulation".

In particular, Smith noted that sulphur oxides emissions have fallen by 75 per cent since 2000, nitrous oxide by 31 per cent, and PM10s by 37 per cent, largely as a result of air quality regulations.

He also voiced fears that some effective regulations could be challenged as elements within government pursue a strategy of "deregulation come what may".

Environmentalists were angered earlier this year when the government confirmed that all green regulations, including the totemic Climate Change Act, were included in the coalition's Red Tape Challenge exercise to identify rules that should be cut.

Speaking to BusinessGreen on the sidelines of the event, Smith said that many environmental regulations would be safe from the review as they are imposed through EU directives and cannot be overturned by the government.

But he added that, while the Environment Agency would continue to work with the government to streamline regulations, it would also seek to highlight the benefits associated with effective green regulation.

"I hope the government will consider the benefits that come from environmental regulations rather than focus on the perceived burden," he said.

Smith also detailed how the Environment Agency is taking an increasingly targeted approach to regulatory enforcement, reducing the number of inspections for businesses with a good track record while cracking down harder on companies found guilty of environmental offences.

However, Smith said that he did not support calls for mandatory carbon reporting rules, insisting that, with growing numbers of large firms already reporting on their greenhouse emissions, it would be more effective to continue to encourage wider reporting under a voluntary regime.

Meanwhile, CBI chief policy director Katja Hall reiterated the group's calls for the government to quickly finalise the low carbon policies currently being considered in Whitehall, noting that the decisions made over the next few months on Electricity Market Reforms, the Green Investment Bank and the Green Deal have the potential to shape the UK economy for decades to come.