DoE's controversial guidance on legal breaches by EMAS sites

The Department of the Environment (DoE) has issued guidance to regulators on when they should notify it that a company registered under the EC eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS) is breaking the law. Notification will not be triggered by breaches of authorisation limits but will be left entirely to regulators' discretion, raising the possibility of an inconsistent approach. Private water companies, which regulate trade effluent consents, will not be involved in the notification arrangements at all.