Irish Regions Office Website

June 27, 2009

Emissions limits tightened

EU Environment Ministers reached agreement on 25 June to tighten rules on the emission of harmful industrial pollutants including sulphur and nitrogen compounds, dust particles, asbestos and heavy metal into the air, soil or water. The proposed legislation, brought forward by the European Commission in 2007, attempts to combine seven existing EU air pollution laws, including the directive on integrated pollution prevention and control (IPPC) and the Large Combustion Plants (LCP) Directive. It would require 52,000 industrial operators to obtain permits from national authorities to release designated pollutants.

The Ministers agreed to bring emission limits on LCPs such as power stations into line with state-of-the-art emission reduction technologies by 2016 and to fast track this stipulation for new installations - within two years of the entry into force of the directive. According to the Commission, tightening emission limits on LCPs alone, will reduce health costs by EUR7 billion and prevent 13,000 premature deaths every year. The directive now returns to the European Parliament for a second reading in the autumn.

Council Conclusions

Posted by iroronan at June 27, 2009 12:00 PM