The environment calendar highlights key dates for proposed and existing legislation and policy and closing dates for consultation papers relating to major environment issues in the EU and England.

It will provide a useful tool for environment managers tracking new legislation for the purpose of implementing an environment management system such as ISO 14001 or EMAS.

It will also be helpful for those in environment technologies industries seeking new opportunities by highlighting upcoming legislation.

Key developments this month include:

  • The Capital Allowances (Energy-saving Plant and Machinery) (Amendment) Order 2006 and The Capital Allowances (Environmentally Beneficial Plant and Machinery) (Amendment) Order 2006 are due to come into force on the 7 September 2006. Both these pieces of legislation are part of the government’s initiative to promote greener workplaces. The schemes offer tax advantages enabling businesses to claim accelerated tax relief or ECA’s (enhanced capital allowances) on their spending on designated energy saving and water efficient technologies. It is hoped that this legislation will encourage more industries to use more environmentally friendly technology.
  • The Environment Agency has recently updated their plans for dealing with drought in England and Wales and has published them in draft form. The high-level drought plan sets out how the Agency proposes to co-ordinate drought management activities over England and Wales. It is supported by drought plans for the seven English regions and Wales and covers drought management at a local and area level including operational details and arrangements for monitoring. The Agency is inviting comments on their plans from anyone with an interest in drought management. All comments must be submitted by 22 September 2006.
  • Directive 2005/20/EC grants derogations to the ten new Member States from the targets for recycling and recovery of packaging waste set out in the packaging and packaging waste Directive (94/62/EC) ; taking account of these countries’ limited recycling infrastructure, frequently scattered rural populations and geographical difficulties. It postpones the attainment of the 2008 recycling targets to no later than:- December 2012 for Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia; December 2013 for Malta; December 2014 for Poland; and December 2015 for Latvia.
  • The European Commission proposal for a Framework Directive on soil protection was expected this September, however, current information indicates that there has been slippage in the timetable and it is now expected in October or possibly later.

To view the latest monthly update of the calendar, click here to view the PDF in a new window.

This article was written for Law-Now, CMS Cameron McKenna's free online information service. To register for Law-Now, please go to www.law-now.com/law-now/mondaq

Law-Now information is for general purposes and guidance only. The information and opinions expressed in all Law-Now articles are not necessarily comprehensive and do not purport to give professional or legal advice. All Law-Now information relates to circumstances prevailing at the date of its original publication and may not have been updated to reflect subsequent developments.

The original publication date for this article was 01/09/2006.