NEWS: BBC News October 15, 2019
What's in the government's new environment bill?
With the creation of a new Office for Environmental Protection, surely the Government would be falling at the first hurdle if they gave the go ahead to the Expressway?
The BBC reports A bill to tackle environmental priorities is to be published by the government later to manage environment controls post Brexit.
The report says that the bill “aims to improve air and water quality, tackle plastic pollution, restore wildlife, and protect the climate. Environmentalists have welcomed several of the proposals, especially on restoring nature. But they say on other green issues ministers are going backwards - and they're anxious to see details of the new policies.”
For example current EU rules mean the government could face heavy fines for failing to meet air quality standards. The BBC report says “With Brexit set to remove the stick of these rules, an independent watchdog, the Office for Environmental Protection, is being created to hold the government to account. Ministers say the watchdog won't be able to fine the government if it fails to uphold its commitments - but will ensure it is held to account, with the ability to stop projects and hold authorities in contempt of court if they breach environmental standards.
But campaigners fear that the new watchdog could be muzzled, tamed and stripped of funding.
Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers is reported as saying "Our natural environment is a vital shared resource and the need to act to secure it for generations to come is clear. Our landmark Environment Bill leads a green transformation that will help our country to thrive.”
To see the full BBC article click here.
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