In response to the disruption caused by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the UK’s Environment Agency (EA) has published three new temporary regulatory position statements (RPS).
Like the EA’s other RPS, the three new COVID-19 specific RPS are declarations by the EA (the primary environmental regulator and enforcement authority for England and Wales) that it will not seek to enforce certain aspects of the UK’s environmental permitting regime in specific circumstances related to COVID-19.
In particular, businesses seeking to rely on a COVID-19 RPS must comply with:
- the specific conditions set out in the RPS (including any requirements to notify the EU or get its approval to rely on the RPS); and
- requirements concerning pollution and harm to human health.