Environment News
Energy secretary Huhne resigns, replaced by Ed Davey
Environment & Carbon News
DEFRA wants bin fines to become civil sanctions
The government is planning to reform council household waste penalties and introduce civil sanctions
South-west given ‘marine energy park’ status
A partnership has been formed to promote wave and tidal projects in the region, but it has not received any new finance
River flows improving, says Environment Agency
An agency programme has helped restore nearly 600 miles of rivers in England and Wales to a healthier state in the past 12 years
Three quarters of RHI applications inadequate
Ofgem says firms applying for the renewable heat incentive need to do more homework. But there are complaints that the process is too complex
Government consults on road user charging scheme for HGVs
The government is consulting on a road user charging scheme for HGVs but the measure is not designed to be green. It is also trialling longer articulated lorries
Cost of burying power lines over-estimated
The difference in cost between underground and overground electricity lines is much narrower than previous National Grid estimates
Commission restates case for 30% carbon target
Adopting a higher carbon target across the EU would have little economic impact on member states, according to a European Commission study
Directors out of touch on energy efficiency
Boardrooms are still failing to commit sufficient resources to energy efficiency, Siemens has found
Corporate carbon-cutting let down by supply chains
Carbon emissions improvements at multinational firms are not being matched by their suppliers, a new survey shows
Tesco may ditch Carbon Trust footprinting label
The supermarket says the scheme is ‘costly, slow and confusing’ and it has only achieved the label for a small proportion of its range
Ford extends water use and landfilling targets
Carmaker focuses on reducing water use and the amount of waste landfilled per vehicle
Air pollution alert system for Scotland launched
‘Know and Respond’ will send messages to mobile phones, landlines or email addresses when air quality falls
Tighter air quality index records first 'high'
Residents of the London district of Putney suffered significant levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution on 4 January
Skip hire boss fined for lacking permit
Magistrates have fined an illegal waste operator based in Northamptonshire £10,000
Spending cuts halt NHS emissions growth
The NHS Sustainable Development Unit has lowered its emissions forecast for the health service, but warns that energy efficiency still needs to improve
Northern Ireland bag tax to start at 5p
There will be a charge for single-use plastic carrier bags in Northern Ireland from April 2013
EPUK advises on CHP air quality effect
A new guidance document aims to help councils assess the impact of smaller combined heat and power plants on air quality
Agency plans to prune pollution inventory
The Environment Agency is consulting on cutting the number of pollutants that sites must report on
Man sentenced for waste tyre offences
For illegally storing and exporting tyres the Chesterfield man was given a suspended prison sentence and 200 hours of unpaid work
Retailer waste fines slashed on appeal
Fines for dumping waste against West Country firm Trago Mills have been reduced by two thirds
Document Watch
Quick links to key documents and reports
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3 February 2012
DEFRA research papers on noise -
3 February 2012
Government response to House of Lords subcommittee report on Innovation in EU Agriculture -
3 February 2012
Friends of the Earth Europe report on EU-wide extrapolation of UK costs of biofuels calculations -
3 February 2012
UNECE joint wood energy enquiry
