Archived press release

Government keeps new agency on a short lead

6 February 1996

Friends of the Earth today warned that the promised benefits of the new Environment Agency would not be realised if the Government continued to place legal and financial hurdles in the way of a truly independent and well resourced environmental watchdog. Mr Ed Gallagher, Chief Executive of the Agency, admitted at today's briefing that the National Rivers Authority had been seen as 'perhaps too independent' and that the Agency would be much closer to government [1].

FOE Industry and Pollution Campaigner, Roger Lilley, said today:

"The Government's reigning in of the Agency is demonstrated by the playing down of the long awaited promises for effective legal standards to protect our rivers. This calls into question their commitment to protection of the environment [2]. The Government's much heralded new environmental watchdog has been muzzled from birth.

"Under the new Environment Act,most decisions of the Agency are open to challenge by polluters who will argue that spending on environmental protection is not justified under the Government's new and controversial policies of Cost Benefit Analysis. Effective regulatory action to protect the environment can now be halted in the courts, virtual paralysis by analysis."

Friends of the Earth believes that the Agency has a vital role to play and wish it well for the future - in principle an integrated Agency should be in a far better position to protect the interests of people and the environment. However FOE is particularly concerned by the current absence of clear vision for the Agency in relation to sustainable development and the lack of real targets for environmental protection. The proof of the Agency should be measured by performance indicators such as:

Levels of targets set for waste reduction Prosecution records Levels of serious pollution incidents Progress on phase out of toxics The speed of uptake of new pollution control measures and clean production processes Resourcing and staffing levels Pro-active provision of environmental information to the public Increased use of economic instruments in regulation

They are likely to be hindered by:

the continuing shortfall in resources handed out by the Government to the existing agencies, the National Rivers Authority and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution - especially 'efficiency gains' which will result in further staff cuts.the continued interference by ministers in decisions of the current regulators in order to protect the commercial interests of industry excessive reliance on self regulation by polluters the lack of guarantees of public access to information held by the new Agency including communication between former independent agencies (NRA, HMIP and Waste Regulation Authorities)the removal of local government accountability in strategic and controversial waste disposal issues such as the siting of landfills and incinerators the lack of guarantees of balanced representation of all interested parties on regional advisory boards of the new agency (REPACS)

ENDS

Notes[1] The Environment Agency - Framework for the Future - Briefing 6/2/96[2] Daily Telegraph 5.2.96 "Water firms get 'licence to pollute'"

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust