Environment weekly highlights—22 May 2025
This week's edition of Environment weekly highlights includes: analysis on the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs's (Defra) consultation on reforms to the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016 in an effort to streamline regulation, the International Environmental Protection Report, published by Defra, the government's plans for updating energy efficiency rules in the private rented sector and the reservoir safety reform programme. In addition this week, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has announced that the Great British Energy (GBE) Bill has passed through Parliament, with legislative consent from all three devolved governments, the first UK-EU summit was held on 19 May 2025 which resulted in the agreement of a 'new strategic partnership' building on the Withdrawal Agreement and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, including a commitment to work towards an agreement linking the UK and EU emissions trading schemes (ETSs). Further, this week, Defra has published its response to the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP)’s February 2025 review of the duty to have due regard to the Environmental Principles Policy Statement (EPPS) and has, in collaboration with the EA, launched a record 81 criminal investigations into water companies in England as part of a crackdown on sewage dumping.