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Welcome to the Oil & Gas UK Environmental Legislation Website. The aim of this site is to provide access to information on statutory environmental requirements for offshore and onshore upstream oil and gas operations. The website provides guidance on consent applications, statutory limits for discharges and emissions, and what statutory and industry reporting mechanisms are in place. Guidance is also given on consent renewal, variation and what to do in the event of non-compliance. The website is maintained and updated on a quarterly basis to ensure the information provided is accurate and up to date (see How to Use Site for more information). Latest News and Ongoing Consultations is updated more frequently as required. The contents of the site is driven by the users, and if anyone has suggestions for additional topics or summary tables please contact us. In addition any feedback on broken links, errors or general tidbits for inclusions will be welcomed. Crown material has been reproduced with the permission of the controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office. The material available in this guide is designed to provide general information only. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided is accurate, it does not constitute legal or other professional advice. Content of this site must not be used for re-sale. Latest News and Ongoing Consultations 8 June 2009 - DEFRA is consulting on minor amendments to the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994. These amendments extend provisions in order to restrict operations taking place on water as well as on land, in order to protect European sites in England and Wales. Closing date for responses 3 August 2009. Read More. 5 June 2009 - Environment Agency is seeking your views on sixteen new or revised sets of rules for standard permits for waste operations. Closing date for responses 28 August 2009. 5 June 2009 - Joint DECC/DEFRA consultation on draft guidance for how UK organisations should measure and report their greenhouse gas emissions required by the Climate Change Act. The deadline for consultation responses is 7 August 2009. The final guidance will be published by 1 October 2009. Read More. 5 June 2009 - Major site wide onshore topic update undertaken (see News and Updates) 21 May 2009 - DECC has issued a REACH Guidance Document for the Offshore Oil and Gas Sector. Related topics on this site will be updated at the next site-wide update. 12 May 2009 - Natural England issues consultation on its Policy for an Ecosystem Approach. Closing dates for responses 30 July 2009. 8 May 2009 - Major site wide update undertaken (see News and Updates) 6 May 2009 - DECC and DEFRA have launched a consultation on Environmental Permitting Programme: Consultation on Government Guidance. This guidance has been drafted or amended as part of the second phase of the Environmental Permitting Programme (EPP2) which is a Better Regulation initiative designed to reduce costs for operators and the regulator by cutting unnecessary red tape, while continuing to protect the environment and human health. Closing date for comments 29 July 2009. 30 April 2009 - DECC has issued guidance on data requests not covered by specific regulations and the legal basis for such requests. Read More (pdf document). 30 April 2009 - DEFRA is consulting on revisions to the Waste Duty of Care Code of Practice. The revised guidance is in response to feedback on a consultation in June 2008 with the objective of providing clear, fit for purpose and practical guidance to holders of wate and their legal responsibilities. Closing date for response 24 July 2009. 27 April 2009 - Scottish Government is seeking views on its proposals for a strategic centrally co-ordinated plan for adapting to climate change. The proposed aim is to increase the resilience of Scotland's people and the natural and economic systems on which we depend, to the impacts of climate change. More information can be found on the Scottish Government website. Closing date for responses 20 July 2009. 20 April 2009 - DEFRA has launched a consultation on a Draft Strategy for Marine Protected Areas aimed at providing a coherent network of European Marine Sites (Natura 2000 sites) and new Marine Protection Zones arising from the Marine and Coastal Access Bill. Deadline for comments 13 July 2009. 3 April 2009 - Following consultation with industry, DECC has now issued final revised Guidance Notes under the Merchant Shipping (Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation Convention) Regulations 1998 and The Offshore Installations (Emergency Pollution Control) Regulations 2002 (see OPEPs for more information) . 1 April 2009. EU published White Paper on adapting to climate change : towards a European framework for action. 19 March 2009 - Scottish Government seeking views on the transposition of the Groundwater Directive 2006 and the Priority Substances Directive 2008. Consultation documents can be found on the Scottish Government website. Closing date for comments - 19 June 2009 3 March 2009 - DEFRA consultation on the transposition of the INSPIRE Directive. INSPIRE aims to make available consistent spatial data sets about the environment and create services for accessing these datasets so that they can to be more easily shared or combined to benefit the development and monitoring of environmental policy and practice. Closing date for responses 26 May 2009. 26 February 2009 - JNCC has formally advised an additional two offshore Special Areas of Conservation, Bassurelle Sandbank in the Eastern English Channel and Hatton Bank in the North-East Atlantic. Read more on the JNCC website. 22 December 2008 - Environment Agency and SEPA have launched consultations on Draft River Basin Management Plans which have been put together for the 11 river basin districts in England and Wales and the Scotland and Solway Tweed river basin districts under the European Water Framework Directive. More information from the Environment Agency and SEPA websites respectively. Closing date for responses 22 June 2009.
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