Environment Agency - Goals, Responsibilities, Organisational management, Regions and areas
The body established by the Environment Act (1995) of England and Wales to enforce and regulate pollution controls. The Agency carries out the functions of the former National Rivers Authority, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution, and the waste regulation authorities. It is also responsible for certain other functions connected with the environment, such as controlling effluent and sewage sludge in agriculture, land drainage, and coastal defence. The corresponding body in Scotland is the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, which in addition to these responsibilities, controls air pollution. The European Environment Agency collects and monitors information about the quality of the environment, but it has no clear powers of enforcement. In the USA, the Environmental Protection Agency, sometimes referred to as USEPA, is the federal agency responsible for the environment. Several individual states also have their own environmental protection agencies.
The Environment Agency (Welsh: Asiantaeth yr Amgylchedd) of England and Wales was created by the Environment Act 1995, and came into existence on April 1, 1996 along with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
Goals
The stated mission of the newly created agency was "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).
Responsibilities
Flood risk management
The agency is the main body responsible for creating and maintaining flood defences and providing flood warning systems. Functions in relations to canals are undertaken by the British Waterways Board
Waste regulation
The agency is the regulatory authority for all waste management activities including the licensing of sites such as landfill and incineration facilities.
Pollution control
Under the provisions of a series of Acts of Parliament, the Agency is the main regulator of discharges to the aquatic environment, to air and to land.
Air quality management
The Agency regulates the release of air pollutants into the atmosphere from large, complex 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 Air Quality Modelling and Assessment Unit (AQMAU)
The Air Quality Modelling and Assessment Unit (AQMAU) is the Agency’s national focus of expertise on air quality modelling and assessment, providing both leadership and operational support.
Some of the topics covered in the projects undertaken by the AQMAU are:
Propagation of uncertainties in dispersion modelling Protocol for model inter-comparisons Dispersion modelling for odour prediction Representativity of meteorological data used in dispersion modellingThe AQMAU is located in the Cardiff office of Environment Agency Wales.
Water quality management
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.
Water resource management
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.
Fisheries
The Agency is the body responsible for maintaining and improving the quality of fisheries in England and Wales.
Money for maintenance and improvement of flood defences has traditionally come from the local authorities in the areas being defended but central Government is now playing a larger role in funding this area of work.
Organisational management
The Environment Agency is overseen by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (currently David Miliband), but has its own chairman, chief executive and board of directors.
Chairmen:
Sir John Harman (2000- ) Lord de Ramsey (1995-2000)Chief executives:
Baroness Young (2000- ) Professor Ed Gallagher (1995-2000)Regions and areas
The Environment Agency consists of seven English regions and Environment Agency Wales.
Anglian Region Central Area Eastern Area Northern Area Midlands Region Lower Severn Area Lower Trent Area Upper Severn Area Upper Trent Area North East Region Dales Area Northumbria Area Ridings Area North West Region Central Area North Area South Area South West Region Devon & Cornwall Area Wessex Area Southern Region Hampshire and Isle of Wight Area Kent Area Sussex Area Thames Region North East Area South East Area West Area Environment Agency Wales Northern Area South East Area South West Area
User Comments Add a comment…