Environment Act 2021
The Environment Act 2021 received Royal Assent on 9 November 2021. As it stands none of the relevant sections of the Act are currently in force but they are likely to be brought into effect later in 2022/2023 as the necessary secondary regulations are put in place[1].
The Act will set statutory targets in four key areas:
- air quality
- biodiversity
- water
- waste and resource managment
The Act also creates a new Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) with a wide-ranging brief, including supervising the discharge of environmental duties by the government and other public authorities[1]. This includes powers to investigate alleged breaches of environmental law by public bodies, to issue its own non-binding rulings on alleged breaches and (in effect) to apply to enforce that ruling through the Courts by way of an 'Environmental Review'[1].
References
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