Agency reviews OPRA scheme

26th May 2017


Related Topics

Related tags

  • Business & Industry ,
  • Management ,
  • Corporate governance ,
  • Pollution & Waste Management ,
  • Prevention & Control

Author

Sarah-Aby Diop

The Environment Agency is reviewing the way it appraises sites that require environmental permits.

It is planning to replace the Operator Risk Appraisal (Opra) scheme for sites operating under the Environmental Permitting Regulations with a more holistic approach to monitor performance, according to an informal consultation paper from the regulator.

The current scheme ranks operators A to F, based on how well sites comply with the terms of their permits. It takes into account hazards relating to the nature and scale of activity and how close the facility is to receptors, such as people and wildlife habitats.

Under the proposed new scheme, the agency wants to also consider the likelihood of a breach in compliance, according to operators’ attitude and how they respond to advice given by the regulator.

This would enable it to identify early indications that a site might breach its permit, so it can intervene and focus resources on mitigating risk. The A to F rankings would be replaced by ‘exemplary’; ‘expected’; ‘improvement needed’; and ‘significant improvement needed’.

‘We want an approach that is fairer to industry, supports growth, and protects our environment and local communities,’ the consultation document states. It further says: ‘We want to make a system that not only describes an operators’ performance more accurately, but is also more reflective of the regulatory effort we have to apply.’

The new approach would also allow the agency to recognise operators that voluntarily make extra effort above compliance, and which would therefore need less effort to regulate.

These organisations would benefit from ‘light-touch’ regulation and a reduction in fees, the agency said. The regulator believes its plans would encourage self-reporting and recognise positive behaviour in addressing minor incidents.

The agency said the new scheme would enable it to focus on poorly performing sites where operators are unresponsive, obstructive or hostile. Such businesses would pay higher fees to cover additional agency costs.

The consultation asks opinions on what criteria the agency should assess under the new system. It plans to review responses and launch a formal consultation in July.

Subscribe

Subscribe to IEMA's newsletters to receive timely articles, expert opinions, event announcements, and much more, directly in your inbox.


Transform articles

The time is now

Dr Julie Riggs issues a call to arms to tackle a modern-day human tragedy

15th March 2024

Read more

The UK government’s carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) strategy is based on optimistic techno-economic assumptions that are now outdated, Carbon Tracker has warned.

13th March 2024

Read more

Multinational corporations are undermining their net-zero commitments with excessive air travel and no plans to reduce ‘the low hanging fruit’ of carbon footprints, a study by Transport & Environment has found.

13th March 2024

Read more

Large businesses across the world are avoiding climate action due to fear they will be called out for getting their work wrong, according to a new Carbon Trust report.

29th February 2024

Read more

A thought-provoking discussion on how storytelling can change the world took place in Central London last night, alongside an exclusive sneak preview of an upcoming IEMA film series.

29th February 2024

Read more

The UK’s net-zero economy grew 9% last year while delivering higher paid jobs than average and attracting billions of pounds in private investment, analysis by CBI Economics has uncovered.

28th February 2024

Read more

A consortium including IEMA and the Good Homes Alliance have drafted a letter to UK government ministers expressing disappointment with the proposed Future Homes Standard.

26th February 2024

Read more

IEMA and the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) have today published up-to-date guidance to help companies and individuals understand climate-related financial information.

22nd February 2024

Read more

Media enquires

Looking for an expert to speak at an event or comment on an item in the news?

Find an expert

IEMA Cookie Notice

Clicking the ‘Accept all’ button means you are accepting analytics and third-party cookies. Our website uses necessary cookies which are required in order to make our website work. In addition to these, we use analytics and third-party cookies to optimise site functionality and give you the best possible experience. To control which cookies are set, click ‘Settings’. To learn more about cookies, how we use them on our website and how to change your cookie settings please view our cookie policy.

Manage cookie settings

Our use of cookies

You can learn more detailed information in our cookie policy.

Some cookies are essential, but non-essential cookies help us to improve the experience on our site by providing insights into how the site is being used. To maintain privacy management, this relies on cookie identifiers. Resetting or deleting your browser cookies will reset these preferences.

Essential cookies

These are cookies that are required for the operation of our website. They include, for example, cookies that enable you to log into secure areas of our website.

Analytics cookies

These cookies allow us to recognise and count the number of visitors to our website and to see how visitors move around our website when they are using it. This helps us to improve the way our website works.

Advertising cookies

These cookies allow us to tailor advertising to you based on your interests. If you do not accept these cookies, you will still see adverts, but these will be more generic.

Save and close