Air legislation for Wales controls emissions of gases, dark smoke and other airborne pollutants that harm the quality of the atmosphere. It includes environmental permitting and authorising regimes and, via the climate change framework, establishes financial incentives to switch to less-polluting ways of working.
We provide this list as a guide to key environmental legislation that may apply to your business. We review it periodically but it does not include every piece of legislation that may affect your business. As there may be additional legislation that applies to your particular activities and circumstances, you should check with your environmental regulator, legal advisor or environmental consultant to find out if there are any more legal requirements that apply to you.
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Sets 2050 as the target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions; outlines a carbon budgeting system, greenhouse gas emissions trading schemes, financial incentives for businesses to reduce waste and recycle more and powers to charge for single use bags.
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Specifies that for an installation or site to be eligible for inclusion in a climate change agreement, it must be likely that at least 90% of the energy supplied to it will be used within the site.
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Expands the types of energy-intensive business activities and sites that can claim the reduced rate of climate change levy.
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Amends 2006/60 with details of which energy-intensive businesses can claim the reduced rate of climate change levy.
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Amends 2006/60 by adding three new categories (plastics, laundries and salt refiners) eligible for Climate Change Agreements.
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Defines which energy-intensive installations are entitled to claim the reduced rate of climate change levy.
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Set outs who the climate change levy, which is charged on supplies of electricity, gas and solid fuel, applies to, what is taxable, who is exempt and procedures for registering, returns and tax credits.
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Bans the burning of crop residues on agricultural land (with exceptions), restricts the burning of linseed and other specified crops, and sets conditions for the size and timings of burning.
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Guidance on Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2007
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Controls the production, marketing, use of, trade in, emission and transport of specified ozone-depleting substances.
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Extends 2002/528 to offshore installations.
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Requires aerosol dispensers to be marked to confirm they satisfy the safety measures laid down in the Annex to the Directive.
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Aims to reduce emissions of fluorinated greenhouse gases through measures for their containment, use, recovery and destruction.
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Allows governments to impose new requirements on handling, use, import, export, recovery, recycling, reclaming, destruction and trading of listed substances. Sets out plan to phase out production, trade and use of HCFCs.
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Sets out controls on producing and using dangerous pesticides, industrial chemicals and chemical by-products.
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Revokes and amends Fluorinated Greenhouse Gas Regulations 2008. Creates offences and penalties for not complying with recovery of f-gases legislation, labelling, qualifications and certificates required to work with products or equipment containing them.
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Provides a framework to allow greenhouse gas emissions permits to be bought and sold between businesses.
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Amends 2005/925, allowing the Secretary of State to allocate allowances for the first phase of the greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme.
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Makes it an offence (for which you can be fined) for anyone servicing a vehicle air-conditioning system to refill it with fluorinated gases if there has been an abnormal leak of refrigerant and before repairs have been completed.
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Requires businesses to inform their local council before installing a cooling tower or evaporative condenser on their site.
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Revokes Ozone Depleting Substances (Qualifications) Regulations 2006. Amends qualifications needed to recover, recycle or destroy substances. Makes it an offence to, or employ someone to, work with controlled substances or methyl bromide unless qualified.
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Requires road vehicle fuel suppliers to prove that a certain amount of renewable transport fuel (e.g. biodiesel, bioethanol, etc) has been supplied in the UK.
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Amends 2007/3072, which requires road transport fuel suppliers to produce certificates to show that a proportion of their fuel is renewable, by reducing the amount that this proportion increases every year until 2013.
- Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 SI 1078 (not available online)
Lays down requirements to reduce the environmental impact of constructing, maintaining and using road vehicles, particularly smoke, vapour and gas emissions.
Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) (No.3) Regulations 2009 SI 2196
Amends 1986/1078 by inserting a new regulation which restricts the retrofitting and refilling of vehicle air conditioning systems containing fluorinated greenhouse gases.
Volatile Organic Compounds in Paints, Varnishes and Vehicle Refinishing Products Regulations 2005 SI 2773
Sets maximum levels of organic solvents that can be contained in paints, varnishes and vehicle refinishing products (such as cleaners, primers and fillers).
Volatile Organic Compounds in Paints, Varnishes and Vehicle Refinishing Products (Amendment) Regulations 2010 SI 783
Amends 2005/2773 by amending the definition of ‘coating ’ (in the context of vehicle refinishing products) by substituting ‘mixture’ for ‘preparation’.
