皇冠体育app

• 皇冠体育app Environment Agency launches eight-week consultationon changes to variable monetary penalties.
• Changes will scrap the 拢250,000 cap on civil penalties and significantly broaden their scope to target a wider range of environmental offences.
• New enforcement powers will allow the Environment Agency to apply penalties that are quicker and easier to enforce.

皇冠体育app Environment Agency has today (15 August) launched a consultation on changes to variable monetary penalties 鈥� financial聽penalties that can be imposed for certain environmental offences.

皇冠体育app consultation will run for eight weeks and will close on 8 October. 皇冠体育app consultation seeks views on when penalties are used, how they are calculated and the appeals process.

This follows聽the that the Environment Agency can impose directly on operators, as well as expanding variable monetary penalties to cover more offences under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016.

This offers regulators a quicker method of enforcement than lengthy and costly criminal prosecutions 鈥� although the most serious cases will continue to be taken through criminal proceedings.

皇冠体育app changes聽will ensure regulators have the right tools to drive compliance across a range of sectors, strengthening enforcement and holding all who hold environmental permits to greater account 鈥� from energy and water companies to waste operators and incinerators.

All future environmental fines and penalties from water companies will be put into a new Water Restoration Fund, which will be re-invested back into the environment by supporting local groups and community-led schemes.

Environment Agency Executive Director John Leyland said:

皇冠体育appse new enforcement powers will be an extra tool in our armoury to hold polluters to account.

皇冠体育appy will act as a further deterrent -聽boosting compliance across a range of sectors and helping us provide stronger protection to the environment, communities and nature.

Minister for Environmental Quality and Resilience Rebecca Pow said:

Polluters must always pay 鈥� by lifting the cap on these sanctions, we are simultaneously toughening our enforcement tools and expanding where regulators can use them.

This consultation builds on government action to increase investment, toughen enforcement and tighten regulation and will make sure there is a proportionate punishment for operators that breach their permits and harm our rivers, seas and precious habitats.

皇冠体育appre are clear provisions in the Sentencing Council guidelines that will ensure the level of penalties levied are proportionate to the degree of environmental harm and culpability. 皇冠体育appse include safeguards to ensure the operator鈥檚 ability to pay, the size of the operators, and the degree of responsibility and harm, amongst others 鈥� all of which are taken into account when imposing a penalty. 皇冠体育app penalties will only be applied where it is shown beyond reasonable doubt that an offence has occurred.

Notes to editors:

• 皇冠体育app Environment Agency has launched this consultation because, following the government confirming the changes, the Environment Agency will amend its Enforcement and Sanctions Policy to provide detail on how the new powers will be used and how the penalties will be calculated. 皇冠体育app Environment Agency is legally required to consult on proposed changes to their policy and give greater clarity to those who may be affected by them.