The founding legislation for the EPA (the Environmental Protection Agency Act 1992) required that the Environmental Protection Agency ‘ensures, in so far as is practicable, that a proper balance is achieved between the need to protect the environment (and the cost of such protection) and the need for infrastructural, economic and social progress’ [Section 52(2) of the...

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a number of statutory roles which include: Licensing, enforcement, monitoring and research Communicating information about the quality of Ireland’s environment. The EPA is conducting a survey is to assess its strengths, weaknesses and opportunities in communicating environmental information to its stakeholders.  http://epa.ie/

The EPA has published greenhouse gas emissions projections for the period 2011 to 2020.  The projected trends for greenhouse gases and give a picture of Ireland’s ability to meet EU and international targets with respect to greenhouse gas emissions: Ireland can comply with its Kyoto obligations (2008 – 2012) with regard to greenhouse gas emissions....

Excess soil and stone is regularly generated at development and construction sites.  Sometimes the soil and stone is from greenfield sites and contains no anthropogenic contamination.  Other times, the soil and stone is from brownfield sites – ranging from sites that simply had buildings on them to sites that are heavily contaminated with industrial or...

The EPA has today published its first biannual update of its Biodiversity Action Plan, to mark International Day for Biological Diversity http://www.epa.ie/downloads/pubs/biodiversity/name,33378,en.html

Serious deficiencies exist with urban waste water treatment plants and there are widespread and negative impacts on the environment flowing from these deficiencies. The EPA report “Focus on Urban Waste Water Discharges in Ireland” (February 2012) has identified that almost 50% of urban waste water treatment facilities in Ireland do not meet EU waste water quality...

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires no deterioration in the status of a water body.  The status of and possible impacts on receiving waters from storm water discharges can affect this status and must be considered.  Trigger levels on the discharge can be utilised as a tool to ensure the maintenance of the status of...

The purpose of the register is to fulfill the requirements of the Aarhus Convention, as a simple means of affording access to information about environmental emissions and transfers. The pollutant release and transfer register lists in excess of 300 industrial facilities engaged in environmentally hazardous activities. For each facility, information is provided concerning the amount...

The EPA has issued a draft guidance documented is intended for use by EPA licensed sites in order to provide licensees with a methodology for setting appropriate site specific trigger levels at storm water discharge points. The EPA has issued a draft guidance documented intended for use by EPA licensed sites to provide licensees with...

The European Communities (Environmental Liability) Regulations 2008, (SI 547 of 2008) came into force in Ireland on 1 April 2009 with regard to the prevention and remedying of environmental damage. Environmental liability is based on the “polluter-pays” principle.  The Regulations introduced a positive reporting obligation on operators in respect of actual or threatened environmental damage....