Environment Agency

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The Environment Agency logo

The Environment Agency (Welsh: Asiantaeth yr Amgylchedd) is a Non-Departmental Public Body of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and an Assembly Sponsored Public Body of the National Assembly for Wales. It employs around 13,000 staff and in 2006/07 had an operational budget of around £1.002bn, of which £603m was grant from the Agency's sponsoring Government Departments. The Environment Agency's remit covers the whole of England and Wales; about 15 million hectares of land, 36,000 kilometres of river and 5,000 kilometres of coastline, including 2 million hectares of coastal waters.[1]

The Agency's principal aim is to protect and enhance the environment and in doing so to make a contribution towards the objective of achieving sustainable development. In support of this aim, the Agency has a broad range of functions which can be grouped under two main headings:

  • Water Management
    • Flood & coastal erosion risk management
    • Water resource management
    • Wildlife, Recreation & Marine (including fisheries and navigation)
  • Environment Protection
    • Air Quality
    • Land Quality
    • Water Quality

Contents

[edit] History

The Environment Agency was created by the Environment Act 1995, and came into existence on April 1, 1996. It took over the roles and responsibilities of the National Rivers Authority (NRA), Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution (HMIP) and the waste regulation authorities in England and Wales including the London Waste Regulation Authority (LWRA). All of the predecessor bodies were disbanded and the local authorities relinquished their waste regulatory role.

[edit] Core Principles

The stated purpose of the agency is, "to protect or enhance the environment, taken as a whole" so as to promote "the objective of achieving sustainable development" (taken from the Environment Act 1995, section 4).
The Environment Agency's vision is of a rich, healthy and diverse environment for present and future generations.[2]

[edit] Responsibilities

[edit] Air quality

The Agency is a regulator for the release of air pollutants into the atmosphere from large, complex industrial processes. This will soon include emissions from some large-scale agricultural activities, but air pollutant releases from many agricultural activities will continue to be unregulated.[3]

Emissions from major sources of pollution, such as transport, are subject to various measures at the European, national and local level. Local authorities control air pollution from smaller industrial processes.

The Agency works with local authorities, the Highways Agency and others to implement the UK government’s air quality strategy in England and Wales as mandated in the Environment Act 1995.

The Environment Agency has an Air Quality Modelling and Assessment Unit (AQMAU) that aims to ensure that air quality assessments for permit applications, enforcement and air pollution incident investigations are consistent, of a high standard and based on sound science.[4]

[edit] Fish

The Agency is a regulator of angling and commercial exploitation of shell-fish and sells over a million rod licences a year, the proceeds of which it uses to maintain and improve the quality of fisheries in England and Wales by improving habitat.

The Thames Barrier is operated by the Environment Agency
The Thames Barrier is operated by the Environment Agency

[edit] Flood & Coastal Erosion

The Environment Agency is the principal flood risk management operating authority. It is empowered (but does not have a legal obligation) to manage flood risk from designated main rivers and the sea. The Environment Agency is also responsible for increasing public awareness of flood risk, flood forecasting and warning and has a general supervisory duty for flood risk management. As of 2008 the Environment Agency also has a strategic overview role for all flood and coastal erosion risk management. [5] The Environment Agency uses its powers to reduce the probability and consequences of flooding. Functions in relation to areas of special drainage need in England and Wales are undertaken by Internal Drainage Boards.

[edit] Probability reducing activities

In terms of reducing the probability of a flood event, the Environment Agency is responsible for the operation, maintenance and replacement of an estimated £20 billion worth of FRM assets, which result in an annual average damages avoided in excess of £3 billion.[6] [7]It also invests in making improvements or providing new assets in areas where the residual probability of flooding is high and, combined with the potential consequences, the risk is the highest.

[edit] Consequence reducing activities

In terms of reducing the consequences of a flood event, the Environment Agency provides flood forecasting and warning systems and maintains maps of areas liable to flood, as well as preparing emergency plans and responding when an event occurs. From a prevention perspective, the Environment Agency carries out a regulatory function in terms of development control - monitoring planning applications within flood risk areas, making sure that any development is carried out in line with legislation (PPS25). The agency checks the flood risk assessment that must be submitted with most planning applications in flood risk areas. The agency also runs public awareness campaigns to inform those at risk who may be unaware that they live in an area that is prone to flooding, as well as providing information about what the flood warning codes and symbols mean and how to respond in the event of a flood.

The Environment Agency operates numerous locks
The Environment Agency operates numerous locks

[edit] Navigation

The Environment Agency is one of the major navigation authorities in charge of inland rivers, estuaries and harbours in England and Wales. It manages nearly 1000km of Britain's rivers, and is the Harbour Authority for Rye and the Conservancy Authority for the Dee Estuary. [8] Where necessary the Agency maintains and operates systems of sluices, weirs and locks in order to to manage water-levels. Functions in relation to canals are undertaken by the British Waterways Board.

[edit] Pollution control

The Agency is the main regulator of discharges to air, water, and land - under the provisions of a series of Acts of Parliament. It does this through the issue of formal consents to discharge or, in the case of large, complex or potentially damaging industries by means of a permit. Failure to comply with such a consent or permit or making a discharge without the benefit of a consent can lead to criminal prosecution. Magistrates' Court can impose fines of up to £50,000 or 12 months imprisonment for each offence of causing or knowingly permitting pollution. If prosecuted in the Crown Court, there is no limit on the amount of the fine and sentences of up to 5 years imprisonment may be imposed on those responsible for the pollution or on Directors of companies causing pollution.

[edit] Waste

The agency is the regulatory authority for all waste management activities including the licensing of sites such as landfill and incineration facilities. It also regulates the movement of hazardous wastes such as fibrous asbestos, infectious clinical wastes and harmful chemicals. The Agency monitors waste management sites and any individuals or companies found to have caused pollution or have infringed their licence conditions can be prosecuted and potentially have waste handling licences revoked by the Courts.

[edit] Water quality

The Agency has a duty to maintain and improve the quality of surface and ground waters and as part of the duty it monitors the quality of rivers, lakes, the sea and ground-water on a regular basis.

[edit] Water resources

The Agency manages the use and conservation of water through the issue of water abstraction licences for activities such as drinking water supply, artificial irrigation and hydro-electricity generation.

Complex arrangements exist for the management of river regulation reservoirs, which are used to store winter water in the wetter parts of England and Wales in order to maintain levels in the summer time so that there is sufficient water to supply the drier parts of the country with drinking water.


[edit] Advice to Government

Until the formation of the Environment Agency, the Government took specialist advice on the management of the environment from civil servants employed in appropriate ministries. This led to considerable duplication of effort and frequent disagreements between Government and the regulatory agencies. The Environment Agency now advises Government directly about those issues within its purview.

[edit] Income

The agency is funded in part from the UK government Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Welsh Assembly Government. Additional money is raised from the issuing of licences and permits such as abstraction licences, waste handler registrations, navigation rights and rod (fishing) licences and from licensing data for which the Agency is owner.

Funding for asset management and improvement and acquisition of flood risk management assets has traditionally come from local authorities via Flood Defence Committees. This was then effectively repaid by central Government in later years as part of the Formula Spending Share. In 2005 this was simplified by making a direct transfer from Treasury to the Environment Agency in the form of Flood Defence Grant in Aid.

The Environment Agency's total funding in 2006-07 was £1,002 million, an increase of £4 million on 2005-06. Of that total, £603 million (60 per cent) was provided in the form of ‘flood defence grant-in-aid’ from government (£554 million for England and £49 million for Wales). In addition, £349 million (35 per cent) was raised through our statutory charging schemes and flood defence levies; and a further £50 million (5 per cent) came from miscellaneous sources.[9]

[edit] Organisational management

The Environment Agency is overseen by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (currently Hilary Benn) in England, and by the Minister for Sustainability and Rural Development in Wales (currently Jane Davidson), but has its own chairman, chief executive and board of directors.

Chairman:

Chris Smith is to replace Sir John Harman in July 2008.

Chief executives:

Barbara Young has been selected to chair the new Quality Care Commission and will be replaced later in 2008.

The professional management of the Environment Agency overseen by the Chief Executive is organised into Directorates. Currently these (with Directors) are:

  • Operations (David Jordan, Acting) includes oversight of all the Regional and Area staff.
  • Water Management (WM) (David King) - includes water resources, hydrology, flood risk management, fisheries, conservation, ecology, recreation, navigation etc.
  • Environment Protection (EP) (Tricia Henton) includes policy and process for water quality, Integrated pollution control, IPPC, EP planning and reporting etc.
  • Corporate Affairs (Adrian Long).
  • Finance (Nigel Reader).
  • Human Resources (Graham Ledward).
  • Legal Services (Ric Navarro).

[edit] Regions and areas

The Environment Agency consists of a total of 20 areas grouped into eight regions, seven in England and Environment Agency Wales.

  • Anglian Region
    • Central Area
    • Eastern Area
    • Northern Area
  • Midlands Region
    • East Area
    • Central Area
    • West Area
  • North East Region
    • Northeast Area
    • Yorkshire Area
  • North West Region
    • North Area
    • South Area
  • South West Region
    • Devon and Cornwall Area
    • Wessex Area
  • Southern Region
    • Solent and South Downs Area
    • Kent and East Sussex Area
  • Thames Region
    • North East Area
    • South East Area
    • West Area
  • Environment Agency Wales
    • Northern Area
    • South East Area
    • South West Area

[edit] References

  1. ^ Defra Sponsorship
  2. ^ Environment Agency's Vision
  3. ^ The air quality section of the Environment Agency's website
  4. ^ The AQMAU section of the Environment Agency's website
  5. ^ Defra's overview of how flood and coastal erosion risk is managed in England
  6. ^ 2004 National Assessment of Defence Needs and Costs
  7. ^ Defra's Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management page
  8. ^ Navigation
  9. ^ 0607 Annual Report

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Related acts of parliament