Closed consultations

Consultation: Improving the water environment without a significant adverse impact on renewable energy generation

The river basin management plans for the Scotland and the Solway Tweed river basin districts set ambitious objectives for progressively improving the ecological quality of Scotland's water environment. The plans include improvement objectives for around 70 water bodies that have been assessed as adversely affected by the operation of hydroelectricity schemes. The schemes typically involve the capture and temporary storage of water in reservoirs prior to its abstraction for use in generating electricity. Delivering improvements to the affected water bodies may require changes to the way water is managed within the hydroelectricity schemes and potentially to the volume of water that can be used for electricity generation.

The use of the water environment for electricity generation is licensed under the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011. The regulations allow the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to vary the terms of licences for the purpose of securing appropriate environmental improvements. When doing so, SEPA has to strike the right balance between supporting renewable energy generation and improving the water environment.

• View the consultation document  (224kb)
• Download the feedback form  (78KB)

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is planning to introduce standard rules for the permitting of petrol vapour recovery activities for the loading and unloading of petrol into stationary storage tanks at petrol stations and also the refuelling of motor vehicles, regulated under Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2000 (PPC).

SEPA wants to know what the industry think of the proposal to use standard rules for the permitting of petrol vapour recovery activities. A consultation and supporting documents are provided below.

Consultation document  (57 kb)

Covering letter  (11 kb)

Standard rules for PVR I  (77 kb)

Standard rules for PVR II  (85 kb)

Permit mock up  (88 kb)

18

December 2011

Consultation on the provision & assessment of technically competent management at licensed waste management facilities

This short consultation seeks your views on a new approach to the assessment of technically competent management at licensed waste management facilities. The requirement for a licence holder to provide technically competent management at a site is part of the test of whether an applicant is "fit and proper" to hold a Waste Management Licence. The Waste Management Licensing (Scotland) Regulations 2011 now provide for greater flexibility in how technically competent management is demonstrated.

Consultation documents  (88kb)

16 September 2011

Consultation on the proposed revised methodology for the determination of hazardous substances for the purposes of the Groundwater Daughter Directive

This is a joint consultation by the Joint Agencies Groundwater Directive Advisory Group (JAGDAG), including SEPA, the Environment Agency and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.

Consultation documents

This consultation asked for views on how the National Flood Risk Assessment informs the identification of areas for flood risk management planning. Responses to the consultation will help Scotland better plan and co-ordinate actions to reduce the impact on our communities, the economy and the environment, making us more resilient to the impacts of flooding.

For more comprehensive information on the consultation please visit the flood risk management pages.

• Flooding in Scotland consultation  (4.5mb)

15 Aug 2011

Flooding in Scotland: A consultation on Potentially Vulnerable Areas and Local Plan Districts  (539kb)

For further information and supporting documents, please visit the flood risk management pages.

This short consultation is to seek your comments on the proposal to introduce a new Water Environment (Controlled Activities) Fees and Charges (Scotland) Scheme 2011. This is necessary because the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2005 have been replaced by the 2011 Regulations.

This is a technical change in so far as the conditions and charges will not change and CAR charges will not be increased from the 2010/11 level however, the 2011 Regulations are numbered differently from the 2005 Regulations. We have concluded that in order to avoid confusion and make the transition into the new Regulations it is best to introduce a new CAR charging scheme to align with the 2011 Regulations at the earliest opportunity.

• CAR 2011 charges consultation and respondent information form  (106k)

A waste data strategy for Scotland is being developed in accordance with the requirements of Scotland’s Zero Waste Plan which was published in June 2010.

This consultation seeks your views on the overall aims, vision and scope of this proposed strategy, notably on the waste data requirements, issues, outcomes and timescales identified therein, and the way in which the management and reporting of waste data collected by all organisations in Scotland can be improved.

Your views are important because they will ensure that the waste data strategy for Scotland is based upon a good understanding of the strengths and weakness of the current data and an agreed understanding of the potential for improvement.

The proposed strategy aims to produce high quality robust waste data that will help Scotland’s society manage its waste better and make better use of its resources.  It will also deliver the following benefits:

• Give an improved understanding of what waste is produced and how it is managed;
• Provide information to support the development of new business opportunities including the development of new waste management infrastructure;
• Allow businesses and local authorities to benchmark their waste management performance;
• Provide an information-base upon which waste producers, the resource management sector, the Scottish Government and regulators can work towards delivering the objectives of the Zero Waste Plan;
• Monitor progress towards domestic and European targets; and
• Raise public awareness of waste management issues.

It was written by SEPA and Zero Waste Scotland in conjunction with a wide range of stakeholders.  Further information is given in the consultation document.

• View the consultation document  (1Mb)

This consultation sets out some significant changes that SEPA is proposing in order to improve, simplify and better integrate the environmental protection and improvement services it provides for Scotland.

We want Scotland to have a world class system for environmental regulation – with SEPA doing better with less and delivering services that are efficient, effective and that provide the best value for tax payers and our charge payers.

Our change proposals are focused on achieving simpler, more integrated, more proportionate, and more effective regulation. We want a system that reduces bureaucracy and duplication and that protects and improves the environment and communities. We also need the right tools to allow us to deal with poor environmental practice and to tackle the environmental crimes that do serious economic and social as well as environmental damage to Scotland. Our proposals are about actively regulating the higher environmental risks and focusing our effort more on poor performers, enabling us to reduce effort on consistently high performers and the lower risk activities.  We call this Better Environmental Regulation.  SEPA’s Chairman, David Sigsworth, sets out his support and that of the Agency Board for the changes proposed in the consultation in an audio message which you can listen to by clicking on the link below.

We need your views on what we are proposing, including on the potential for legislative reform that could deliver the streamlined, simpler, more integrated regulatory system we believe Scotland needs to support economic recovery.

• view the consultation document;
• download the feedback form;
• listen to David Sigsworth’s audio message.

SEPA will not be increasing baseline charges in 2011/12 but proposes to reduce some charges and make some technical changes to transfer charges from the Regulations into SEPA charging schemes. The charging schemes affected are

• Transfrontier Shipment of Waste (International Waste Shipments)
• Producer responsibility – WEEE
• Producer responsibility – batteries
• EU-ETS Aviation
  
• View consultation document

This consultation is being carried out by the Environment Agency, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.

• View consultation details and documents

Consultation: SEPA Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act consultation on establishing a framework for partnership working that will ultimately support the production of flood risk management plans and how we tackle flooding issues in Scotland. If you would prefer to respond using an online survey please choose the option below

• View consultation document  

For details of the event which SEPA held to support this consultation please click here

• View consultation details and documents

This consultation seeks your views on proposals to reduce charges for the registration of farms for the spreading of organic waste.

• Consultation Document  (107k)

Ministerial approval  (35k)

Para. 7 responses summary  (26k)

• View consultation details and documents

This consultation seeks your views on our guidance for developers of hydropower schemes. The guidance describes how SEPA intends to achieve Scottish Ministers' policy objectives with respect to striking the right balance between protection of the water environment and renewable energy generation.

• Consultation Document  (577k)

This consultation seeks your views on proposed amendments to the Radioactive Substances Act 1993 Fees and Charges (Scotland) Scheme. It proposes amendments to application fees, some subsistence charges and introduces new charges for the revocation or variation of authorisations and registrations and for disposal facilities for Low Level Waste (LLW) to near surface facilities (repositories) and disposal of High Volumes of Very Low Level Waste (HVVLLW) to specified landfill sites.

• Consultation Document  (107k)

Ministerial approval  (45k)

Summary of RSA responses  (32k)

Consultation: Use of Sewage Sludge in Forestry and in the restoration of Derelict Land

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency is consulting on its proposals for how it will regulate the use of sewage sludge on non-agricultural land. Your response to this consultation will be used to produce the final version of a SEPA document which will be aimed at providing guidance to those involved with the planning, carrying out and regulating of sewage sludge use.

The document translates the recommendations contained in SNIFFER UKLQ09 paper Human Health and Environmental Impacts of Using Sewage Sludge on Forestry and for Restoration of Derelict Land into SEPA guidance. The procedure will, in most cases, be sufficient to ensure that paragraph 8 and 9 Exemptions comply with the specific Exemption requirements and the overarching Relevant Objectives of the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994. It establishes a clear and transparent methodology for waste exemption assessment to ensure a consistent approach which protects the environment.

• Consultation Paper  (172k)
• Consultation questions  (161k)
• Draft Regulatory Guidance - Sewage Sludge Consultation  (230k)

This is the first of two consultations to be issued in 2009 and proposes amendments to application fees, point source and engineering charges. The second consultation will propose amendments to water resource charges and will be issued in autumn 2009.

• View consultation Document  (104k)

Consultation: Land remediation and Waste Management Guidelines

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency is consulting on its proposals for how it will regulate land remediation in terms of the Waste Framework Directive.

• View consultation details

The development of river basin management planning represents a huge step forward in the way in which we safeguard and improve the quality of our water environment across Scotland and the Borders. This is your opportunity to review these draft plans, contribute to the river basin planning process and help shape the final plan that will be published in December 2009.

• View RBMP Plans and supporting area management plans

This is the phase two Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) charging scheme consultation and proposes amendments to reduce charges for some smaller chemical installations and introduce a new charging factor related to the SEPA compliance assessment scheme.

• Amendment to the SEPA Pollution Prevention and Control Fees and Charges Scheme  (53k)

Ministerial Approval  (37k)

Summary of responses to the PPC phase 2 charging scheme consultation  (10k)

We propose amendments to disposal to land charges to reflect efficiencies and cost savings achieved by Scotland’s Environmental and Rural Services (SEARS) partnership and to reduce subsistence charges and introduce annual billing.

• Amendment to CAR Disposal to Land Charges  (31k)

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency is consulting on its proposals for groundwater assessment criteria for pollutant inputs that will enable the prevent or limit requirements of the Water Framework and Groundwater Daughter Directives to be met.

• Cover letter   (29k)
• Position statement: assigning groundwater assessment criteria for pollutant inputs  (639k)
• Consultation questions   (25k)
• Supporting Q&A   (26k)
• SEPA's response to comments  (214k)