http://www.endsreport.com/bulletin/A weekly online news service offering a succinct round-up of key environmental policy and legislation developmentsWed, 10 Mar 2010 18:00 GMThttp://www.endsreport.com/feeds/http://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=22006http://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=22006Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00 GMTAlmost a third of English councils’ environmental services budgets will be cut in 2010/11 and a further third will see an increase of 2% or less, according to a survey by the BBChttp://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=22013http://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=22013Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00 GMTOutgoing UN climate chief Yvo de Boer has told ENDS that a full climate treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol is unlikely to emerge by the Cancun summit in November, 2010http://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=22012http://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=22012Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00 GMTA leaked draft of the European Commission’s plan for centralised auctioning of emissions allowances for Phase III of the EU emissions trading scheme (ETS) has fuelled disagreement over how trading platforms will be set uphttp://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=22014http://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=22014Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00 GMTThe environment department (DEFRA) is consulting on proposed packaging targets for 2011-20 which aim for an overall recycling rate of 70% by 2020http://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=22011http://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=22011Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00 GMTSupermarkets have agreed to cut the greenhouse gas impact of grocery packaging by 10% over the next three yearshttp://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=22005http://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=22005Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00 GMTObligations on energy suppliers to improve household energy efficiency became clear on Tuesday with the long-awaited publication of the government’s Household Energy Management Strategy (HEMS)http://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=22009http://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=22009Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00 GMTFuture air quality policy will be linked to carbon budgets, the government promised yesterday in an update to its 2007 air quality strategyhttp://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=22008http://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=22008Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00 GMTMarks and Spencer (M&S) announced dozens of new commitments aimed at improving its environmental and ethical performance on Mondayhttp://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=21899http://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=21899Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00 GMTA committee of MPs warned on Tuesday that premature investment decisions aimed at improving the UK’s national grid could reduce opportunities for a smart grid in futurehttp://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=22004http://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=22004Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00 GMTA report on the feasibility of Scotland’s ambitious 42% interim target for greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2020 advises this would be difficult in the absence of a wider global climate deal.http://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=21896http://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=21896Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00 GMTA Conservative government would create a presumption in favour of “sustainable development”, according to a green paper published on Mondayhttp://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=21898http://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=21898Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00 GMTWelsh councils could be fined if they do not meet the country’s stretching recycling targets under draft regulations issued this weekhttp://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=21894http://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=21894Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00 GMTThe Court of Appeal cut a £125,000 fine against Thames Water last Friday to just £50,000. The ruling, following a conviction for polluting a river with bleach and killing over two tonnes of fish, took account of substantial voluntary compensation offered by the companyhttp://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=21893http://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=21893Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00 GMTProsecutions instigated by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) led to average fines of just £2,511 in the financial year 2008/10 - only a third the level of comparable fines obtained by Environment Agency prosecutionshttp://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=21888http://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=21888Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:00 GMTThe Environment Agency began consulting on how it will use the new civil sanctions regime on Mondayhttp://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=21892http://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=21892Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:00 GMTThe commission created two new departments on climate change and energy yesterday, following approval by MEPs and member states last weekhttp://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=21890http://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=21890Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:00 GMTThe water industry's financial regulator unveiled plans for a wide-ranging review of its activities in a report released last Fridayhttp://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=21887http://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=21887Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:00 GMTEnvironmental consultants Aether and ENDS launched the world’s first free-access directory of environmental accounting software tools on Tuesdayhttp://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=21889http://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=21889Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:00 GMTHeineken, Exxon, BASF and Kellogg’s are among UK brands performing poorly on managing and reporting the risks of water scarcity, according to a survey published last weekhttp://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=21881http://www.endsreport.com/index.cfm?action=bulletin.article&articleid=21881Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:00 GMTThe environment department (DEFRA) has announced that it is to review the guidance underpinning the contaminated land regime