Strategic Environmental Assessment in Ireland (SEA) is the process by which environmental considerations are integrated into Plans and Programmes across a broad range of sectors including energy, fisheries, industry, telecommunications, water and land use. A review of SEA, commissioned by the EPA, has found that: SEA is providing a vital tool for environmental protection in...

The EPA have launched the new ALDER/EDEN web portal for Licensees and Local Authorities. The purpose of ALDER to remove the need for paper based communications for many activities and will benefit both licensees and the EPA. The functionality of the ALDER online web portal will be developed and rolled out in phases. The first...

The Department of Environment, Community and Local Government (DoECLG) has published the Water Services (Amendment) Act 2012 to regulate wastewater discharges from all homes that are not connected to the public sewer network. This is as a result of a European Court of Justice (ECJ) judgment made against Ireland in 2009 (Case C-188/08) in relation to...

The obligations under Irish law in respect of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) are derived from obligations incurred as a result of membership of the European Community within the terms of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act and Regulations. An EIA is to be conducted before consent is given for projects likely...

What is an IPC Licence The EPA Act 1992 (as amended) sets out the activities for which an Integrated Pollution Control or IPC Licence is required. An IPC Licence is a singular licence granted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  An IPC licence addresses all activities undertaken on site which may impact on the environment...

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that it is seeking the views of the public on how the Agency should prioritise activities over the next number of years to protect and improve Ireland’s environment. The public consultation process offers interested parties the opportunity to submit suggestions on the EPA’s fourth formal strategy before publication...

The price of water would quadruple in Ireland if European trends are applied, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and it is therefore crucial that businesses tackle water efficiency. The average cost of cold water was €2 per cubic meter in Ireland. However, in countries like Germany this cost was as high as €8...

Recent legislation requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a National Inspection Plan for domestic waste water treatment systems, including septic tanks. The Inspection Plan is currently being developed and it is intended that a risk-based approach to inspections will commence in mid-2013. In the interim, the EPA is consulting and engaging with the...

The EPA has issued a revised Waste Licence Application Form to reflect the requirements of the European Union Waste Framework Directive on Waste (2008/98/EC). The Waste Management Act 1996 to 2011 has already been amended to incorporate these requirements. The Waste Framework Directive and the Regulations apply to all waste activities It is likely that...

The Draft National Implementation Plan for Persistent Organic Pollutants sets out the current situation in relation to Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in Ireland and describes how Ireland is meeting its obligations under the Stockholm Convention on POPs. The draft document also contains an Action Plan in relation to measures to reduce emissions of unintentional POPs....