This month the Environment Agency published its Regulating for People, the Environment and Growth (RPEG) report. The report sets out the regulatory performance of businesses holding environmental permits in England and the effectiveness of the Agency's regulatory approach.
The report showed that 93% of the 14,000 businesses the Environment Agency regulates demonstrated good compliance with their environmental permit conditions. However businesses which harmed the environment faced record penalties. The courts issued a total of £25.5 million in fines for environmental offences brought by the Agency, compared to £8 million in 2016.
The Chief Executive of the Environment Agency Sir James Bevan noted in the report that "waste crime continues to blight local communities, legitimate businesses, and the environment." The Agency is closing more than two illegal waste sites everyday, with 812 illegal sites being shutdown in 2017/18. Nevertheless they are discovering a similar number of new illegal sites. The report acknowledges that more needs to be done about waste crime as it becomes more organised. This will be addressed in the forthcoming waste crime review, which will examine how the Environment Agency, partners and the law enforcement system can best tackle the problem.
The report also highlights the increased use of Enforcement Undertakings for less serious environmental incidents. In 2017/18 there were a record £2.2 million worth of Enforcement Undertakings accepted by the Agency compared to £0.9 million in 2016. This amount benefited environmental charities, organisations and projects. By companies admitting liability and making a financial contribution to put right the harm they have caused, both the environment and communities benefit.
Other findings in the report include:
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