New publications this month:
DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY (BEIS)
Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener
Policies and proposals are set out to decarbonise the entire UK economy. Measures in the strategy aim to meet the UK’s net zero by 2050 target.
Key policy commitments across the various elements of the strategy are as follows:
Energy
Fuel Supply & Hydrogen
Industry
Heat and Buildings
Transport
Natural Resources, Waste and Fluorinated Gases
Greenhouse Gas Removals
Cross-cutting Actions on Transition
UK Net Zero Research and Innovation Framework
This document provides a guide to research and technologies needed to reach net zero by 2050.
Committee on Climate Change’s 2021 progress report: government response
Committee on Climate Change’s Independent Assessment of UK Climate Risk in June 2021 was critical of efforts taken to manage climate risks.
The Committee on Climate Change’s 2021 progress report: government response provides the government’s response to the assessment report and proposed actions.
Heat and buildings strategy
This strategy describes how the UK intends to decarbonise domestic, commercial, industrial and public sector buildings as part of the plan to achieve net zero by 2050.
Information about the Heat Pump Ready Programme
This programme aims supports the development of innovative solutions across the heat pump sector and is expected to launch in winter 2021.
Revised 2021 UK ETS auction calendar
The UK ETS auction calendar for 2021 was updated on 19 October 2021. This includes the surplus allowances set aside, but not required, for 2021 aviation free allocation entitlements
DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS (DEFRA)
Government response to the Climate Change Committee report on progress in adapting to climate change
The UK Government has published its response to the Climate Change Committee’s 2021 report regarding the UK’s progress in reducing emissions and adapting to climate change. This addresses the Committee’s recommendations and outlines where progress has been made.
DEFRA AND WELSH GOVERNMENT
Duty to provide and protect habitat for wild birds
Guidance on the duty of competent authorities to help to protect wild bird habitats on land at sea and to avoid pollution has been updated
ENVIRONMENT AGENCY
Adapting to climate change: industry sector examples for your risk assessment
Sector-specific guidance is provided on the preparation of ‘adapting to climate change’ risk assessments when applying for an environmental permit or for sites already subject to a permit:
Waste quality protocols review
This update presents the Environment Agency’s progress in reviewing the waste quality protocols. The reviews to date have concluded that the Anaerobic digestate, Compost, Poultry litter ash, Aggregates from inert wastes and Processed fuel oil quality protocols need to be revised.
Building lined biobeds in a groundwater source protection zone 1: RPS 140
This regulatory position statement allows the construction of impermeably lined biobeds in a source protection zone 1 without an environmental permit.
Social distancing when signing and handing over waste transfer and consignment notes in person: RPS C8
This RPS has been extended until 31 March 2022.
Summary of the draft river basin management plans
This document provides an overview of draft river basin management plans in England.
WELSH GOVERNMENT
Net Zero Wales
This emissions reduction plan covers the second Welsh carbon budget, which runs between 2021 and 2025. The plan aims to deliver reductions consistent with the net zero by 2050 goal. Key ambitions under the plan include:
This plan is supported by commitments by the Welsh Government’s partners. These commitments are set out in the Working together to reach net zero: all Wales plan document.
SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT
Heat in Buildings Strategy - achieving net zero emissions in Scotland's buildings
This document presents the Scottish Government’s vision of how to achieve net zero emissions when heating buildings. Annex A presents a summary of actions under the strategy.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, ENVIRONMENT AND RURAL AFFAIRS (DAERA)
Carbon intensity indicators published
DAERA has published updated carbon intensity indicators for Northern Ireland.
Three men banned from acting as company directors following waste offences
Three men from the North East of England have been sentenced after they were found to have allowed unpermitted and misdescribed waste to be deposited on their firm’s land at Bishop Auckland to avoid the costs of legal disposal.
The three men were company directors of the Viridis Group Ltd, which had two environmental permits for a waste transfer station and a soil from waste manufacturing facility in Eldon, Bishop Auckland. The company ceased trading at the end of 2018.
On 21 February 2017, Environment Agency officers visited the site and saw a vehicle attempting to deposit shredded mixed waste next to an area designated as the soil manufacturing facility. Paperwork from the driver described the waste as ‘soil’, which would attract a lower rate of landfill tax. Officers stopped the misdescribed waste from being tipped and noted that around 17,000 cubic metres of shredded waste products, rather than soil, was on site. This was a breach of the company’s permit. The area holding the waste was also not suitably engineered to manage polluting wastes.
Investigations found the waste misdescribed as soil came from Lincolnshire, Lancashire, Staffordshire, Cumbria and Scotland.
In April 2017 the Environment Agency issued an enforcement notice requiring that the illegal waste was removed. This notice was not complied with. In the months that followed the waste started to smell and produce a leachate, impacting on the environment.
breaches
The first man pleaded guilty to failing to comply with an enforcement notice.
The second man pleaded guilty to failing to comply with an enforcement notice and a separate charge of neglecting to ensure the company complied with its own management systems regarding pollution prevention.
A third man, who had previously pleaded guilty to failing to comply with an enforcement notice, consenting to the company not complying with its own management systems in relation to pollution prevention and a third change of consenting to receive and deposit waste not authorised by the permit.
Penalties
The first man was fined £700, ordered to pay costs of more than £5,000 and a £70 victim surcharge.
The second man was fined £1,174, ordered to pay £5,500 in costs and a victim surcharge of £66.
The third man was fined £640, ordered to pay costs of more than £5,000 and a victim surcharge of £34.
All three men were also banned from acting as company directors for five years.
Enforcement undertaking leads to charity donation by Doncaster manufacturer
Caswick Ltd entered into an enforcement undertaking agreed with the Environment Agency after it was found to have failed to register as a packaging producer and had not taken appropriate steps to recover and recycle its packaging waste.
Caswick Ltd was found to have failed to meet its obligations under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007 in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019. The company manufactures access and sealing products for the drainage and construction industries. Their products include manhole step ladders, manhole entry points and sealant strips.
Enforcement undertakings present an alternative enforcement measure to prosecution or a monetary penalty for a range of environmental offences. The Environment Agency may elect to accept or reject enforcement undertakings offered by individuals or firms who have breached their legal obligations.
Breaches
Caswick Ltd was found to have breached Regulation 40(1)(a) and Regulation 40(1)(b) of the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007 in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019:
Enforcement Undertaking
The enforcement undertaking consisted of a payment of £7,450 to the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, towards its Crowle Nature Reserve and Epworth Nature Reserve projects.
Caswick is now understood to be complying with the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007.
Enforcement undertaking agreed and monetary penalties issued after excessive amounts of sewage sludge were spread on land
An enforcement undertaking has been accepted from a company who spread excessive amounts of sewage sludge on land contrary to the Environmental Permitting (England & Wales) Regulations 2016.
Variable monetary penalties (VMPs) have been issued totalling over £10,000 to two other companies for breaches of the Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulation 2015.
Breaches of the permitting regime
Sanderson Environmental Ltd was found to have breached conditions of their environmental permits for two fields at Highwood Farm, near Rossington, Doncaster. This follows an investigation which began in 2017.
When officers from the Environment Agency inspected the farm to check that the environmental permits were being complied with, they found excessive amounts of sludge had been imported.
The Environment Agency also found that spreading had occurred to land on a large scale without notification to the Environment Agency. Enquiries revealed that the sewage sludge had not been treated prior to spreading.
When challenged by the Environment Agency officers Sanderson Environmental Ltd eventually stopped operating and all remaining stockpiled sewage sludge was removed. A crop of contaminated peas planted in error by the landowners was destroyed.
Enforcement undertaking
Sanderson Environmental Ltd paid costs of £8,137.36 and made a donation of £30,000 to the Land Trust, a registered charity that works to improve former coalfield sites across Yorkshire.
Breaches of the nitrate pollution prevention regime
As a result of the Environment Agency investigation, two companies who own the fields in question were issued VMPs for breaching legal obligations on the prevention of nitrate pollution prevention.
Sutcliffe Farmers Limited paid £7,521.54 and Senviro Limited paid £2,507.73, with each also paying costs of £8,137.63.
A VMP is a proportionate monetary penalty for more serious cases of non-compliance.
