Environmental regulation: Industry and the marine environment

Control of industrial pollution remains high on the UK political agenda. Th e implementation of industrial pollution policy is, in practice, deferred t o individual Integrated Pollution Control inspectors who make their decisio ns faking into account such factors as environment, technology and economic s. Structured interviews with regulators and industrial operators reveal si milarities between their respective attitudes. Scientific, technical and ec onomic information is used in the negotiation which forms a key part of the regulation process and in some areas an imbalance between the regulators a nd the operators has been found. The established system of Environmental Qu ality Standards and authorised release limits is viewed by the regulators a nd operators as effectively safeguarding the environment and making it mana geable. It is, however, criticised by environmental groups for being bureau cratic, poorly enforced and for not taking into account the possible biolog ical effects of a growing number of industrial chemicals. Attitudes towards compliance with environmental regulations suggest that industrial operator s and regulators view limits as being flexible. There is a general consensu s that more environmental monitoring is required. Despite the organisationa l changes that have taken place in the regulatory bodies, there is a percei ved lack of functional integration. This paper calls for a reappraisal of t he current system which is unlikely to be able to manage the growing number of chemicals found to cause biological effects. A fresh approach and new s kills are required by the regulators if the ambitious targets, agreed at th e 1998 Ministerial Meeting of the Oslo and Paris Commission, are to be achi eved. (C) 2000 Academic Press.