New Environment Bill will aim to deliver sustainable water resources

Defra has published a new policy statement setting out how the government’s Environment Bill will put the environment at the centre of policy making – including how it intends to deliver sustainable water resources.  The policy statement says the water measures in the Environment Bill will help to secure long-term, resilient water and wastewater services, including abstraction licensing reform.

The Government plans to set new legally binding targets in four priority areas of the natural environment: air quality; waste and resource efficiency; water and nature. The EIPs and legally binding targets will be reviewed on a five-yearly basis and together they will drive action to significantly improve the natural environment and provide much-needed certainty for businesses and stakeholders. 

In order to strengthen environmental accountability, the Environment Bill will establish a new public body – the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) – as the UK’s own independent, domestic watchdog.

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Article credit - Water Briefing

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Article posted Monday 28th October 2019