A young woman is filmed dressed in wetsuit paddling in the waves under grey skies on a miserable drizzly day taking samples of seawater. She’s interviewed, she works for the Environment Agency and she admits she’s the only person paddling that day, but it’s just another day’s work to keep our environment safe and clean.
This is the image of the Environment Agency that I want to subscribe to. A public agency working with others to make our environment healthy and safe.
Over recent months though, my view of the Environment Agency has been challenged. No longer do I have such confidence in the Agency’s moral purpose or its accountability; and most importantly, I no longer have confidence in its guardianship of the environment.
I’m sure there are many staff within EA working tirelessly and honourably. It certainly has one of the best marketing departments of any Govt Agency. But our experience suggests the agency has constructed a myth.
On Thursday Eric Pickles announced his decision to give the go-ahead to the Barton Renewable Energy Plant following Peel Energy’s appeal to the planning inspectorate. The Inspectorate’s report to Mr Pickles is riddled with references to the Environment Agency as an authority. The inspector defers time and time again to the Environment Agency.
So Pickles passes the buck to the Inspector; and the Inspector passes the buck to the EA.
Friends of the Earth (South Hams) have highlighted that the Environment Agency has never refused an Environmental Permit to an incinerator application. And campaigners here have voiced so many criticisms of their report on Barton that it casts doubt on the whole process.
So much distrust has been created by the Environmental Agency. They didn’t even take notes when they consulted with the public
Eric Pickles proudly heralded a ground-breaking shift in power to councils and communities overturning decades of central government control. Instead we got a stitch-up and more distrust than ever.
Image: The Environment Agency considered legitimate use
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