A call for an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be set up is being supported by politicians and members of the business community. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK and Ireland that does not have such an independent watchdog. Twenty one statements of support for an EPA are currently being issued by the Coalition for Environmental Protection and Environment Minister Arlene Foster is expected to decide in the next few months if one is to be set up.
Such an EPA would assume responsibility for the work currently carried out by the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland's (DoE NI) Environment and Heritage Service (EHS). The statements supporting an EPA were collated by Lisa Fagan of Friends of the Earth (FoE). She commented, "Although the call to establish an EPA came first from the environmental community, the chorus of support is getting louder as the consensus grows that a high-quality environment underpins economic prosperity. Ms Foster has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reform our failing system of environmental protection."
In response, Ms Foster commented that she is hoping to put forward proposals before the end of the summer. "It's a huge issue and I know there's a lot of NGO support for an EPA. There's also a great deal of suspicion in the farming community about added regulation so I have to listen to all sides and make a decision as to what to do. I don't buy the argument that just because everybody else has one, we need one. I will be looking at what is the right environmental governance for this small part of the UK and coming forward with proposals."
