Environmental permit meaning

Under an asset purchase, the purchaser takes only the selected assets and assumes only the specific liabilities it opts to accept, as detailed in the asset purchase agreement. After completion, issues highlighted by due diligence may require the purchaser to address environmental, health and safety (EHS) matters. For example, the purchaser might need to transfer or apply for a permit, join a recognised packaging waste compliance scheme, or strengthen health & safety documentation following completion. Typical post-completion EHS actions in asset purchase transactions include the following: transferring environmental permits verifying whether the deal triggers any new duties under environmental regimes, such as producer responsibility, energy efficiency and carbon schemes tackling points raised in environmental audits and reports, and any contractual conditions advising on the scope of environmental insurance and other risk-mitigation strategies putting in place reliance agreements or collateral warranties to allow reliance on environmental reports Transfer of environmental permits In an asset sale, the name of the operator/permit...

The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 (EPR 2016), SI 2016/1154 EPR 2016, SI 2016/1154 is the primary framework for environmental permitting and compliance, applying across diverse activities and industries. All offences taking place on or after 1 January 2017 are prosecuted under EPR 2016, SI 2016/1154. For information on environmental permitting generally, see: Environmental permits and exemptions—overview. For offences under EPR 2016, SI 2016/1154, the Environment Agency (EA) and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) may use a range of sanctions. The Regulations establish offences relating to: waste water quality groundwater radioactive substances Waste operations charges can be brought under EPR 2016, SI 2016/1154, or the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA 1990). Offences linked to water discharge activities or groundwater activities are commonly enforced through EPR 2016, SI 2016/1154, reg 38(1)(a), in respect of a breach of regulation 12(1)(b). See Practice Notes: Unauthorised or harmful deposit, treatment or disposal of waste and Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016—enforcement, offences and civil...

In this issue: Air emissions and climate change Energy efficiency of products Energy for environmental lawyers ESG and sustainability Hazardous substances and chemicals Marine Nature, biodiversity and habitat conservation Waste Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Air emissions and climate change Defra opens consultation on industrial emissions permitting reforms The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has begun consulting on plans to modernise England’s environmental permitting regime for industrial emissions. The package aims to foster innovation, adopt agile standards, secure proportionate and coherent regulation, boost regulator effectiveness and efficiency, and deliver a transparent system. Suggested measures include a new registration route for low-risk installations, flexible site permits setting overall emissions caps, and faster approvals for time‑limited technology trials. The proposals reflect the Corry Review’s critique of regulatory inefficiency. The Environment Agency intends to roll out changes that could cut permit queues from months to days and lower...

In this issue: EU fundamentals Commercial Data protection and cybersecurity Free movement, immigration and employment Financial services Energy Environment IP Life sciences Regulatory TMT Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Trackers EU fundamentals European Commission releases March 2024 infringements package The European Commission has unveiled its March 2024 infringements package, highlighting EU Member States it is pursuing for breaches of EU law. It is sending letters of formal notice, issuing reasoned opinions and making referrals to the Court of Justice against Member States including Germany, Spain, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Slovenia, Ireland, Greece, Italy, Hungary, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden, Finland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Poland, Netherlands and Croatia, for infringements spanning the environment, internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), migration, home affairs and security union, justice, energy and climate, and mobility and transport. See: LNB News 13/03/2024 51. Council of the EU allows EU to...

In this issue: Social housing Education Planning Local government finance Public procurement Governance Healthcare Social care Licensing Environmental law and climate change LexTalk®Local Government: a Lexis®Nexis community Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Social housing Local authority successful in Court of Appeal on suitability of accommodation offered in performance of prevention duty (Fatolahzadeh v LB of Barnet) Fatolahzadeh v LB of Barnet saw Genevieve Screeche-Powell represent the council, which prevailed in resisting a Housing Act 1996 (HA 1996), section 204 appeal pursued by a homeless applicant. Two central issues of principle arose: (i) whether Parliament intended that an alleged non-compliance with the ‘new’ HA 1996, s 189A duties should automatically vitiate any later decision taken to meet the duty to secure suitable accommodation; and (ii) the extent to which the section 202 review procedure can rectify asserted shortcomings. This marks the first occasion on which the Court...

For comprehensive analysis of the regulation, consenting and incentivisation of the net zero energy transition under the laws of England and Wales, see also: Collinson and Hockman on Energy Law: Regulating, Consenting and Incentivising the Energy Transition. That textbook offers an in-depth exploration of matters addressed in this Practice Note. What is carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS)? The term CCUS is sometimes described as ‘carbon capture and storage’ (CCS); broadly, CCS represents a narrower subset within the same sector. CCS describes a range of processes that capture and store CO 2 emissions from industrial activities...

Waste from extractive operations (‘mining waste’) Mining waste encompasses materials that must be removed to gain access to mineral resources (but are not actually processed), for example topsoil, overburden and waste rock, as well as tailings—the material left over after the process of extracting the valuable content from an ore. Some fractions are inert and unlikely to present a significant environmental threat; others, in particular those from the non‑ferrous metal mining industry, may contain hazardous substances, such as heavy metals. For more information see Practice Note: Waste types and controls—extractive waste/mining waste The regulation of mining waste in England and Wales is primarily through the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 (EPR 2016), SI 2016/1154 (as variously amended), which is the main regulatory legislation governing the environmental permitting and compliance regime applying to a range of activities and industries. EPR 2016 came into force on 1 January 2017 and consolidated all of the amendments to the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010 (EPR 2010), SI 2010/675. EPR...

Across the UK, hazardous wastes are governed by distinct regimes for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. In England and Wales, the Hazardous Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2005, SI 2005/894 (the ‘Hazardous Waste Regulations’) prescribe the regime. The Environment Act 2021 (EA 2021) created powers to make further regulations to strengthen the hazardous waste regime in England and Wales. The 2005 Regulations were made to give effect to the Hazardous Waste Directive 91/689/EEC and contain provisions on tracking and movement controls. Subject to reg 9, a waste is “hazardous waste” if it is: listed as a hazardous waste in the List of Wastes a specific batch of waste determined (under regulation 8) to be hazardous waste The “List of Wastes” in this context means the list established by Commission Decision 2000/532/EC, which replaced Decision 94/3/EC establishing a list of wastes pursuant to Article 1(a) of Council Directive 75/442/EEC on waste, and Council Decision 94/904/EC establishing a list of hazardous waste pursuant...

Definitions Environment • any of the following media: (a) air (including air inside buildings or other structures, whether below or above ground); (b) land (covering buildings and any other structures or erections on, in or beneath it, together with soil and all sub-surface features); and (c) water (both groundwater and surface water); plus any ecological systems or living organisms (humans included) sustained by those media. EHS Laws • all relevant legal requirements—civil, criminal or administrative—comprising statutes, statutory instruments, directives, regulations, common law, codes of practice and guidance notes with legal effect, and any orders or decisions of any court or regulatory authority that concern EHS Matters. EHS Matters • any issues connected with the Environment, energy efficiency, climate change or health and safety. Environmental Permit • any permits, licences, authorisations, approvals, permissions, certificates, registrations, notifications, exemptions or consents required by the Company in respect of the use of Properties or the carrying on of the Business under EHS Law. ...

Environment Health and Safety Please provide the following: Copies of every environmental report concerning the Property or the Company’s business, including desktop reports and reviews, Phase 1 compliance audits, intrusive Phase 2 investigations, geotechnical reports and studies, validation reports, environmental management audits, flood risk assessments, regulatory compliance audits or assessments, together with any documents evidencing that the recommended actions set out within the disclosed reports have been fully and satisfactorily completed. Copies of all environmental permits (being licences, consents, authorisations, approvals, registrations, notifications and exemptions) required by applicable environmental or health & safety (EHS) law for the Property or the Company’s operations; include complete copies of any compliance assessment reports, details of any pending applications for new permits or variations to existing permits, and all correspondence sent to or received from the relevant competent authority or regulator relating to the permit(s). Details of activities currently undertaken (including particulars of any hazardous substances used or stored) and any (a) known contamination, (b) pollution incidents, or...

1 Definitions Contamination – Hazardous Substances in soil/water at or beneath the Property, and/or their migration to/from it. Environment – air; water (surface/ground/drains/sewers); land (sub‑surface/under water); and living organisms (incl. humans) and ecosystems. Environmental Law – all applicable statutory/common law (civil/criminal/administrative), directives/regulations, codes of practice, guidance/instructions, and court/regulatory decisions on protecting the Environment or human health. Environmental Liabilities – any fines/penalties/charges/actions/losses/costs/claims/expenses/demands/duties/obligations/damages or other liabilities (incl. reasonable Remedial Action costs) suffered or incurred after Completion by the Seller under or by reason of any Environmental Law. Environmental Permit – permit [insert title] number [insert number] [insert date]. Hazardous Substances – any solid/liquid/gas capable, alone or with others, of harming human health or the Environment. Remedial Action – reasonable measures to investigate/inspect/monitor/remove/remedy/abate/contain/control/treat or ameliorate Contamination. 2 Environmental Permits As soon as possible after Completion, both shall use reasonable endeavours to obtain the Environmental Permit in the Buyer/newco’s name; the Buyer applies and both co‑operate in good faith,...

What is the waste duty of care? Under section 34(1) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA 1990), businesses are required to handle controlled waste safely and dispose of it lawfully. This obligation is called the waste duty of care. Controlled waste covers household, industrial and commercial waste, and anything of that kind. In brief, the duty means waste holders must: ensure their waste goes to a suitably permitted facility ensure anyone managing their waste complies with permit conditions prevent the escape of waste transfer waste only to a registered carrier or authorised permit holder provide a written description of the waste when it is transferred Failure to meet these duties is an offence under EPA 1990, s 34(6), and is punishable: on summary conviction, by a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum on conviction on indictment, by a fine Who does the waste duty of care apply to?...

Position where the contract for sale is silent in relation to environmental liabilities If a land sale contract says nothing about environmental liabilities, allocation of responsibility turns on various factors, including the nature of the liability, who caused or knowingly permitted the issue, and when it took place, depending on the circumstances in which it occurred. By way of illustration, there are several liability regimes for land contamination, including liability for contaminated land under Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA 1990) (see Practice Note: Land contamination—potential liabilities). Under EPA 1990, Part IIA, liability is both strict and retrospective. Class A persons, namely those who cause or knowingly permit the contamination, will be liable...